Truly Tasty

from Scottsdale Airpark News - June 2021

Soaring Sales

The gluten-free poke bowl has wild albacore tuna, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, pickled jicama, snap pea, pickled shiitake, lemongrass ponzu and sesame seed.

(Photo courtesy of True Food Kitchen)

Scottsdale eatery welcomes spring with seasonal menu

By Sara Castro

Barone says. “It’s really special that our team and myself get to wake up every day and serve really awesome, delicious food that also happens to be healthy and makes you feel better after you eat it.” True Food Kitchen remained open during the pandemic, in phases starting with takeout only, then eventually off ering dine-in. Now, guests can utilize both options. “The most important thing for a restaurant right now is to be

Creative lighting, natural fi nishes, and a patio overlook- able to serve guests the way they want to be served,” Barone says. ing lit palm trees create the perfect ambiance for True Food’s menu changes quarterly to use produce in the height healthy meals at True of its season, as well as keeping Food Kitchen. customers on their toes.

Set in the Scottsdale “As people are coming back to Quarter, True Food Kitchen serves restaurants, sometimes for the fi rst a globally inspired seasonal menu time in a year, we wanted it to be appealing to anyone seeking a more super special for our guests, so we balanced diet. The restaurant, which have a lot of new items for spring,” takes pride in its consciously sourced says Barone, whose restaurant is ingredients, offers brunch, lunch, now off ering a spring menu. dinner, dessert and kids menus. Before the season starts, the True

The restaurant was founded Food Kitchen team discusses the in 2008 by Dr. Andrew Weil, a guests’ favorite dishes as well as renowned doctor of integrative new ingredients while curating a medicine, and Phoenix restaurateur new menu. Sam Fox. CEO Christine Barone “I think one of the barriers somejoined Weil and Fox in 2016 and times to eating healthy is actually helped to more than triple the loca- The vegan double cheeseburger is made with portobello, having things that feel familiar to tions from 12 to 37 restaurants. walnut, beet, kuzu, lettuce, pickled onion, organic tomato, you,” says Barone.

“I think that our mission is to help vegan cheddar and Vegenaise on a fl axseed bun. True Food Kitchen strives to turn (Photo courtesy of True Food Kitchen)people feel better through food,” familiar dishes into something a

The avocado key lime pie features organic strawberry, cashew and coconut whipped cream.

(Photo courtesy of True Food Kitchen)

little bit healthier, with dishes such as chicken Parmesan and pizza.

New spring menu dishes include a vegan double cheeseburger ($16.50), which is housemade daily; creamy tomato fennel soup ($8); Good Earth kale cobb salad with coconut bacon and homemade dressing ($15); and a poke bowl with wild albacore tuna, avocado and housemade lemongrass ponzu sauce ($22.50).

In addition, there is a new vegan spinach and mushroom pizza with organic spinach, garlic puree and caramelized onion ($17) and a grilled sustainable salmon dish ($25.50). Dine-in guests get something special — spicy tuna spring rolls that come with a Baru nut sauce and a turmeric fish sauce. The new menu item for dessert

A TABLE FOR TWO?

Phind it

The Good Earth kale cobb salad, which is vegetarian and gluten free, sees cashew, poblano ranch, avocado, asparagus, snap pea, pickled jicama, coconut bacon, organic tomato, garbanzo bean and gorgonzola piled on top of mixed greens. Pair it with The Monarch — organic gin, elderflower, butterfly

pea flower and tonic. (Photo courtesy of True Food Kitchen)

is an avocado key lime pit ($10).

“People are super excited for spring,” Barone says. “The Good Earth kale cobb, the poke bowl, the pizza and the avocado key lime pie are all doing quite well.”

True Food Kitchen has specialized drinks to go with the new items. Pool Party is rum, mango, passion fruit, coconut and lime.

The colorful The Monarch changes colors as the drink is poured. The Strawberry Smash is organic vodka, strawberries, mint and lemon. The dragon fruit margarita is sweet, while the apricots and bourbon is a highlight as well. All cocktails are priced at $13.

In addition to these cocktails, True Food Kitchen serves a variety of nonalcoholic beverages, like sparkling mango tea ($5), organic dragon fruit limeade ($5) and kaleade ($9).

True Food Kitchen sources its ingredients with the help of Dirty Dozen list, which is created annually by the Environmental Working Group. It tells readers which ingredients contain pesticides people should avoid. The kitchen is also serving grass-fed beef and sustainably farmed fish.

“We have some awesome sourcing that we are hoping others will follow in our path and will adopt to help make the world a little bit of a better place,” Barone says. 