Finding A Healthy Restaurant In YOUR City!

If you’re a Real Foodie, and especially if you’ve been one for a while, you’ve probably scoped out some restaurants near you that serve healthy, REAL foods for those times when you want a night out, or you’re away from home and need to eat out.

If so, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT IT – I need your help because establishments like these deserve to be well-known!

NOTE: Have you seen the new book by Holly Hickman that could help you find a great restaurant in your area?  It’s called, Healthy Eats Here.  It’s so good, every Real Foodie who likes to go out to eat now and then should have one.  And if you are a Real Foodie who travels a lot, then you really need a copy! It is FAR more extensive that the list I’ve put together here.  “Healthy Eats Here is the only healthy dining guide of its kind available today: more than 200 pages of immediate, highly detailed, actionable intelligence about local, grass-fed, clean-food, healthy organic restaurants across America – from California to Maine. All you need is a computer, smartphone or e-reader, and an appetite!”  I sent her the link to my own humble post (that you are reading now) with healthy restaurants listed by area, so maybe a few of those will be included in her next update.

I’ll update this list as I get more information from all of you, even if you come upon this post long after it was put up, please keep commenting so more info can be added all the time…

No matter where you are, please tell us what you know:

1. The name of your city.
2. The name of the establishment serving Real Food (or drink).  Note:  this doesn’t mean everything they serve is all sparkly (kind of like at home!), but just that they are making a pretty good effort.
3. What do you know about them that made you want to let others know?
4. Their website if possible.

BY CITY OR STATE (alphabetized):

• Boise, Idaho
  • Bittercreek Alehouse (From Raine: They serve local, sustainable food as much as possible. The owner, Dave Krick, makes a concerted effort to offer local cheeses, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork, pasture-raised poultry and eggs. He is also on the board of a new non-profit organization working to bring local to the forefront of our valley’s consciousness – Think Boise First.)
• Boston, MA
  • Grezzo (From Michelle: High-end raw food restaurant in Boston’s North End)
  • Other Side Cafe (Also from Michelle:  They serve relatively inexpensive vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan food to hipsters.)  Note/FYI from Kelly – I believe raw food is very nutritious, and although we don’t eat meat at every meal, I’m not a fan of vegetarian/vegan diets.
  • Find more places that serve Real Food in Boston in the post from Alex Lewin.
• CALIFORNIA
  • Los Angeles
    • A.O.C. (From Cheeseslave: Chef Suzanne Goin – this is probably my 2nd fave in LA — best place to sit is at the cheese bar.)
    • Grace (Also from Cheeseslave:  my fave restaurant in LA – Chef Neal Fraser won the Iron Chef America!)
    • Lucques (Also Chef Suzanne Goin)
  • San Diego
    • The Linkery (From Michele:  This place is AMAZING.  Everything on their menu is local, pastured, organic.  As a result of their commitment to local, the menu changes daily.  Anything that is prepared is made in-house, from the fermented sauerkraut to the fermented soy sauce.  They use every part of the animal and you can get things like chicken liver po’boys (delicious, I had one!) and chili made from grassfed beef heart. They make their own sausages (hence the name The Linkery) and offer different ones every week or so.  They cure their own meats too and one time I had a Reuben where EVERYTHING was made in house, from the grass fed, house made corned beef, house made sauerkraut, house made rye bread, you get the idea.  The veggies are out of this world too, lots of heirloom varieties.  And for dessert you have to try their Lardo ice cream sandwich, the “Lardo” ice cream is made with, yes, lard from pastured pigs and is ridiculously delicious.  Oh, and they also offer craft beers and wines, including cask offerings they make in house that are “raw” and unpasteurized.)
    • The Market in Del Mar (From Sheri)
    • Ki’s (Also from Sheri)
    • Rimel’s Rotisserie (Also from Sheri)
  • San Francisco/Bay Area
    • Chez Panisse (Cheeseslave:  owned by Alice Waters – this is probably my all-time favorite in CA)
    • Bread Workshop (From Erica:  A lesser known restaurant/small cafe that serves local, pasture-raised, organic and sustainable food. For $7.50, a great price by Berkeley standards, you can get a grass-fed burger with delicious potatoes, veggies, a homemade pickle and homemade ketchup. They also have a grass-fed bison burger, grass-fed steak sandwich, and numerous other tempting and healthful options, though I have to confess that I haven’t explored many — I usually order the burger because it’s so good!)
    • Saul’s Deli (From Caroline:  It’s about a block from Chez Panisse – a kosher-style deli with local, pastured beef for everything but their pastrami and corned beef.  The local ranch doesn’t have enough supply.  They get it from Niman, which sources from family farms, and while cows live part of their lives on pasture, they’re grain finished. They are antibiotic and hormone free.  At least seasonally they have real unpasteurized lacto-fermented pickles and pickled green tomatoes, and I believe their saurkraut is also unpasteurized, though it is often heated up for many sandwiches. I don’t know about when cukes aren’t in season.  They also get much of their produce from local small farms, often heirlooms, often organic or unsprayed.)
  • Santa Monica
    • Josie (Cheeseslave:  Chef Josie Le Balch – we go here a lot)
  • Venice
    • Joe’s Restaurant (Cheeseslave: my fave brunch in the city)
    • Library Ale House (Cheeseslave: can’t vouch for all their food but they did just announce on Twitter that they are serving grass-fed beef from J&J Ranch, a local sustainable farm.)
  • West Hollywood
    • O!Burger (Cheeseslave: haven’t been to this place yet – grass-fed beef, all organic fast food in West Hollywood)
• Charleston, SC
  • Mustard Seed (Hugging the Coast says:  One of the few vegetarian friendly restaurants in this BBQ mecca.) My disclaimer:  Although we don’t eat meat at every meal, I’m not a fan of vegetarian/vegan diets.

• FLORIDA
  • Food & Thought – Naples, FL (From Lauren:  This is a market/restaurant and I personally have never eaten at the restaurant (I LOVE the market!), but the restaurant is constantly getting rave reviews PLUS they serve real food!!!)
• GEORGIA
  • Atlanta, GA (& surrounding areas)
    • 5 Seasons Brewing – (From Debbie:  We’ve eaten there a couple of times and it was great – I had fried duck livers for my appetizer the last time.  From their website:  “5 Seasons celebrates the connection between each other, our food, and the Earth. We’re passionate about serving local produce, all -natural meats, and artisanal cheeses. We bake each of our breads and make everything else — all of our demi-glace, salad dressings, pommes frites, ice creams and sorbets. As part of a sustainable, natural cycle, we add our brewer’s spent grain to our home-baked bread and share the rest with a local organic farm, where it is composted to grow our vegetables.“)
    • Cakes and Ale – Decatur, GA (From Stacey:  serve local, seasonal, sustainably-raised REAL FOOD. I’ve only eaten there once, but it was awesome. At their website you can drool over the menu yourself.)
    • Farmhouse at Serenbe – Palmetto, GA (Also from Stacey:  A farm-to-table southwest of Atlanta rumored to be very good.)
  • • 5 Seasons Brewing – (From Debbie:  We’ve eaten there a couple of times and it was great – I had fried duck livers for my appetizer the last time.  From their website:  “5 Seasons celebrates the connection between each other, our food, and the Earth. We’re passionate about serving local produce, all -natural meats, and artisanal cheeses. We bake each of our breads and make everything else — all of our demi-glace, salad dressings, pommes frites, ice creams and sorbets. As part of a sustainable, natural cycle, we add our brewer’s spent grain to our home-baked bread and share the rest with a local organic farm, where it is composted to grow our vegetables.“)
  • 61 Main – Jasper, GA (From Bill & Judy Harvey:  61 Main is across from the Pickens County courthouse, and Jasper is located about an hour’s drive north of Atlanta in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.  You can read their story on the homepage of their web site.  My wife and I along with friends eat there regularly…usually on Thursdays when all of their bottles of wine are half price!)
• Grand Rapids, MI (& surrounding areas)
  • Bistro Bellavita – Grand Rapids, MI (All dishes from scratch, buy from local organic farm.  This has been one of our favorites for years, even before we cared about Real Food, and now we love it even more!)
  • Frenz Coffee House – Rockford, MI (No HFCS in their syrups, filtered water, fair trade/organic coffee, minimum preservatives in bakery products – he says people aren’t willing to pay more for higher quality baked goods yet.) (Read a guest interview with the owner, Rich.)
  • The Green Well - Grand Rapids, MI (There is a neat video at their site where you can watch how your food makes its way from the farm to the table.)
  • Madcap Coffee Company – Grand Rapids, MI (From Sonia:  Direct trade coffees, which are even better than fair trade, they use Mooville Milk-non homogenized, and sweeten drinks with raw honey or agave nectar, they sell locally made baked goods. I had a steamer with raw honey and a dash of cinnamon…the best warm drink I have ever had!)
  • Marie Catribs – Grand Rapids, MI (All dishes from scratch, buy from local organic farm.)
  • Reds on the River – Rockford, MI (All dishes from scratch, buy from local organic farm.)
• INDIANA
  • Third Coast Spice – Chesterton, IN (From Lola:  The owner is a trained chef and has a spice company as well that caters to restaurants.  This is a segment that was written about the restaurant online:  The objective is to offer as many trans-fat-free, all-natural, no MSG (monosodium glutamate), locally produced, organic, minimally processed, fair trade products as possible, while appealing to the average consumer,” Woodrich said.  The cafe also is family friendly, with step stools in the bathrooms for kids, coloring books and kid sized portions and healthy choices. The owners also hope to keep their restaurant’s carbon footprint to a minimum with a giant recycling trash bin, automatic light switches in the restrooms, hands-free faucets, low energy lightbulbs and environmentally friendly carry-out packages. I really want to check this out for myself.)
• KANSAS
  • Blue Bird Bistro – Kansas City, KS (From Kara:  serve a lot of organics and as much local food as possible.)
  • Local Burger – Lawrence, KS (Also from Kara:  All real food – lots of different burgers from elk to bison to beef. And mostly local food, too. I’m told they’re going to open a location in Kansas City soon, too.)
  • Freestate Brewery – Lawrence, KS (From Natalie:  They use local produce in their food whenever possible. The last time I was there, I had butternut ravioli – to die for and made with local butternut squash. Their dessert was also made with local sweet potato (sweet potato pie). They also brew their own beer.)
• MICHIGAN (see above for just the Grand Rapids area)
  • Corner Brewery – Ypsilanti, MI  (From Freeman:  “They’ve expanded their menu, including burgers made from ‘100% free-range, grass-fed beef raised in Michigan without the use of antibiotics or hormones.’ Much of their veggies are also sourced locally, through the local food co-op and Growing Hope, a non-profit dedicated to promoting gardening and healthy food access.  Oh, and they brew some mighty fine beer.“)
  • Home Grown Organic Eatery - Traverse City, MI
  • Trattoria Stella – Traverse City, MI (From Jen: “I’ve only been once, but the next time I’m in Traverse City, I will definitely be going back. It’s definitely a good pick for a special night out–great location in the basement of the old state assylum/sanitorium (who’d have thought it could look so stylish?!), great service, and even better: locally sourced real food that tastes amazing.”)
  • Harborview Grill – Whitehall, MI (From Laura:  They serve real food and much of it is local and organic. It’s served nicely and there’s a great view. They’re not open Jan & Feb.)
  • Mia and Grace – Muskegon, MI (Also from Laura:  Another treasure. They are a beautiful Bistro with real, organic and local fare. They are also a bakery with fresh offerings daily – their carrot cake is to-die-for.)
  • Zingermans - Ann Arbor, MI  (Info from Holly in the Healthy Eats Here guide!)
• Minneapolis, MN
  • See this post from Psychic Lunch about Ecopolitan
• New Orleans, LA
  • Bayona (Cheeseslave:  Chef Susan Spicer)
• New York City, NY
  • Blue Hill Farm (From Morgan:  I was surprised to see that no one in NYC has mentioned Blue Hill, the local food restaurant where the Obamas recently dined.)
  • Gust Organics (Also from Morgan:  NYC’s first 100% USDA organically certified restaurant, and the first USDA organically certified bar (they have great basil martinis) in the country. Argentinian inspired food.)
  • Green Symphony Market (From Michelle:  Buffet of vegetarian and vegan options, salad bar, smoothies and tea. Very reasonable prices.)  Note/FYI from Kelly – Although we don’t eat meat at every meal, I’m not a fan of vegetarian/vegan diets.
  • Le Bernardin (Cheeseslave:  Chef Eric Ripert; got to eat here for my birthday last year – AMAZING!)
  • Community Food & Juice (From THRocks via Twitter:  I found a great restaurant in NYC for healthy, organic foods!)
• OKLAHOMA
  • The Earth Deli – Norman, OK in the Campus Corner area (From Jessie:  They are mostly vegetarian, but they serve local organic produce, antibiotic-free turkey, and sprouted bread on request. Also fair-trade organic coffee, and a great selection of bottled kombucha. Mmmm… Now I want to go there for lunch!)
• Seattle, WA (& surrounding areas)
  • Lunchbox Laboratory (Cheeseslave:  grass-fed burgers — delicious!)
  • Tilth Restaurant – Wallingord, WA (From Annette: The food is amazing, certified organic and made from regional artisan suppliers. They even have a blogroll featuring their local producers. I highly recommend!)
  • Green Go Food – Ballard, WA (From Gena at Girl Gone Domestic:  Just found a great little healthy fast food place – they are a family owned restaurant/catering business, that supports local and sustainable agriculture. The meat they use is organic grass finished from a local ranch. The veggies they use are in season and local, so their menu is ever changing and they are eco-friendly as well. They also serve their food at a few of the Farmer’s Markets in the area too. I actually just blogged about my visit. The most delicious bacon cheeseburger…and no guilt!)
• Springfield, MO
  • Farmer’s Gastropub – (From Holly:  There is a new restaurant called the Farmer’s Gastropub I think. It’s at 431 S. Jefferson, uses fresh local food and is so good!)
• TEXAS
  • (From Jen Z.: There are several TX restaurants listed at http://burgundypasturebeef.com/public_wheretobuy.php that use grass-fed beef from one of our area producers (one in the Dallas area and the rest in/near Ft. Worth).
• UTAH
  • Real Foods Market - Orem, UT (From Sheree:  They sell organic stuff and they also own a farm in I think Midway or Heber City, so they sell raw milk, grass fed beef, pastured eggs at the market.  There’s also a deli in there that has soup, sandwiches, etc.  They also have chicken stock you can buy in quart containers.  I was able to oder 1/4 beef.  I’m so lucky that its close to home.)

• Washington, D.C.
  • Restaurant Nora (From Carissa:  America’s first certified organic restaurant!)

• Winooski, VT
  • Sneakers Bistro (From Natalie:  They serve creative, healthy dishes. Especially their breakfast – always with REAL Vermont Maple Syrup. You will not be disappointed by this place. They even make their own english muffins.)

BY CHAIN:

• Chipotle / Nationwide (Fresh ingredients, they serve meat from good sources, etc.)  Read my post about Chipotle from last year.  ***Also, read more info about them in the comments below regarding the meat they serve.
• Let’s Be Frank Hot Dogs (Cheeseslave:  both San Francisco & LA — grass fed hot dog stands — one of the owners used to work at Chez Panisse)
• ONaturals / ME, AZ, KS, MA (Find locations and read more about them at the link – thanks to Vicky for the tip!)
• Three Tomatoes Trattoria / Vermont (From Natalie:  One of my favorites.  They serve Italian food with local cheese, meats, and more.  They serve locally brewed beer also.)

photo by travelclick, welcome Tasty Tuesday & Tammy’s Recipes readers!

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