Dining
Organic Eateries
May 1, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
ORGANIC EATERIES
Healthy dining options at Ethos Vegan Kitchen and Canyon Ranch Grill
BY SHARON LEVINSOHN
While being “green” has certainly received a great deal of media attention lately, less has been written about eating “green.” Thankfully, the number of farmers devoted to growing organic fruits and vegetables is growing, as well as the number of ranchers committed to raising organic meat and poultry. There are also a greater number of chefs that are dedicated to seeking out these healthier options, which pack a powerful punch in the taste and nutrition departments. The two eateries featured here—one upscale, one casual—and their talented chefs are redefining healthy, organic dishes with creative twists, on their own terms.
ETHOS VEGAN KITCHEN
1235 North Orange Ave., Orlando; 407.228.3898; ethosvegankitchen.com
THE DETAILS
Situated in a building dating back to 1925 in the heart of Orlando’s historic Antique District, Ethos Vegan
Kitchen is a casual eatery that serves up yummy vegan fare. The former Lava Lounge site has been redesigned with colorful, painted walls that provide the perfect backdrop for paintings by local artists. Whether you sit inside or opt to dine outside on the oversized patio with a view of Lake Ivanhoe, you will get to relax and recharge while enjoying healthy and inventive offerings. For those of you who may wonder about veganism, this pertains to a type of vegetarianism where none of the food comes from animals—eliminating eggs, cheese and honey. Owners and husband-and-wife team, Kelly and Laina Shockley, are proud to be serving up delicious dishes that appeal to vegan and non-vegan customers. The popularity of their new restaurant and the awards and accolades they have already earned, prove that many diners appreciate an alternative cuisine.
THE CUISINE
The Shockleys are dedicated to creating and serving a wonderful array of dishes that are simple and soul-satisfying. They also prefer to use organic ingredients—approximately 75 percent, at last count—and they are gluten-free friendly. Best of all, most of their items are prepared from scratch, including their soups, dressings, sauces, hummus, salsa, tapenade and pastry dough. Dishes are artfully plated on plain white china—the perfect background for their colorful creations. Start off by ordering the Healthy Trio, comprised of black and green olive tapenade, hummus and tomatomango salsa, served with toasted bread, tortilla chips and raw veggies. There is always a nice selection of soups and favorites including the Creamy Polenta and Broccoli, the Creamy Spinach and Polenta, and the Tomato Basil. The memorable Ethos Garden Salad features mixed greens tossed with artichoke hearts, vine ripe tomatoes, black olives, sprouts, red onions, carrots, cucumbers and broccoli. You may choose one of their swell dressings—Apple-Tahini, Creamy Italian, Orange Ginger or Oil & Balsamic—and top it off with grilled Portabella mushrooms or seitan.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen features a host of hearty sandwiches, which are all served with your choice of tortilla chips and salsa, fresh fruit or coleslaw. Their signature is called What’s the Dilly, Philly? and is a new turn on the ultra-popular Philly Cheese Steak. The Ethos version features sauteed marinated seitan with onions, red and green peppers, vegan mozzarella cheese, and veganaise. You should also try the Hippie Wrap, with hummus, sprouts, cucumbers, banana peppers, tomatoes and lettuce; A Fungus Among Us with grilled marinated portabella mushrooms with lettuce, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and veganaise; and the Samson Burger, which is comprised of grilled black beans and is served with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, sprouts, spicy mustard and Heinz ketchup.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen also serves up 10-inch pizza pies with your choice of sauce (marinara or pesto), vegan mozzarella and up to three toppings. The latter list includes roasted red peppers, artichokes, seitan, banana peppers, broccoli, zucchini and spinach. Favorite main courses are the Pecan-Encrusted Eggplant, an enticing dish comprised of eggplant which has been accented with sauteed pecans and is served with mashed potatoes, gravy and fresh seasonal veggies, as well as the Pumpkin Seed & Pesto Penne Pasta, distinguished by a creamy pesto sauce, served over the pasta, which is tossed with tomatoes, squash, and zucchini, and then topped with roasted pumpkin seeds.
For dessert, you can indulge in a variety of homemade bakery items including chocolate chip cookies, shortbread, fruit tarts, muffins and the cake of the day.
THE LIBATIONS
Yes, they have wine (by the glass and the bottle), and bottled beer, along with brewed iced tea, hot tea, fresh coffee (with free refills on the teas and the coffee), bottled soda and bottled water. They also offer hot spiced apple cider, orange juice, soy milk and bottled Yerba Mate.
THE EXTRAS
The Shockleys are dedicated to ethical business practices. They provide a friendly, safe, equitable working environment and they pay their employees a living wage. They also have an Employee Fund jar on their counter and the money is distributed each month to charities, special projects or as tips. It is not surprising that Ethos Vegan Kitchen has been a media favorite. The eatery has snagged many awards, including “Best Vegan/Vegetarian, Critics’ Pick,” Orlando Weekly’s Best of Orlando 2008; “Best New Restaurant” (opened August 2007 – August 2008) from the Orlando Sentinel 2008; “Best Vegetarian Restaurant,” Orlando Sentinel, 2008; and “Best Healthy Lunch” (First Place) from WESH – 2 News/CW-18, 2008 A-List.
CANYON RANCH GRILL
Canyon Ranch Miami Beach; 6801 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305.714.7000; canyonranch.com
THE SETTING
The Canyon Ranch Grill is a superb new restaurant in a stunning setting that features healthy, organic gourmet dishes. As the signature eatery in the luxurious Canyon Ranch Miami Beach which debuted in early November of 2008—this restaurant also benefits from the Canyon Ranch philosophy of nutritional intelligence, which combines healthy fare with self-awareness. The award-winning Canyon Ranch cuisine, also featured at other Canyon Ranch properties in Tucson, Arizona, and Lennox, Massachusetts, dove-tails with the resort’s world-renowned wellness philosophy and lifestyle.
Best of all, this eatery is situated at a casually elegant property. The former Carillon Hotel has been thoughtfully restored—and infused—with the Canyon Ranch spirit which centers on healthy living,wellness, fitness, nutrition, balanced meals, and personal attention. The resort’s six acres fronting the Atlantic Ocean, feature three towers (two are Canyon Ranch Living residences, one the condo-hotel with 150 one- and two-bedroom suites), 750 feet of private beach, a 70,000-square-foot wellness spa, and four outdoor pools.
The resort and the restaurant are designed to incorporate natural elements with coral stone walls, hanging sculptures of mangroves and sliced agate, and teakwood ceilings, in a palate that accented by pale lavender, chocolate brown and pale green. The stylish Canyon Ranch Grill features soaring ceilings, subtle lighting and a stylish dining room with nicely spaced tables that are topped with white linen cloths, square crystal vases with exotic blooms, and silverware with some heft tables and dark orange banquettes are surrounded by dark wooden chairs with gold and brownstriped upholstery. This dining room is also home to coconut and carpeted flooring, lit wormwood columns, and an exhibition kitchen fronted by comfy stools at the chef’s counter. You can also choose to dine outside on the patio or in the cozy tapas lounge. Both offer wonderful water views.
THE CUISINE
Executive Chef Alex Asteinza and Executive Sous Chef Rafael Diaz De Leon are passionate, culinary masters who create a wealth of extraordinarily delicious dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. They are dedicated to nutritionally balanced, healthy cuisine that tastes fabulous. Furthermore, the Canyon Ranch Grill dishes are comprised of organic ingredients, from vegetables and fruits, herbs, to poultry and meat, and sustainable or local seafood and fish. This nourishing, noteworthy cuisine will excite your taste buds, as well as your eyes, with a memorable combination of flavors and textures.
Start your meal with several of their wonderful tiraditos and ceviches. The Thai Ceviche is a refreshing choice, which features sublime poached Key West shrimp, expertly marinated in pomelo, cilantro, jicama and bird chile. Ditto the Pebre, which features perfect bites of local sea bass, with jalapeno, lime, mixed onion and giant Peruvian corn, and the Sunomono Tiradito, with thinly sliced sea scallops, white ponzu sauce and shanso pepper. Other inventive starters include the Devils on Horseback, which features Turkish dates stuffed with Berkshire bleu cheese, wrapped in veal bacon and served on endive; the zesty local golden tomato Gazpacho, which features Dungeness crab and cucumbers; and the Seared Watermelon, served with a tomato salad and topped with a reduction red wine vinegar with basil seeds. Chef’s Alex and Rafael kick their vegetable offerings up a notch with the Cauliflower Textures. This unique dish features three versions: roasted with a puttanesca sauce, cous cous-style with curry and pureed with chives. This is the way to eat cauliflower!
The Grilled Caesar with romaine lettuce, poached eggs and roasted garlic dressing, and the Rolled Spinach & Napa Cabbage, with slowly braised greens served with smoked paprika broth and garbanzo beans, are perfectly yummy. The main courses here are quite inspiring—I suggest that you order a nice selection and share everything. You will truly enjoy the cherry wood-smoked halibut, which arrives perfectly cooked, along with a yellow-pepper puree with snow peas and Jerusalem artichokes; the red miso-braised bison short ribs, which have been pulled from the bone and served with wild mushrooms and white sweet potatoes; and the Crab Papardelle, which features Dungeness crab tossed with fresh pasta, roasted peppers, lemon zest and a touch of cream. If you consider yourself a carnivore, the Seared Tenderloin is a must, and features grass-fed bison with bleu cheese polenta and tomato confit. After your meal, you will be pleasantly pleased and full—but not stuffed, so go ahead and dive into the dessert menu. The Pineapple Carpaccio (which features shaved pineapple, cracked black pepper and basil sorbet); the Warm Chocolate Cake (with cocoa paint and vanilla yogurt); and the Honey Roasted Berries (with Key lime pound cake and fresh tarragon) are enticing and healthy choices.
No article on Canyon Ranch Grill would be complete without complimenting charming Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, Ruben Perez, and his incredibly attentive, friendly and knowledgeable staff. This exceptional team is adept at explaining everything on the menu, as well as answering questions about nutrition and healthy dining. Ruben and company ensure that every meal here is truly a pleasure.
THE LIBATIONS
The beverage offerings at Canyon Ranch Grill reflect the resort’s philosophy and incorporate pure and healthy products. There is a nice selection of still and sparkling waters, house-made sodas (blood orange, blackberry, citrus, ginger ale, passion fruit and cola), house-made lemonades (watermelon mint, hibiscus and classic), and unsweetened ice teas (mint green, black and berry). There are also many warm beverages made with organic free trade coffee (including regular and decaf, French press, espresso, cappuccino) and hot chocolate.
Canyon Ranch Grill also offers 100 percent organic beer and spirits, along with sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines (free of artificial pesticides and fertilizers). These beverages taste great, are healthier for your body and are better for the environment. CRG also uses fresh fruit and herbs, house-infused liquors and natural sweeteners (such as agave nectar and honey) in their cocktails. Their wine list sports about 60 bottles (white, red and Champagne) from California, Oregon, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Australia, Germany and South Africa, and includes about 20 wines by the glass.
THE EXTRAS
In addition to the Canyon Ranch Grill, this deluxe property also contains the Carillon Café, off of the lobby, for casual meals (salads, sandwiches, muffins and cookies), and The Cabana, a poolside destination for healthy meals, juices, and smoothies. All of the dishes, on the menus, contain calorie counts, along with carb, protein, fat and fiber content. You may also take advantage of Breakfast with the Doc, where you will have the ability to dine with Dr. Karen Koffler, the Medical Director of the resort. During this informal meal, you will be able to discover new trends and learn about the field of preventive medicine.
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