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True Food Kitchen is officially open in Legacy West in Plano and I cannot be more excited! I freaking love this restaurant and now I have 2 locations to dine at! This is literally 5 minutes from my parents' house. I may just go visit them more! haha.
I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek last week for their Friends and Family night. My friend and I arrived on Friday at 6:30PM. The new Legacy West center is huge btw... this was my first time driving through. So excited for everything that's happening there. And the new True Food Kitchen location is beautiful! It's much bigger than the one in Dallas but it has the same overall feel and colors. It's so bright and open, I love it! And lots of patio seating too.
True Food Kitchen - Plano
7601 Windrose Avenue, Suite F100
Plano, Texas 75024
(214) 291-9591
www.truefoodkitchen.com/locations/plano/
Price: $$$
--- I want to specially mention the service that night. Everyone was super friendly and accommodating. I know they are still training and had a few mistakes here and there but they were quickly fixed so I was very impressed. Also, when I arrived, I had a bag with me with perishable food inside. I asked if I could put it in the fridge in the back. Adrian? (I think that was his name) was super helpful. Not only did he put my bag in the fridge he also put a note on it with my name and table number. He also said he would remind my waitress at the end of the night so I won't forget it. Sure enough, I forgot about it, but he personally came and reminded me and grabbed the bag for me. :D Like I said, super accommodating. Keep up the good work, y'all! ---
I was seated quickly and greeted by the waitress. She brought out some waters while I waited for my friend to arrive. I perused the menu... even though I had just been to the Dallas location a little over a week ago. hehe. While waiting, I also asked a few questions about the menu and the waitress was very helpful.
Once my friend arrived, she ordered a Hangover Rx (pineapple, orange, honey, coconut water) $5~ It's so pretty and definitely refreshing. It tasted ike a lighter, healthier version of a pina colada.
We got a couple appetizers to start.
Chioggia Beet Bruschetta (vegan almond ricotta, amaranth, arugula, pomegranate molasses) $9~
This is a vegan dish. One big reason I love True Food Kitchen so much is they make healthier foods taste so good! And they're also great at accommodating dietary restrictions. I cannot believe this is completely vegan. I loved the almond ricotta. I loved this whole dish! I think the hippy nutty bread really completes it. So much texture. The nuttiness of the bread with the creamy ricotta and tender sweet beets... this was one of my favorites of the night.
Kale Guacamole (pink grapefruit, cilantro, roasted poblano, sunflower seeds, pita chips) $10~
This is also a vegan dish. My friend and I were both intrigued by the addition of grapefruit in the guac. I have to say, it's a nice little addition. Although there were segments of pink and yellow grapefruit in it and one of them was really sour. haha. When you get a bite of the sweeter one with the guac, the combination is really fantastic. However, they did not segment the grapefruit well so it was a little difficult to eat. The 'skin' was still on the segments so it took a little effort to cut those off. We weren't sure if this was their version of pita chips, or they just decided to change it for that night... but I really liked it. It's thinner and nuttier than your typical pita chips and went really well with the dip.
Daily Market Soup - Sweet Potato and Poblano $7~
I love sweet potato so the soup sounded really good. I expected it to kind of be like a butternut squash soup. However, it was surprisingly sour... not sure what component of the dish make it that sour but I didn't care for it. The texture of the soup itself was good but I wanted it to be creamier. I think this is the first thing I've ever ordered here that I didn't really like.
Scottish Steelhead (smoked onion farro, arugula, roasted beet, cilantro pumpkin seed pesto) $23~ My friend ordered this as her entree. Everything on this dish sounds fantastic. And it was! The fish was cooked well and everything tasted fresh and flavorful.
Sustainable Seabass (broccolini, sugar snap pea, roasted mushroom, ancient grains, umami sauce) $26~
I ordered this. But I subbed the snap peas with snow peas and the roasted mushroom for roasted beets. I love both of those ingredients but I recently I found out I'm allergic to them along with several other "healthy" foods. Sigh. I asked the waitress if they are ok with substitutions and she said "of course!" The dish came with mushrooms... but they quickly remedied it and were very apologetic. It was a beautiful dish and the subbed veggies paired well with everything. And that umami sauce... it sure was umami! I wanted more!
We were getting pretty full but they asked if we wanted desserts... Well, if you insist. :P
Key Lime Pie (coconut chantilly) $7~
This is vegan and gluten free. We did not see a dessert menu so we didn't really know that it was vegan and gluten free. You can tell from the custard that it's more translucent instead of creamy. The pie on its own is a little too tart for me. But when paired with the coconut chantilly it was perfect. I loved the coconut chantilly. It was just slightly sweet enough to round out the lime in the pie. The crust is made from almond flour and has a lighter texture than normal. It did not feel like it was loaded with butter. We enjoyed it.
Coconut & Chia Seed Flan (caramel, mixed berries) $7~
This is also vegan and gluten free. Neither of us thought this should be called a flan... it's not the same texture, not eggy or bouncy enough. (Maybe closer to a Pot de Creme?) But it was goooood. I liked this better than the pie. The coconut flavor was perfect and light. I thought the caramel was a little too sweet but I've been cutting back on my sugar intake so my tolerance for sweets has gone down. Whatever they may call it... order it. It's delicious!
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
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Rockwall recently got a new cupcake place and I'm super psyched!! They opened a little before Thanksgiving, and I didn't get to go check it out until December. Not only do they make cupcakes, they also make their own breads, fruit bars, muffins, granola, and more. AND... everything is gluten and soy free. They also have items that are corn-free, dairy-free, and egg-free (to name a few). And they have vegan and paleo friendly options. They also use the purest and whole ingredients: organic and non-GMO flours, sugars, fats, dried fruits, nuts, eggs... This makes them healthy right?!?! :P
Unrefined Bakery
557 E I-30
Rockwall, TX 75087
(972) 948-2414
http://unrefinedbakery.com
Price: $
They started off in Dallas, I believe, but now they have a total of 5 locations across DFW. That's amazing! My reviews are only on the Rockwall location.
They offer a Cupcake of the Week "COW", every Friday at noon and sell it for the following week until they run out. I follow them on Instagram and Facebook so I usually find out what flavors are coming soon. Could be a dangerous thing. haha.
The first time I went in was for the new COW which was Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Sounds amazing... Walking in, the store is pretty bare. They have some tables and chair set up and some shelves on the side for the breads and granola. I wonder if they're going to do more with the decor. Looks quite unfinished compared to their other locations. It also smells a little weird, not like how a bakery normally smells. Not sure if that's got to do with the different ingredients?? But the people were super friendly. One person immediately came up to greet me, and gave me a general blurb about what they do and what they offer. I liked that. I think it's important to inform the public about what makes their products unique. I've gone into other gluten free bakeries before where the employees offered no info whatsoever. Why would I spend extra money buying your stuff, when I can get a cupcake elsewhere for a few bucks less? Right??
I proceeded to try a whole bunch of samples. Haha.. I wanted to try them all! But didn't want to be greedy. :P
Peppermint Hot Cocoa (chocolate cake with chocolate mint creme, peppermint unbuttercream, cocoa dust, shaved chocolate) $5~
I'm so shocked that their cupcakes are gluten free or vegan...it's so moist! I remember having my first gluten free cake years and years ago and it was like eating dry cardboard. The gluten free desserts have certainly improved tremendously! They always have samples in the store too. I tried regular gluten free versions as well as vegan, and honestly, I can't tell the difference. They're all really moist. I mostly got the peppermint for my fiance since he likes mint. I'm usually not a huge fan. But I liked this one, just enough hint of the peppermint without overpowering everything else. I also enjoy their unbuttercream. They don't use butter, hence the name. Always smooth and creamy. I've never minded the texture. In fact, I like it more than most super sugary frostings.
Loaded Monkey (peanut butter, banana, nuts) $5~ Can't go wrong with this combination of flavors. Really enjoyed this one.
Brownie. They told me this is like crack, cuz it's so good. I can't say it's THAT good, but I did like it. Popped it into the microwave for a few and devoured it. Couldn't tell that this was gluten free.
All their COWs are $5, as well as the Loaded Monkey which is a Specialty cupcake. A little pricey, but I understand the ingredients they use, and the dietary restrictions are more expensive.
I've gone back a few times after that. Usually the COW is what brings me to the shop. I like to try new and limited time items.
Black Forest (chocolate cake, dark cherry chocolate ganache filling, dark cherry unbuttercream) $5~
Super moist, as always. I actually wished there were more chunks of cherries. I think they chopped them too small. But other than that, yum.
Salted Caramel Pistachio (pistachio cake, salted pistachio cream filling, vanilla unbuttercream, caramel, salted pistachios) $5~
This was the previous week's COW. They only had a few left. I really liked this one. Normally not much of a caramel fan, but the texture and saltiness from the pistachio was great. My fiance didn't like it much so it was all mine!! For some reason he has an issue with the unbuttercream texture. I have no problems with it.
They also gave me a couple cookies for free! The cookies were super hard. But were pretty good once I warmed them up in the microwave. Nothing spectacular though. I'll stick to their cupcakes.
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Back in November, I attended a Vegan Pop-Up Dinner in Bishop Arts District. I found this even through Instagram from someone I follow. Along with a 3 course vegan dinner, it also features a floral workshop. Sounds like so much fun! I got a friend to go with me, I was super excited.
This whole event was brought together through Instagram. I got to meet some great people and learn new things! Make sure you follow all these wonderful people!
Hosted by: @threetwelveco
Collaborators: @lalascakes, @wheatandsour, @wethebirdsmacarons, @vegannomstx, @clearlykombucha
Floral Workshop by: @thebackyardbouquet
Guest Speakers: @cgar1121, @plantbasedzak
We started with the floral workshop with Lauren from The Backyard Bouquet. It was lots of fun. She brought all these different types of flowers, herbs, berries, and other interesting plants. It was so eclectic. I love the addition of the herbs and berries. There was also wheat! We all got to pick our own plants and just let our creativity flow. Everyone's bouquets turned out so well!
Once the flowers were done, it was time for dinner! I've never had a full vegan meal. But I'm always interested in trying new diets and foods.
We started with the most amazing Butternut Squash Soup. With bread by Wheat and Sour. The soup was rich and warming and quite filling. The bread was fantastic with it. I used it to scrape the entire bowl clean. Soooo good!!
Clearly Kombucha provided the refreshments for the night. They were also the sponsors of the event. :)
Salad: Arugula, pear, radish, fresh lemon. It was light and fresh, really just highlights the ingredients.
Main Course: spaghetti squash, red sauce, roasted fall veggies, vegan provolone.
This was delicious. I loved the red sauce on the squash. The flavors were also light, but still complimented each other. I love that you can taste all the ingredients on their own. And guess what? I never missed the meat in the entire meal!
Dessert: dark chocolate pumpkin butter cups, chai vanilla orange spice macarons, spiced pear soaked vanilla sponge cake with vegan cinnamon buttercream, chocolate chip banana cookies.
A cute assortment of mini desserts. All vegan! That pumpkin butter cup was the best thing ever. I also really liked the chocolate chip cookie.
This was the most wonderful event. :) I enjoyed every minute of it. Learning about new flowers, how using herbs and vegetables makes an arrangement so interesting! And I was completely blown away by the dinner. Great job to all the people that cooked. Not once did I miss meat! After the meal, we had a short presentation by the guest speakers on the values of vegans. I learned it's not just a diet but a lifestyle and moral code. And I totally respect that.
So much fun. I hope they do another event like this again soon. Make sure you follow @threetwelveco for future events and pop ups. :)
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So...last week, while we had snow day, I discovered this amazing new place basically in my own backyard! I've heard about Modmarket and their opening but I didn't realize it was 2 minutes from my house. Another healthy food place... I was skeptical and didn't pay much attention to it. Usually they either don't fill you up, or is too expensive, or both!
Modmarket
8400 Preston Road, Suite 100
Plano, TX 75024
(469)573-6074
http://modmarket.com
Price: $$
So on our snow day last week... (I get cabin fever really easily btw) I was working from home and I called up a friend of mine who works near by to see if he wanted to lunch! He'd been to Modmarket before and said it was pretty good. I literally drove for 5 minutes (the extra 3 due to the slush on the roads) and I'm there.
I love the look and feel of the place. Lots of wood paneling and tables, very cute, health food-esque feel. You order at the counter and they give you a buzzer. Sometimes they bring the food out to you too.
My friend got the Thai Coconut Salad (mixed greens, sweet potato, cucumber, grated coconut, roasted chicken, peanut mango dressing) Full $9.10~
It was huge!! I tried a little bite since it had coconut grated all over it. Not a fan of that. It didn't even need the dressing. Lots of flavor already. I can't have the dressing anyways since it has mango, but he said it's very peanuty.
I couldn't decide so I got 2 things.
Crimini Kale Pizza (roasted crimini mushrooms, kale, red onions, organic red sauce) Half $4.50~ I just got half on this since it was just for me. This dish is vegan btw. It was huge! And looked so good! Lots of toppings, lots of flavor, and it was under 200 calories. Wow! The pizza is super thin, but the crust was still doughy and chewy which I like. No complaints what-so-ever! And I ate the whole thing. :P
Cashew Butternut Soup (with a whole wheat toast) $4~ This is gluten free and vegan. It was a bigger bowl than I expected. The toast on the side was a bit dry but the soup was fantastic. It was warming on such a snowy day. And I liked dipping the pizza crust in it.
Red Velvet Cookie $1~ This was an impulse buy since they had homemade treats all around the front register. It was really good. Soft and pillowy and you can really taste the red velvet. Wasn't artificial tasting as sometimes red velvets can get. It was just a little small. hehe.
Needless to say. I loved it!! And my over all meal (minus the cookie) was only like 360 calories or something. They include the nutritional information on your receipt. :)
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I loved this place so much, I was telling my sister and some friends about it later that night and they wanted to go. I was gonna go home for dinner but I decided to tag along. haha. It's so good!!
Farmer Salad (mixed greens, roasted chicken, grapes, feta, corn, almond, champagne vinaigrette) Full $9.50~
This is gluten free. I got it to share with a friend. Again, huge portion, lots of flavors, we didn't even need the dressing. We both didn't liked feta so we took that off. Everything else was great. Mixture of flavors from the sweet grapes, to the smokey roasted corn, to the tender chicken. And all sorts of textures too. Loves it! I will totally get this again. And it was so big we only made it through 2/3rds of it. I took the rest to go as my lunch the next day.
Basil Chicken Sandwich (roasted chicken, basil aioli, tomato, onion, provolone, arugula; on ciabatta) Half $4.50~
I got this to supplement the salad. I loved the basil aioli on this. The chicken was super tender and the bread held everything together really well. Thumbs up!
Bianco Pizza (roasted garlic puree, baby spinach, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, basil, parmesan) Half $5.50~ My friend who I shared the salad with got this. All the ingredients were really fresh. It was yummy.
My sister and another friend shared the Wild Mushroom Pizza (seared wild mushrooms, creme fraiche, gorgonzola, red onion, 3 cheese blend, wilted arugula) Full $9.50~
It looked so delicious. They both loved it. I tried a bite...if you love mushrooms this is totally for you. They each got a soup to supplement the pizza. (sorry no picture) We were all extremely full after.
So yea, one of my favorite new places. Yummy, healthy and affordable! And it's so close! I will definitely be back for sure. In fact, I think I'm going again tonight!! :P
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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