Fresh Side — Restaurant in Amherst

Fresh Side in Amherst has to rank at just about the bottom of the barrel in the local cuisine scene. I genuinely wanted to enjoy this experience and look forward to adding this to my local go tos.....but.....nope

I'm no yuppy or hipster foodie fanatic but I can generally hold my own when it comes time to measuring bang for the buck, general overall quality, combination of flavors and a places signature.

All I can say is...

This one misses in EVERY CATEGORY At ~ $8.00 for a cup and a half of "garlic broccoli" the stuff wasn't even cooked and was still just about raw with no evidence of garlic to be found anywhere in the dish

At ~ $6.00 the TWO pad thai tea rolls? Left so much to be desired I'll just leave this alone, peanut butter in a plastic cup does NOT equate to a peanut sauce, they couldn't even be bothered to try here. Tea rolls were the size of a golf ball

At ~$12.00 for the Beef Pho...the dish overall was so disappointing that I can't say there was anything salvageable here. The beef looked like it got pulled out of yesterday's leftover Arby's beef n cheddar, the noodles were less impressive and there was NOT a single vegetable to be found in the broth, nothing not an herb leaf, not a sliver of onion, not a shred of carrot, a sliver of ginger, anything in the vegetable category could have saved this dish even in a minimal amount. That being said I've had more memorable bowls of noodles from the prepackaged microwave Taste of Asia collection at a fraction of the price. I'd like to say the broth base had a pleasant and memorable quality to it but even that missed.

Overall • grossly overpriced hipster Cafe • price point is set to target the captive Amherst College elitist looking for a quaintsy boutiquey lunch or dinner spot • not a repeatable restaurant, frequent diner card member worthy establishment

[Thats saying a lot folks because I can't actually recall the last time I actually gave a review under 3 of 5 stars, let alone...

Never in my life have I been so grievously insulted. A myriad of horrendous affronts to my senses were waiting for me upon my first bite. There I was, a young, somewhat naïve young man, bursting with optimism and riddled with the hopefulness that only the young can boast to posses. Stricken with a sudden and unexpected hunger, I made a decision that would come to haunt me for the rest of the day. I was curious to investigate Vietnamese cuisine, as my palette is woefully lacking. I decided to patronize a local establishment, "Fresh Side". Just the name inspires culinary confidence, the implication of freshly prepared delicacies clearly engrained within the title. Bibim Udon and Pad Thai, what a wonderfully exotic combination of food! I thought, as I sat down to enjoy an order recommended to me by my now former friend, who soullessly betrayed me like a common rat. As I prepared myself, unsuspecting and unbelievably ecstatic, I began sweating, unable to contain my excitement. Upon contact with the food, my tongue reeled back in horror, as I could feel my stomach, empty as a desert, attempt to expel its contents. My eyes were wide with horror, I was frozen, as a deer in the headlights, unable to move or make a sound as my throat performed the motions necessary to swallow. I shall spare the rest of the morbid and disgusting details, though I must add that my psyche is irreparably damaged, and I shall never be the same, hopeful youth that I was when I woke up...

I had high hopes for this restaurant, but I was incredibly disappointed.

Atmosphere: we (party of 3) sat inside. It was incredibly echoy, the chairs were extremely uncomfortable, and our table was so uneven (two tables shoved together with about a 2-inch difference in their heights) that a glass fell over when set down in the wrong spot.

Server: from the beginning, the server was somewhat of a disaster, and I say that with a heavy heart because I don't enjoy critiquing others that harshly. She began the evening by walking up to the table and basically raising her eyebrows to ask us what we wanted. She was dressed in tight, torn jeans, and wearing a tight and low cut exercise tank top with a visible bra underneath. When our food came, it was staggered so severely that the first person to get their food had cold food by the time the other meals arrived. My partner's arrived first, followed by a ten-minute wait before mine arrived, followed by another 10-minute wait for our friend's food. We had to ask her to give us more water because she never came back to check on us, and we had to flag her down to get the check.

Food: my meal was bland and not very enjoyable texture-wise. I had the Thai t-roll, which was hard to eat because it fell apart, and did not have a good flavor. I also had the Plum Saketini, which was flavorless and contained about 95% vodka.

Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and I definitely will not give them my...