Going out to eat is a big deal to me. In general I try to lead a healthy lifestyle by working out and eating right, and so all week I limit myself and watch my portions carefully. Therefore, when it comes to dining out I like to treat myself because healthy eating is for home and eating out is a time to splurge and be gluttonous. With this said, there is a reason the restaurant I am about to review has never really been on my radar. I mean I did find it interesting that the famous Dr. Weil from Tucson had a hand to play in the establishment, but beyond that there was nothing because I knew it was a healthy eating place.
However, there I am the other day at a health focused restaurant called True Food located in the Scottsdale Quarter at 15279 North Scottsdale Road. All because I decided to treat my sister to a birthday lunch and allowed her to choose the place. Not a problem I think, because I do like to try new places and really don’t have much of an option, it being her birthday and all.
We get to the restaurant and take a seat in the bright, airy, and comforting indoor dining area which is surrounded by windows. At the waitresses recommendation we both decide to try one of the natural refresher drinks called a Red Moon ($4) that has ruby grapefruit, yuzu, agave, and soda served with a slice of grapefruit on the side…it was phenomenal. TFK has numerous elixirs and refreshers to partake from and I plan to try a new one every visit.
Next we decided, again on the advice of our server, to split an Autumn Salad ($11) consisting of roasted cauliflower, brussel sprouts, squash, mulberries, pomegranate, and horseradish vinaigrette. This salad was so amazing that I have been craving it every day since I left and I am currently on a mad hunt to find the recipe so that I can emulate it at home. The truth is after eating this half order of salad I was truly satisfied and could have been finished for lunch, but I was so intrigued that I could not resist ordering more.
For lunch I decided to order the Chicken Panang Curry ($15), consisting of brown rice, potato, broccoli, ginger, carrot, mushroom, and coconut broth. I am a curry lover, but this dish although very fresh was very bland and a true disappointment. My sister decided to choose the open faced Moroccan chicken salad sandwich ($12) made with jicama, grapes, cashews, and yogurt accompanied by a side of sweet potato hash. The sandwich was tasty, but the sweet potato hash with Tuscan Kale topping was to die for!! Nice perfectly baked cubes of sweet potato topped with lemony kale, parmesan, and bread crumbs were one of the true stand outs of the day. (Note: salads and other items are available in half portions so be sure to ask your server).
Overall, TFK was a true surprise and needless to say and I will definitely be headed back because who knew that nutritious fare could actually be this delicious! I am actually inspired to try and create my own delicious dishes at home and I might even buy the new True Food Cookbook coming out soon.
