Jen P.
Yelp
We found 1 Kitchen sort of by accident, as we were shopping nearby at Stackt Market, and wanted a place where we could sit down inside and eat which wasn't a 'fast food feel'. A quick review of the menu convinced us that all three in our group could find something they liked, so we walked over around 1:30 pm on a Wed.
There were several tables with groups of diners, but still lots of space available. The hostess decided to put us in a booth next to a window, which was perfect. The plants throughout the interior gave the place a comfortable peaceful vibe, and the light from outside made it feel bright and airy, but still cozy inside.
The menus are online and you have to scan a bar code to see the offerings - this was one thing we didn't like. We know it's more environmentally friendly, especially when menus change often, but all of us had trouble getting the pages to load since we were from the states and roaming. There didn't seem to be a paper option though.
Our server, Maxine, was great. She was very friendly and attentive. Among us we ordered a burger, an Earth Bowl, and a beet salad with added falafel. The burger came with a 'sea buckthorn jam' which we had never heard of, but Maxine was able to explain what it was like (sweet and tangy), offered to have the kitchen put it on the side, and also suggested some options for the fries that would compliment the zaatar spice. We appreciated all of her suggestions.
The diversity of food offerings is amazing, with lots of vegan and vegetarian options and ways to add protein to any veggie-forward dish. We loved all of the food, but here are a few notes:
The burger was perfectly cooked and served on a potato bun with a side of very thin pickles - it was very well balanced flavor and fat wise, and really enjoyable. The portion of zaatar fries it came with was huge and enough for all 3 of us to share.
The Earth Bowl was a lovely mix of long grain wild rice, roasted butternut (?) squash, chick peas, sunflower seeds, herbs, avocado and a delicious lime cilantro dressing. My sister is very sensitive to ingredients that are old or off and she remarked how very fresh and clean this tasted.
The beet salad was served with a generous portion of beets over a roasted cauliflower puree. The description said it had a maple walnut dressing, pickled pears, fennel and candied pistachios. I added falafel for some carbs and protein. It was delicious but was very light on the nuts, and the pears and fennel were not detectable flavor wise...I would have enjoyed the depth from more flavors...
So overall, a lovely experience that I look forward to repeating, but I took a star off since the menu would be a challenge if you didn't have good cell service, and my dish fell short of expectations based on the menu description.