Now open: Fresh to Order is a mall restaurant that will make you forget you’re in a mall

I find malls depressing, surreal places, but when the first Charlotte franchise of Fresh To Order offered me a special tasting I decided to brave Carolina Place. Fresh To Order, based in Atlanta, bills itself as “fast-fine.” So they’re taking “fast casual” up a notch. They’ve been open a few weeks but their grand opening, on Friday, February 27^th, includes tons of tastings, so make sure to go then. More on that later.

But first, the mall. I got there early, so I hung out for a few minutes in the food court. I learned that food court food looks every bit as depressing as I remembered. Also there was a very angry-looking man who was dozing off at a table and looked even angrier every time he woke up. I don’t know why, but that wasn’t my concern.

Then I went into the “As Seen on TV” store, where I learned that I’ve been doing everything wrong, from cleaning my glasses to cooking bacon to walking.

The first nice thing about “Fresh To Order” is that it doesn’t feel like it’s in a mall at all. In fact, you can enter the restaurant from outside and avoid the mall completely.

It’s located on the 2^nd floor, at the main entrance, between Sears and JCPenney. The second nice thing is that the team has completely bought into the concept. The owner, Ravi Desai, regularly dined at the Atlanta location and realized that this was the concept—chef-prepared food in a quick, affordable casual setting—that he wanted to bring to Charlotte.

So, the food. The menu features appetizers, paninis, salads, “better for you” burgers (tuna, black bean and bison burgers), entrées, soups, desserts and a kids menu. First I sampled the soups: creamy chicken vegetable, chicken tortilla, lentil, corn chowder, tomato bisque and cream of mushroom. All are made in-house, except the lentil, which is gluten-free, and is made in a separate facility to prevent any traces of gluten. They were all excellent. My favorite was the corn chowder, which had just a tiny bite to it. One of the servers says that she mixes the corn chowder and creamy vegetable soup together every morning and that’s her breakfast. I’m not sure that’s the Breakfast of Champions, but that’s what I mean about the team buying in. The folks who work here love the food.

I tried the Blackened Lime Shrimp with Blue Cheese Dressing and Asian Slaw as an appetizer. This was amazing, and I’d recommend it when you visit for your free tasting, but I was also hearing very high praise for the Crispy Calamari.

I was flummoxed at this point as to what entrée to try so I went with the suggestion of Almond Chicken Skewers. The chicken was encrusted in panko, almonds, sesame and rosemary. Let that sink in for a moment. Amazing.

Also strongly recommended was the Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin.

I was impressed at this point, but there was one thing I had to try. Macaroni and cheese was on the menu and I wondered if they were going to fancy it up too much, because that’s a pitfall of ambitious chefs. Sometimes I can’t believe the things people put into macaroni and cheese. Others make it too bland, fearing the wrath of children. But rest assured that it was done just right. Nothing crazy, and just the right ratio of comfort and flavor. Kids will love it. You’ll probably love it too. I’d pit it against any macaroni and cheese in the Queen City. (Aren’t we due for another mac-and-cheese showdown?)

The dessert menu includes several pies, cookies, cupcakes and Fudge Brownie 27. What does the 27 means? It was the 27^th brownie recipe that the chef tried before hitting the jackpot. I’m afraid I was running out of steam and couldn’t take one for the team but you should give it a try.

If you’re shopping at Carolina Place, forgo to the food court and go to Fresh To Order. Even if you’re not shopping at the mall, it’s worth visiting just for this restaurant.

Several more Fresh To Order locations are slated to open in Charlotte as well.

Here’s some official information about the Grand Opening:

It’ll take place Friday, February 27^th, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:00 p.m. Guests can win prizes until 7:00 p.m., including $20 and $50 gift cards every hour. The restaurant will collect business cards for a drawing to win a $100 catering party.

Here’s the schedule for the tastings:

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Free appetizers, including tastings of Ale Laced Chicken Tenders, Almond Crusted Seared Tuna, Blackened Lime Shrimp and Panini samples

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Soup tasting

3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Sample an assortment of soups, salads, paninis, entrée items, cookies and brownies

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 12:41 AM with the headline "Now open: Fresh to Order is a mall restaurant that will make you forget you’re in a mall."