Thai Grapefruit Martini (left) and Spontaneous Happiness (right).

True Food Kitchen has finally opened their first Metropolitan D.C. location in the Mosaic District. Their food philosophy stems directly from their restaurant name: true, healthy, and wholesome foods. Their direction: follow an anti-inflammatory diet that is inspired by the renowned Dr. Andrew Weil. True Foods Kitchen does not use high fructose corn syrup, their produce, meats, and veggies are locally sourced, nothing is processed, and all their milk, butter and eggs are organic.

I must say, as a huge advocate and fan of clean and healthy eating, True Food Kitchen does an excellent job of delivering fresh and delicious foods. From the menu tasting I attended last week, I was extremely pleased with the quality and flavor of each dish in the 3-course tasting.

Drinks: Thai Grapefruit Martini & Spontaneous Happiness

The Thai Grapefruit Martini is a tangy mixture of Prairie Organic vodka, Thai basil, and grapefruit. Would I get it again? Probably not, just because it was a bit too strong on the grapefruit side for me. But if you love grapefruit, go for it. What would I get on my next visit? Spontaneous Happiness. Now this beauty is a concoction of ginger and vanilla infused shochu, St. Germain, and lime. This is a very clean drink that delivers each ingredient without overpowering one another. Mmmmm…

Appetizer: Autumn Ingredient (Salad)

Light and refreshing horseradish vinaigrette dressing? Check.
Roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower? Check.
Squash, mulberry, white beans & pomegranate? Check.

The salad sounds simple but the flavors of these ingredients combined are complex and sinfully delightful. The horseradish vinaigrette was the key component in keeping the salad unified. It was slightly oily at first and halfway towards working on the salad, the vinaigrette slowly became tangier. The transition was subtle and worked so well. I can honestly say this has now become one of my favorite salads to eat out.

Entrée: Grilled Steelhead Salmon

The wild salmon was not particularly large in size but rich in freshness and natural flavor. The salmon cut was thick, from which I picked out a few bones (it did not bother me one bit because that just goes to show how fresh and wild their seafood quality is). The entree arrived with smoked onion quinoa, roasted beets, arugula, cilantro, pumpkin seeds and cotija that paired perfectly with the salmon.

My friend tried their Grass Fed Bison Burger (see photo) and gave it two thumbs up. I trust her taste buds so I will be giving this burger a try next time.

Dessert: Coconut Banana Pudding

This devilishly sweet concoction of coconut, bananas, and chia seeds is one of the best tasting puddings I have had in an extremely long time. It’s slightly sweet, very cool and refreshing. This was the perfect way to end lunch.

Would I go back? Absolutely! I love restaurants that flow with wide-open spaces and are not afraid to play with color (i.e. their open kitchen and lime green upholstery). Also, I love how environmentally friendly they are; they have bright yellow chairs made from recycled plastic soda bottles and hardwood floors made from reclaimed wood.

True Food Kitchen is now open to the public so try them out! They are located across from Target and the Angelika Film Center in the ever-growing Mosaic District.

True Food Kitchen, welcome to the D.C. area!

-EHY