True Food Kitchen

Visually intriguing, I have meant to visit this place for a while. A series of unfortunate events landed me here today for a late lunch. The inside, with plants on each table, was as engaging as the outside but the wide open dining room and spareness felt industrial and cold on a winter's day. I imagine the aesthetics would play better in the spring and summer. The menu is large and has clearly marked vegetarian and vegan options throughout. The appetizers looked to be the most interesting. My friendly waitress said the portions were on the smaller side so I ordered three of the "starters" for my meal. I had the Kale Guacamole, the Edamame Dumplings and the Fig and Onion Tart. The tart was delightful. A magic mix of sweet, tart, chewy, creamy. Just the way I like it. The Edamame Dumplings were also quite good. Subtle and soft they were clearly made fresh. The dance of cilantro and green onion made for a nicely paradoxial pairing. And no, for those of those worrying, the Dashi here is a mushroom seaweed broth, not a fish broth. The only disappointment was the Kale Guacamole. It wasn't bad, it just didn't hit the mark. I'm thinking it needed more lemon, or red pepper, or something. The food came out very quickly, my water not so much. Price points were high. Ten dollars for each dish meant nearly $40 (tax and tip included) for a solid meal that didn't leave me stuffed. It's my own bias, but I don't expect to pay that much for three appetizers in the burbs. Bottom line: Food was good, servers pleasant and enough veggie choices to give me options. I would go again if someone else paid.

Restaurant with a focus on healthier food choices
Two locations, Mosaic and Bethesda, with a third one coming at Ballston in Spring 2019
https://www.truefoodkitchen.com/

Comments

RASA

The popular grain bowl trend gets a twist with this Indian-inspired takeout bowl place. Same concept -- a base, greens, toppings, etc., but the options are mostly Indian inspired and the majority of offerings are vegetarian (although not vegan, given the heavy use of Ghee in cooking). My take is mixed. Some of the items were outstanding, some less so. I got the Lemon Tumeric Rice, which was delightful. Fresh and tangy, with a little bite, it was one of the best rice dishes I've ever tried. On top of this I got the Tofu/Cauliflower protein. It was half and half. The cauliflower was perfectly roasted, the roasted onions delightful, and the nuts were a beautiful added crunch. The tofu, however, was watery, and the green and red peppers well past prime. Next, I added sauteed spinach, which was incredibly bland, and the peanut sesame sauce, which was "okay" but forgettable. I didn't do additional toppings, although there were plenty. I did get two of the mini s

First Watch

Meant to invite some family members here but a friend beat me to the punch. We compromised and went together. Unfortunately, this is a place where it looks better than it is. Across the board. The funky design scheme makes it an echo chamber and, with the pumping music, very loud. Conversation was difficult. The menu is covered in glossy photos and descriptions of the food but ... I started with the Morning Meditation Fresh Juice, a pretty blend of citrus and beet. Or I tried to. Took three reminders to the waiter and when it finally arrived, halfway into the meal, it was 90% ice and 10% juice. My companions opted for coffee. It was ice cold. Another long wait (about 20 minutes) to get new coffee -- and included a reminder to staff that they wanted fresh cups as well. I ordered the Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl, which was described as having up to 12 ingredients. It had three. The quinoa, an egg, maybe two teeny slices of tomato past its prime. It wasn't hot or cold, just r

Mezeh

With this new version of a middle-eastern inspired "bowl/pita/wrap" meal the Ballston Mezeh has a lot to praise and a few things it could do better. On the plus side is a ton of options. For a base they move beyond the simple rice or greens selections to specific greens options/mixes and then they have three kinds of rice (including Riced Cauliflower with Bulgar Wheat for the Keto crowd). After that there are two different protein options for veggies -- Falafel and Veggie Kofta. I selected the Kofta just so that I could have something new ... and loved it. But you aren't done there. You can choose up to 12 toppings (TWELVE) out of 27. Then there are the dressings. Again, the choices are overwhelming with eight -- each sounds amazing. I went with the Spicy Mango and was not disappointed. I ordered a bowl and still got a nice big slice of warm pita which was just yummy. The challenge however, is that the bowl I ordered online wasn't really full. There were lot

DCVegEats

Search This Blog