Organic restaurants

andrew · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 5 Location: ,

Are there any restaurants in Dallas that have a lot of organic dishes on th menu? I mean cooked stuff, not things you buy in a grocery store.

Thanks! :)

Leslie Finical Halleck · Guest

You know, I don't think there are really any 100% organic restaurants in town yet. There are a number of places that do "natural" foods and vegetarian fare, such as Dallas: Dream Cafe, Cosmic Cafe, Whole Foods Market, Kalachandji's Palace & Restaurant, Macro Gourmet Restaurant & Store,Veggie Garden, Francis Simun's Bakery, Sankofa Vegetarian Café, Garden Cafe - (I've heard rumors that Garden Cafe may go organic at some point). Then there is Spiral Diner (Fort Worth), Cupboard Natural Foods cafe (Denton).

If anyone knows any around town that would be great.

andrew · Guest Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 5 Location: ,

Thanks! I will try some of those, especially "Kalachandji's" has been on my to-try list, but I did not know it was "natural"/"organic".

Any other suggestions would be appreciated too.

Andrew

Enzyme11 · Guest Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Posts: 277

The Whole Foods Market cafes vary in their offerings from store to store, but the Lower Greenville store's cafe has a fair organic offering. One side of their salad bar is entirely organic. Many of the dishes in the deli counter use organic ingredients, but of course under the new "organic" guidelines, they can't label the offering organic if any non-organic ingredients are used. They apparently don't cook to order currently, so the deli involves selecting items ala carte and taking them to a table or out. One subtle but important aspect is that you can get organic beverages - juice, coffee, tea, beer, wine, some soft drinks, and probably even milk and soy milk. The atmosphere may not be fine dining, but I think the food is quite good.

One thing about Whole Foods is that the staff knows about organics and can tell you instantly what's what. I don't know of another place that does that. I have been disappointed with Central Market's knowledge/appreciation/offering of organics to the point that I seldom go there anymore, for example. It isn't an accident that top chefs tend to advise using organic ingredients, although some may do so because of superior flavor and quality. By and large, the only way to assure that food is as pure as possible is to select the ingedients and fix it for oneself.

Two places whose organic offerings I don't know about are Veggie Gardens (Veggie Garden - 510 West Arapaho Road, Richardson, TX 75080. 972-479-0888) and Roy's (Roy's Nutrition Center - 130 Preston Royal Village, Dallas, TX 75230. 214-987-0213). I suspect they may have organic offerings, but I can't say for sure. If I find out, I'll post it.

andrew · Guest Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 5 Location: ,

I just got back from the Organic Trade Association convention in Austin last week (www.ota.com) where I sampled Dagoba Chocolate. I must say it was the best chocolate I've ever had and I've had a lot. I hope Whole Foods in Dallas carries it.

Kathe Kitchens · Guest Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 829 Location: Dallas,TX

Yes, Andrew, the Whole Foods at Preston & Forest has your chocolate!
It's delicious AND nutritious! Wow, they finally actually made a "good" chocolate! Choc-a-holics rejoice! Spread the word!

andrew · Guest Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 5 Location: ,

Yes, I actually went and looked there and tried it already. But thanks a lot for confirming here!

Did you already know about Dagoba Chocolate? I must say it is incredible. In addition to good "plain" variety, they have some really extraordinary flavors like "Chai" flavored chocolate which has tea & crystallized ginger. Time for another trip!

Thanks for telling me, I appreciate it!