Crushing on True Food Kitchen, Nashville Green Hills

True Food Kitchen, recently opened a new location as in Green Hills to an overwhelming positive response from diners.

In the last week, I’ve been able to eat there on three different occasions, twice invited in to try the food (as a food blogger/influencer) and once on my own.

I’m already planning a fourth time because True Food Kitchen is a cozy, energetic place with the kind of food I do my best to bring you.  Big Fat Healthy Food. They go a step further.

The menu was created under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil to be in line with the AIP diet (the anti-inflammatory diet), but they clearly didn’t stop at nutritional AIP guidelines. They enlisted the best chefs, designers and management teams to orchestrate a restaurant also pleasing to the palate and the eye.

Too often “health and healthy” mean ingredients and flavor stripped from our favorite dishes, but that’s not the case at True Food Kitchen.

What should you eat at True Food Kitchen?

You must try the skinny margarita. Be prepared for a serious wow experience, made with fresh lemon, oranges and cilantro and not like any artificial skinny margarita of the past.

The most interesting thing that people are buzzing about is how the good, creative and colorful the food is. We are buzzing because True Food Kitchen passes the “man food” test. Yes, this is a food you can take your boyfriends and husbands to, ladies, and they won’t feel shortchanged.

Doug ordered the bolognese lasagna and was quite happy, and remember I make a great bolognese.

I ordered the Grass-Fed Burger, which comes with mushrooms, caramelized onion, arugula, parmesan and mayonnaise, and I couldn’t finish it, even though I decided not to eat the flax seed bun.

This vegan butternut squash soup was so delicious with a depth of flavor, from allspice, cinnamon and maple syrup. The texture was creamy, yet made with coconut milk, not cream. I have a great recipe for butternut squash soup here. 

When I dine out, I look for a few things if I’m going to return. I not only need to feel good after I eat, I want to feel good walking in the door, experiencing a warm welcome and a beautiful setting.

The green banquettes remind me so much of Spinach Tiger colors, as does the herb garden stands that greet you at the door. Plants are peppered throughout the restaurant, and there is an overall feeling of well-being.

The flourless chocolate cake similar to a gooey brownie cake, adorned with coconut ice cream, was a nice way to end a girlfriend joint birthday lunch and was served with a very good latté made with organic beans. Yes, they have a coffee bar!

A few of the other dishes I’ve tried include amazing grilled fish tacos, spicy beef tacos, brussels sprouts as a share item, the butternut squash flat bread and the squash pie (think pumpkin pie).  There are vegan, vegetarian and gluten free choices along with high quality grass-fed meat and seafood.

While I’m not usually excited about chain restaurants, I make an exception here. The concept for well-thought out, real food with our body in mind, is long overdue. It’s very difficult for locally owned restaurants to execute this concept in such a comprehensive way, offering as many dishes and having had them tested, calorie counted with true nutrition values.

Located across from Trader Joe’s on Hillsboro Road, valet parking is available.

Here is my NashvilleFoodBuzz Instagram Account. I also have a recipe Instagram for Spinach Tiger.