Riffs in Easthampton...
I'm gonna try to keep this short.. When they first opened I thought it was a fast food joint... until I actually tried them... Everything is GREAT.. They advertise bold flavors and guess what..? It is.
I'm stuck on getting the same two items every time I go, but I have tried others.. There is the Godzilla sandwich which is juicy grilled chicken with grilled fresh pineapple, jack cheese, and kung pow sauce... YUM.. and there I also get the Deputy Dawg with chicken instead of the burger.. roasted poblano pepper, chipotle mayo, grilled onions, jack cheese and tortilla strips, both served on a hearty roll. And really nice fresh cut fries for a little extra, or you can get the standard chips and salsa. They fry there own chips and make a nice salsa. Great Salads too... so just try it, you'll like it.
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JunieB
Oct 4, 2012 12:34 PM
Finally got around to trying Riff's Joint today. They're in Eastworks, in the space formerly occupied by Blue Moon grocery and then by Zoe's' owner. The space is not very interesting, kinda has a mall feel, but the food was a nice surprise. You order at a counter and then they deliver your food to your table. There are about 10 tables and another 10 or so stools at a couple of counters. They have a help yourself refrigerator stocked with a great selection of all kinds of beverages, including a variety of Boylan's soda and San Pellegrino sparkling waters. They're open 7 days a week and they deliver. The pictures on their website are pictures of their old location on Union Street.
We decided to try a few different things so we started with Pulled Pork Egg Rolls. While I'm not sure how I feel about the concept, the pulled pork was excellent. I didn't think the dipping sauce added anything or complimented the flavor of the pork, but it made me want to try the Pulled Pork Sandwich next time. We split a Cheeseburger w/Fries, and the Straight Edge Burrito. We both loved the cheeseburger and the fries were perfect; not too greasy and very flavorful. I liked that they had Malt Vinegar on the tables. My husband liked the Burrito, and I thought it had okay flavors but it wasn't the burrito that I yearn for from my time spent on the west coast. We decided it was geared to the vegetarian crowd and that a vegetarian would probably love it. For it to be an authentic Tex-Mex burrito, the Jasmine rice was all wrong and I don't remember ever seeing cheddar cheese in a burrito before. My husband liked that you can hold it in your hand, one of the features of west coast burritos. The chips were really good and tasted fresh. My husband liked the salsa but by the time I tried it I had too many other flavors in my mouth so I'm not sure what I think about it. It was definitely homemade.
I read one review that said they're trying to be a Tex-Mex place and if that's the case, they've missed the mark, but my take was that they are just trying to make fresh, healthy food with some interesting flavors and they've succeeded. I don't know if "modern fusion" is a real term but that's the words my husband used to describe the food. Many of their sandwiches are made using bread from a local bakery, Bread Euphoria. I'm not crazy about Bread Euphoria because all their bread has sourdough in it, but it's perfectly delicious for sandwiches. Riff's also has a great selection of salads, a quesadillas section, as well as a grilled pizza section.
We will definitely go back.
