Dr. Andrew Weil’s True Food Kitchen & Mango Umami Sauce

A few weeks ago I went to Arizona to visit my sister. We decided to check out [the famous] Andrew Weil’s restaurant, True Food Kitchen.

I’ll be TRUEthful and tell you what I really thought…

WOW…?

Best. Food. Ever….!

So, what made it so WOW?

First, let me describe for you the atmosphere.

Green grass along the outside tables.

Flower boxes filled with edible plants and herbs.

Bright greens, yellows, and earth tones spot each surface.

Inside the restaurant hosts community tables and huge butcher blocks where chefs cut, chop, prep, and juice, all in live action.

The menu: Wondrous pages of mouth-watering opportunities (<– take a look!)

The food: Exceptional tasting. Each plate is vibrant, fragrant, and looks downright AMAZING. The colors are bursting from the plate and with one look, I’m drooling.

Sister got the Tuscan Kale Salad with lemon, parmesan, and bread crumbs. Chicken Sausage Pizza with tomato, fennel, and Fontina cheese. This was the most incredible combination, not to mention that the sausage was sweet, tender, and beyond ANY sausage I have ever had.

Drooling yet?

I decided on the Farmer’s Market Salad hosting kale, romaine lettuce, carrot, beets, broccoli, radish, avocados, Manchego & Champagne vinaigrette. Woooooo ooow.

AND…

Butternut Squash Pizza (if you know me at all, you know I have some weird obsession with all things squash. *see desserts) with thinly sliced roasted butternut squash, crunchy walnuts, smoked mozzarella cheese, sweet caramelized onions, and fresh arugula leaves. The textures and flavors were out of this world! The sweet from the caramelized onions and butternut squash mixed with the smokey cheese- all topped with crunchy, crisp walnuts. Oooooh my. If you’re not salivating yet, there’s something wrong with you.

The drinks: Hello Original! My sister got an Eel River Acai Berry Wheat Ale Beer. First of all, I LOVE Eel River. This is my favorite type of beer. We were both pleasantly surprised at the not-too-sweet but perfectly brewed Acai beer.

I went with one of the more… fun drinks, The Flower Child, featuring Juniper Green Organic Gin, St. Germain, Fennel, Mint, and Pineapple. Refreshing, invigorating, incredible flavor combinations that break rules, but play well together. (Although EVER drink sounded amazing and I wanted to try them all. But at $10 a drink, one is good.)

As if the food and drinks weren’t enough, that smiling waitress brought us the dessert menu.

AND then we had dessert…

Duh. How can you resist dessert?

Squash Pie with creamy and fluffy vegan coconut whipped cream and a sweet and perfectly flaky graham crust. (*see, more squash!)

Overall, I give True Food about a 12 on the 10 scale. It was THAT GOOD.

In fact, we went back and grabbed more kale salad the next day AND I was tempted (and gave in) by the Dairy-Free Organic Chocolate Pudding. Topped with walnut and pistachio crumble. I’m telling you, chocolate met Heaven with this one.

Have you ever had any AMAZING foods?

From where??? 

Ready for a recipe from Andrew Weil’s True Food cookbook?! This book I HAD to buy after visiting his Arizona restaurant. Duh.

Here’s my take on his recipe for Umami Sauce. Seriously, I think mine might be better…

 

BYE!

Mwah!