Mini Dish: Amanda’s Feel Good Fresh Food -- CLOSED

Slow Food Principles in this Fast Food Joint
(Update: This restaurant couldn't negotiate a new lease and will close 12/31/10)
2122 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
Downtown
PH: 510.548.2122
Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Major credit cards accepted, no reservations
www.amandas.com

Quality quick-and-convenient food is hard to come by. That’s probably why fast foods have gotten such a bad rap because they often mean low prices but unhealthy options. And places that have quality food often mean higher prices and a bit of a wait.

Amanda’s Feel Good Fresh Food in downtown Berkeley may be on to something. The new fast-food-like eatery promotes good eating with fresh salads and organic, sustainable products like their 100 percent natural beef hamburgers and baked potato sticks ala French fries.

I discovered Amanda’s recently after visiting the Berkeley Saturday farmers’ market. Opened since summer 2008, the place is clean and friendly, offering an Earth-friendly motif of frosted glass with bamboo and a huge communal table that the owners promote as a “picnic table” for people to gather.

The restaurant was opened by Amanda West, who is not a chef but worked in the tech industry until she got a job at Niman Ranch. There she learned about high standards for sustainable foods, and she was inspired to come up with this healthy fast-food eatery after watching that “Supersize Me” documentary a few years back.

The menu consists of several burgers (beef, grilled chicken and veggie) and huge salads. Everything is served in compostable packaging, and every detail supports Amanda’s health and environmental mission—from the organic Heinz ketchup served to the tap water pitchers.

On one visit, I ordered the Grilled Citrus Chicken Salad ($6.45), which was a nice-size salad made with naturally-raised chicken, radicchio, red onion, jicama, orange segments and white beans. It’s served with a very light citrus vinaigrette.

I was amazed at the freshness of the ingredients, which was more restaurant quality. In fact, the jicama was so fresh that it made me a convert for this crunchy white vegetable that I generally avoid because I thought it was bland. But I realized that when fresh, jicama can be slightly sweet and fun to eat.

This isn’t a salad that will win for flavor because it tastes very light and healthy. But I felt it gained points for freshness and the nice portion size.

On a subsequent visit, I checked out the 100 percent naturally raised beef used in the hamburger ($3.75). I topped off my burger by adding avocado for 75 cents.

The burgers are served ala carte (unless you got the combo deal), so I ordered a side of the regular baked fries ($1.50). (Amanda’s also offers baked fries made of sweet potatoes for $1.75.)

The hamburger was a bit tiny, but it was piled on with avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles (I asked it be made without onions). While the beef patty wasn’t necessarily cooked like at a restaurant (translation: a bit dry), it was still enjoyable, especially when I lathered it with ketchup. And I liked the warm, slightly toasted bun.

The fries were nicely thin, resembling real French fries. But of course, they weren’t as crisp as deep-fried fries. Still, they gave me the feel of eating French fries because of the texture and feel in my hands. To some, it might just seem like a somewhat soggy French fry. Given the health benefits of having them baked, I didn’t mind the slight sogginess since I have an aversion to deep-fried foods.

While the food might lack a bit of flavor, Amanda’s is a real refreshing find and priced to compete with any of the major fast-food chains. If you want something fast and convenient but don’t want to feel guilty about it, make Amanda’s your next stop.

I’m not giving this my regular rating system since Amanda’s isn’t a full-fledged restaurant, but I would definitely go back.