Six Things You Need to Know About b.good

B.good. [Photo: Tom Minervino]

B.good hopes to have city inspections completed this week and open to the public sometime next week, according to Bill Zolper. Bill owns the upcoming Old Port outpost of the Boston-based burger chain with his dad, Dr. Ben Zolper of Bangor. Once the city gives the go-ahead and the final touches are put on the interior, b.good plans to kick things off with two hours of free food and milkshakes, live music and games. The date is not yet set on that event, so check back for updates.

In the meantime, here are six things you should know about b.good:
1. The "steak burgers" are ground in-house daily with all-natural beef from Maine-based Pineland Farms. The burgers are hand packed, flame grilled and cooked to order. Turkey and veggie burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches are also available.

2. It's fast casual, so you'll order and pay at the counter then wait for your name to be called. The two-story restaurant seats 50+, with a bar upstairs where you can order beer and wine. It's the first b.good location (there are 11 in Massachusetts and one in Connecticut) to serve alcohol.

3. About that beer and wine: The upstairs bar has six taps, which will feature local brews from Allagash, Rising Tide, Baxter, Sebago and Shipyard. PBR will occupy the other draft line. B.good will also be the first restaurant one of the few restaurants in Portland to offer draft wine.

4. The fries, both regular and sweet potato, are baked, not fried. They'll be hand-cut daily from Maine-sourced potatoes.

5. There will be seasonal specials that incorporate fresh, local produce, much of which will come from Spiller Farm in Wells. The smoothies, salads, and veggie sides will all change with the seasons, as will one burger special. B.good hopes to grow its own tomatoes on a roof deck next spring.

6. Each b.good location grants one "cousin" free burgers for life. To apply, just send a video, song, etc. that demonstrates your burger love. Be aware that the bar is set pretty high: some smaht kids from Harvard sent a burger to outer space.

Here's a menu:

B.good menu by tomminervino