Paging Dr. Weil

True Food Kitchen previews kale and quinoa burgers as Dallas opening day looms

True Food Kitchen quinoa veggie burger, with a side of diced sweet potato.
Photo by Marc Lee
Autumnal salad with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and whitebeans.
Photo by Marc Lee
True Food Kitchen opens in Preston Center on November 19.
True Food Kitchen/Facebook
Chef at the Preston Center branch of True Food Kitchen is Michael Sullivan.
Photo by Marc Lee
True Food Kitchen desserts include this flourless chocolate cake, served warm,with vanilla ice cream and cocoa nibs.
Photo by Marc Lee
True Food Kitchen has lime-green leather banquettes and festive displays ofproduce.
Photo by Marc Lee
Panang curry with rice is one of True Food Kitchen's more popular dishes.
Photo by Marc Lee

Days before its November 19 opening in Dallas' Preston Center, True Food Kitchen — the "healthy" concept from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts — hosted a giant media cattle call to preview its menu of au courant foodie trends.

With a menu devised by author Dr. Andrew Weil, True Food Kitchen follows the anti-inflammatory diet, dubbed "Hollywood's new favorite eating plan." It asserts that saturated fats and refined sugar make your body release chemicals that cause inflammation, which purportedly leads to illness, including heart disease, cancer and arthritis.

The menu accommodates all your special-interest eating tribes including celiacs, Paleoliths, vegetarians and vegans. It also serves as an amusing one-stop for all of the restaurant world's trendiest ingredients and buzzwords. Culled from the menu and press materials:

grass-fed, sustainably raised, organic, season's best, fresh, natural, nutritionally dense, sea buckthorn, kale, Anasazi beans, quinoa, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, vitamin- and antioxidant-rich, bio-dynamic, umami, juice, smoothie, kale, eco-friendly, compostable take-out packaging, renewable, recycled plastic soda bottles

Fox had previously announced that it would open a True Food Kitchen in Austin — but that was before its arch-rival Seasons 52 settled here first, with two branches, in Plano and at NorthPark Center. This marks the seventh in the chain, following locations in Arizona, California and Colorado.

It's in the old Corner Bakery (which moved a few doors down), and it's a bright, attractive space with an open kitchen, a citrus-y color scheme, decorative produce displays, butcher-block wood and lime-green leather banquettes; the vegan nod extends to the menu, not the furniture. None of the staffers seemed to be over 25 and sported many piercings, including "gaged" ears.

Servers all mechanically hyped the onion-and-fig tart appetizer and the squash pie, which is funny-ironic because most canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash. Big sellers include the bison burger with kale salad and the panang curry, which held a broccoli spear or two and a dulling quantity of tofu.

An unwieldy veggie burger called the "inside out quinoa burger" dispensed with the bun: Two cumin-spiced quinoa patties served as the top and bottom, enclosing a filling of lettuce, tomato, red onion, hummus and feta cheese — an impossibly tall stack requiring fork and knife.

The margarita had ginger and agave, and the beer selection included an organic acai berry wheat ale from Eel River Brewing. The meal was gratis but checks were dropped at the table, likely to make sure the servers got tipped. (Sure hope they weren't holding their breath for the journalism tightwads.)

Two drinks; one "autumnal salad" with squash, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower; two entrees; and one flourless chocolate cake added up to $61, plus tip.

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This week in gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

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Lots of pairing dinners are on the schedule this week, including wine, whiskey, and local craft beer. There’s also an artistic way to enjoy happy hour at a local hotel and a kid’s cake decorating class with a bunny theme (Easter is less than two weeks away; here's help with dining plans). Lastly, make plans to eat a sub sandwich on Wednesday – 100 percent of all sales (not just profits) from a sub chain will go to a charity that fights kids’ cancer.

Tuesday, March 28

Cotarella Wine Dinner at OAK’D
In true Italian style, a four-course barbecue will be paired with Italian wines. The menu includes brisket and cheese cannelloni, smoked chicken parmesan on house-made garlic-tomato pasta, mini Wagyu sausage pizzas, and pear tarts with homemade vanilla ice cream. The dinner is $79, plus a small fee, and will run from 6:45-8:30 pm.

WC Barrel Select Pairing Dinner at Whiskey Cake
The Plano dining destination will share straight pours of barrel select favorite whiskeys during this five-course pairing dinner. The Southern-inspired menu includes smoky jalapeno Wagyu beef jerky, sage and wild mushroom bread pudding, roasted carrot hummus with fried garlic, chicken and dumplings, and pomegranate and hibiscus tart. Reservations are $100, plus tax and gratuity, and dinner begins at 7 pm.

Wednesday, March 29

Day of Giving at Jersey Mike’s Subs
Eat a sub and help a charity. On Wednesday, 100 percent of sales (not just profits) at all 71 DFW Jersey Mike’s Subs locations will be given to Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer. The fundraiser is part of the sub chain’s 13th Annual Month of Giving campaign, which originated in DFW and has raised more than $1.9 million for the charity. Find a list of DFW locations here.

Spring Beer Dinner at White Rock Alehouse & Brewery
The four-course beer pairing dinner will feature flavors of the season. On the menu: crawfish crostinis, spring salad, short ribs served Mexican-style, and fried strawberry shortcake. Each course will be paired with a different White Rock Alehouse beer. Arrive at 6:30 pm for a social beer before being seated for dinner at 7 pm. The cost is $50, plus a small fee.

Thursday, March 30

An Evening with Ebony Lewis at Elm & Good
The Kimpton Pittman Hotel restaurant will host Dallas artist Ebony Lewis for a live painting paired with cocktails. Visit between 6 and 8 pm to watch the artist create a piece that will be donated to the Deep Ellum Society. The artwork will be auctioned off later this year to benefit the Deep Ellum Community Center Artist Residency program. While there, sip an Old Fashioned made with Uncle Nearest whiskey. The Kimpton is donating $1 from every Uncle Nearest Old Fashioned sold to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities as part of the Old Fashioned Challenge through March.

Sunday, April 2

Kids in the Kitchen! Bunny Cake Class at Farmers Branch Historical Park
Kids ages 7 to 15 can register for this hands-on cake decorating class to be held inside the Dodson House at the Farmers Branch Historical Park. Participants will learn buttercream techniques and fondant accents and will get to take home their own multi-layer bunny cake. The class is $50 and will run from 1- 3 pm.

Jersey Mike's Subs Day of Giving wine dinner news-you-can-eat