Find a Piece of Maine at b.good in Boston

Slipping and sliding, my kids and I walked in the bitter cold last Thursday from our Boston hotel to b.good, a burger joint with a commitment to fresh, locally-sourced food. I’d selected it reluctantly, knowing it was close-by and wanting to try a burger somewhere.

IMG_0833

Founded by two childhood friends, along with a couple other food-minded individuals, b.good offers turkey burgers, beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and veggie burgers in a variety of flavor combinations. They also offer salads, smoothies, shakes and fries.

IMG_0835

After ordering, we settled in to get drinks and wait for our food. My kids choose seats at the eating bar that faced the street, a cozy spot for people-watching. As for the drinks? As we examined the selections in the fountain machine, I was struck with the name Maine Root all over it. This fast casual spot doesn’t serve the usual suspects for sodas. No, instead they are serving fountain drinks from the Portland-based soda maker known for its handcrafted, fair trade certified, organically sweetened drinks.

Although I have seen bottles of Maine Root sodas before, I’ve never tried them — and I didn’t even initially recognize the logo. But once I Googled them to find out more, I realized I’ve spied Maine Root at Hannaford and Whole Foods, as well as in the cooler at Giacomo’s in downtown Bangor.

IMG_0832

My son tried the root beer. Though he rarely drinks soda, we were on vacation so it was one of those once-in-a-while times when it’s okay. Stealing a sip, I loved the nuanced, rich flavor. I tried the blueberry soda, which was lightly sweetened with lots of blueberry flavor — like real blueberries, not an artificial facsimile of it. My daughter, who doesn’t like the bubbliness of soda, opted for one of b.good’s non-carbonated options — strawberry lemonade.

IMG_0834

As we were finishing our burgers and fries, my son pointed out that according to the chalkboard map on the wall, our drinks weren’t the only Maine product in our meal. Apparently the beef came from Pineland Farms. Pretty cool.

b.good presently has 18 locations, including one in Portland at 15 Exchange Street. Visit the b.good website for more information about the menu and locations.

Sarah Walker Caron

About Sarah Walker Caron

Sarah Walker Caron is editor of Bangor Metro magazine and senior features editor for the Bangor Daily News. She is the author of "The Super Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook," (Sept. 2018, Rockridge Press) and the co-author of "Grains as Mains: Modern Recipes Using Ancient Grains" (March 2015, DK). Her recipes have appeared in the BDN, Betty Crocker publications, Glamour.com and more. She also writes about food at www.sarahscucinabella.com.