A healthy fast-food joint that got panned by a New York Times food critic is crushing it

The biggest restaurant story of the year has arguably been New York Times critic Pete Wells' withering review of Locol, a fast-food concept that brings high-quality

I recently made a return trip to Locol to see how the food fared since Wells' review. Take a look.

Welcome to the fast food revolution, according to Locol's website.

As more Americans turn to plant-based foods for health or environmental reasons, new fast-food chains are seizing the opportunity to compete with legacy brands like McDonald's, KFC, and Domino's. They serve low-calorie menus at similar prices.

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Locol has carved a niche in the space by serving neighborhoods where residents don't have access to or can't afford high-quality meals.

Locol beefs up the nutritional value of its foods by replacing some ingredients with healthy alternatives.

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The hallmark of the menu is a $5 cheeseburger prepared "classic roadside" style with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion. The patty blends 70% beef and 30% tofu and grains.

The burger arrived with cheese melted and a "special sauce" delightfully spilling out the sides. The bun, which even Wells called "undeniably excellent," was toasted and spongy.

Not to be outdone, the $5 veggie burger has a surprisingly meaty texture, though it's made from grains, legumes, miso, onion, and garlic. The produce crunched with every bite.

The patty was expertly executed — crunchy out the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.

The fries, a new addition to the menu, are oversized and tossed in salt, pepper, and paprika. They tasted surprisingly bland, but at $2 a carton, they're a bargain.

I also tried a $2 "foldie," a taco-quesadilla hybrid that has melted cheese, braised beef, salsa, and beans. It was greasy and had the texture of wet dog food. I quit after two bites.

The 12-piece basket of chicken nuggets was no technical masterpiece. Bits of ground chicken came together inside a light breading. Overall, they tasted gummy and bland.

And I'd order them again. Dunked in barbecue sauce, they were the ultimate portable guilty-pleasure food. What more do you want from fast-food chicken nuggets?

Not every item on the Locol menu is a home run, but it beats McDonald's fare any day. The burgers, grilled to perfection and stacked with fresh produce, had me in fast-food nirvana.

And despite using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, Locol manages to keep its prices competitive with legacy brands. I got my entire haul for $27. I'll be back (unlike Wells).

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