FNG Eats
On my second week as a food "blogger", "critic" or what have you not, I decided take a short walk and have a bite at FNG Eats. More than once I have passed by this place when I jogged or whenever I had to take a trip to Kroger to buy groceries, and the place had always caught my eye, but today was the day I when that curiosity ended. The restaurant has a couple tables on the outside, where as in contrast to Palio's (see last review) you have a nice view into the Keller Town Center, most specifically, to the Unleashed by Petco store lying in front of it (which, if you're a dog person like me, will find it a joy to see all the dogs go in and out). The building counts with reflecting glass walls that set the impression of something a little more up-scale than your regular Chick-fil-A trip. With nothing to lose, we ventured in.
The Inside
As we ventured into the restaurant, I could notice that the place exuded on its ambience what would be the rest of our culinary experience: Upscale-Comfort food. It counted with an open kitchen on one side of the space, and a bar with some flat screens on the walls for those who wanted to have a more casual experience. For those who seek to have a bite, rather than just a couple drinks, could have a seat in either a couple wooden tables or some table booths. Having a bar, it was quite obvious that this place didn't follow the BYOB policy, thankfully.
The Service
As soon as we went through the front door, we were greeted and ushered into our seats by a friendly waitress. In a matter of minutes, our server came right to our table and introduced himself to get our drinks. Throughout the whole meal he was attentive, and never let our glasses get empty, which I mark as a huge plus. He also spoke Spanish, which made it way easier for some of the people we were with when we made our order!
The Food
Seeing that the restaurant has its own site, with a menu, I've decided to skip it, since you can go right in there and see what other food there is.
We had come at around noon, so we were handed the brunch menu, we had:
Mimi Panini:
Two grill-pressed focaccia buns that counted with smoked ham, turkey, bacon, tarragon aioli, swiss and cheddar cheese. Originally it also includes, tomatoes, but I had mine without them. The sandwich as a whole was quite satisfying, the bacon, cheese and aioli being the feature on the flavor. Both the ham and the turkey seemed lost, and I didn't pick them up. The panini also screamed for some sweet element in order to complement, maybe the tomatoes were what actually gave it balance, so I'll take the blame on that one. Texture-wise, I must say it was excellent. The bread was crisp and crunchy, whilst all the elements inside gave it a smoother feel, the ham and the turkey, whilst not highlights in flavor, were highlights in texture.
FM Salad:
A salad with a peach vinaigrette, wood toasted pecans and granny smith sticks. We got it without the feta cheese and with some wood grilled chicken. The salad was good, and the vinaigrette, whilst hard to see, was not hard to taste. The chicken would've used for some more flavor and lacked that smokiness that most proteins get from the grill. With just a dab of salt we added, the salad tasted a lot better.
Burger:
I hesitated in placing the name of the dish here because the hamburger was just plain bun, patty and cheese, so I think it is better to evaluate it as an individual product rather than something from the menu. It was ordered well-done, something I despise, and I felt the bun-to-patty ratio was overpowering for the patty, and was lacking flavor as well. Again, this was just a plain hamburger, which really takes all of the factor that could give it something to stand out with.
French Fries:
I chose to make an individual spot for the fries. Oh my god. These fries could easily be one of the best ones I've had on my life. Seemingly made of crack and rainbows, these fries were crispy on the outside, but still fresh, showing that they didn't spend an hour on the fryer. The seasoning was exceptional, and could easily be the best part of our meal.
Other Points worth Mentioning:
The place counts with a HUGE selection of international and local beer and a vast choice of cocktails.
We tried out the brunch menu, but FNG counts with a brunch, lunch, dinner and takeout menu.
Place has happy hour (Aw yeah) every day from 2:00 pm until 7:00 pm.
FNG Eats also does catering, events and takeout.
Conclusion:
FNG Eats certainly has left a great impression on us, with a great ambience, attentive staff, and great food, I would not hesitate on coming once again and am happy on having this place around the block. If you ever make the choice of eating here, any time of the day, you won't be disappointed, just don't forget to get the fries! I certainly will be coming back frequently to get a better taste of FNG and their great staff!
To get a better glimpse at FNG Eats, visit them in their website: http://fngeats.com/#about-section