yesterday janelle and i had the pleasure of dining at true food kitchen’s pre-opening in mission valley. i knew by the name and the cameo on this season of real housewives of orange county that it had to be good. the menu is inspired by dr. david weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid. the restaurant practices sustainability and believes that simple, fresh, pure ingredients provide the most memorable and satisfying meals. they also follow the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists when purchasing their produce. coming from a restaurant manager this is great to hear especially when dining with my children. the atmosphere caught my attention right as we were greeted. they had a pitcher of their cucumber basil water out for guests to sip on while waiting for a table, and from what i hear from my orange county friends, this is why they keep going back. i was amazed by the lighting details, the plants and most importantly how organic it felt, think anthropologie.
we were seated on the right side of the restaurant, which provided a great view of the floor; i love being able to watch what’s going on around me, again, the inner manager. our sever, angela, arrived and began explaining beverages and we quickly chose a glass of their house wine, haras chardonnay. it was crisp and refreshing for an early afternoon cocktail. we chose the caramelized onion tart as an appetizer to share. let me just begin by telling you that the flavor palate of: smoked garlic, black figs, caramelized onions and gorgonzola on crispy flatbread sealed the deal for me. one of my favorite flavor combinations, ever. neither of us could decide if we wanted a salad or an entrée so the trainer quickly chimed in letting us know that we could both choose a half salad and share an entrée. janelle chose the sashimi tuna and i, the chicken chopped. we both loved our choices and it was the perfect portion for lunchtime. soon after our plates were cleared our entrée arrived, the all-natural steak tacos. the steak was tender, the avocado fresh and the side of anasazi beans were delish. as if all this food wasn’t enough we decided on the light and lemony almond olive oil cake for dessert. everything we ate was fresh and you could taste the quality behind every dish. true food kitchen is definitely my new go-to spot with girlfriends and the family for quality food and outstanding service. i cannot wait to take payton to try the kids menu.
caramelized onion tart
(smoked garlic, black figs, gorgonzola)
the chopped chicken salad
(cranberry, local dates, jicama, manchego, farro, marcona almonds & champagne vinaigrette)
sashimi tuna
(avocado, cucumber, edamme & ginger)
all natural steak tacos
(avocado, cotija cheese, tomatillo salsa, sour cream & anasazi beans)
almond olive oil cake
(marinated blackberries & greek yogurt)
true food kitchen will be open to the public on monday, july 2nd. they have locations in arizona and california. if you have a summer vacation planned in san diego i urge you to add this restaurant as a go-to spot.
disclaimer: my meal was complimentary. i only reccommend services or products that i truly believe in and think my readers will enjoy. all opinions are my own.
We totally sat in the exact same table. =)