I met my friend Zona and her two grown children for lunch at True Food Kitchen a week and a half ago (my third visit in 4 1/2 weeks, a lot of eating out for me). Before they arrived I talked with one of the waiters and found out that all most all of the vegetables and breads (50% of the menu) come from local Arizona) farmers or producers and that 70% of the menu consists of organically grown food.
Certain menu items are marked with the following: v (vegan), veg (vegetarian), gf (gluten free), t (available with tofu to replace fish, fowl, or meat).
We all started with T-9 drinks: tomato, celery, ginger, cucumber, golden beet, apple, carrot and parsley juice. I was disappointed when the drink arrived and more than half the glass was filled with ice after I’d ordered my water with no ice. Ugh! After I’d ordered my water with no ice. I almost sent it back because I didn’t want an ice-cold drink. I expected a glass filled with freshly pressed juice and nothing else. I thought it would be sweeter too. I was disappointed. My dining companions thought the juice tasted okay, not as good as what they make at home.
I missed getting a picture of the next course, an herbed hummus and pita bread appetizer ($8) that we all shared. I went to the bathroom, came back, and they had already devoured part of it. We liked the thick, chunky texture and herby flavor, but found the feta and olive topping made the hummus very salty. It also came with a lot of pita relative to amount of hummus. If I order it in the future, I’ll ask them to leave off the feta and olive topping and replace the bread with cucumber, carrot, or jicama sticks.
Tamara ordered a half portion of Chicken Minestrone Soup ($7) and loved it. I tried a couple of bites and thought it was really good. She also ordered the Roasted Garlic, Wild Mushroom, Tuscan Kale Pizza with organic flour, spelt, and flax seed crust and some kind of cheese ($11). It was a generous personal pizza, more than enough for one. She liked it. (I took one piece home and tried it the next day. I thought it was good, not great).
Zona ordered the Turkey Burger with Oaxaca Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato & Avocado on Flax Bun with Sweet Potato Hash ($11).
Bill ordered the Turkey Burger with Kale Salad ($11). See picture on right. They both said the burger was too soft and squishy (they wanted something thicker and denser), needed more flavor, and had too much bun relative to burger. I tried a bite of the sweet potato hash and kale salad and found both flavorful. They deemed the kale salad the best dish of the entire meal!
I had an indecisive menu moment. I almost ordered a half portion (a cup) of Chicken Minestrone with the Harvest Chopped Salad with Butternut Squash, Apples, Walnuts, Goat Cheese & Pomegranate Vinaigrette ($10). I changed my mind after having a cold veggie juice and part of the hummus plate. I didn’t think I’d have room for soup and salad too. So I changed my order to the Greek Chopped Salad with Chicken, Feta, Olives & Lemon Vinaigrette ($12). I know, not an adventurous move. Very generous portion (I ended up taking some of it home), but, very heavy on the feta and very salty for my tastes compared to similar sounding salads I’ve had at Pita Jungle. I wished I’d gone with my original inclination––a reminder to go with my gut feeling!
What about dessert? None of us ordered it. My dining companions don't eat a lot of desserts and I usually pass up dessert in restaurants because a) they're usually much sweeter than I like and contain refined ingredients I normally avoid; b) I make such delicious and healthy desserts at home; c) I have plenty of chances to eat dessert leftover from my cooking classes, cooking parties, or recipe testing for magazine articles or books I write. Besides, we all felt comfortably full.
The tab ran $84 for lunch for four of us––without gratuities. When I asked Zona, Bill, and Tamara how they rated the meal, they gave it a 7 out of 10. They considered the food mediocre for the money, but thought the service was fantastic!
Would they go back? Bill said he would if he was meeting a friend who wanted an organic restaurant and if he was in the Biltmore area. Zona and Tamara nodded in agreement.
Would I go back? Yes, if one of my friends wanted to experience it and especially if someone else was picking up the tab.
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