ALONG COMES MARY

I don’t know about you, but I’m loving the Fall days here in Los Angeles. Maybe it’s because I was born in LA during October, but even if the weather doesn’t scream scarves and pumpkin spice, I always await the sights of pumpkin patches and candy aisles. One of my favorite cities to enjoy fall is my birth city, Pasadena. So it’s no surprise that we welcomed the change of the season at True Food Kitchen in old town Pasadena .

There were plenty of new dishes to try-and some old favorites, too. Read on to discover what True Food Kitchen has in store for you this season, and if you want to try them for yourself, make sure to read to the end and enter my gift card giveaway!

Fall at True Food Kitchen

It was a warm Sunday afternoon that Mike and I arrived to True Food Kitchen on Colorado Boulevard. While they’re popping up thorughout the United States and there’s several Southern California locations, we love the atmosphere in Pasadena. A wide-open patio greets you as you check-in, and there’s airy indoor tables on either side. Dog friendly on the porch, too.

While the summer selections found the Arizona-based restaurant filling the menu with lots of watermelon, berries and heirloom tomatoes, fall is all about brussels sprouts, mushrooms and squash-including for dessert.

The Fall Menu

We began with the chilled lettuce shrimp cups with coconut shrimp, grapefruit, avocado, cucumber, cilantro and jalepeno cilantro. Sounds a bit peculiar, no? Served with butter lettuce, this turned out to be an incredibly refreshing, tasty combo. One of their current starters ideal before you move into your entrees.  Another great appetizer option are the roasted brussels sprouts. With Asian mushrooms, toasted sesame and a miso sesame vinaigrette, these were roasted to perfection and will make even the anti-brussels sprouts fan give them a second look. I swear.

As we moved into the main plates, I was so excited to see the Dashi ramen. Much to my husband’s dismay, I’ve never had ramen in my life. I even had to ask questions as to how to enjoy it. Like a soup? There’s noodles-so, eat wtih a fork? Slurp it? While ramen noodles are traditionally flour based, True Food Kitchen uses their fantastic sweet potato noodles. Also used in their Korean noodle salad, the Dashi ramen featured bok choy, mushroom broth, onion, corn, radish, black bean and sesame chili oil. Full of flavor and hearty, this will be the go-to comfort bowl of warmth during the holiday rush that’s quickly coming upon us.

Pizza, Squash Pie, Gluten-free and Vegan-Oh, My!

True Food Kitchen has a great selection of pizzas and always has a terrific seasonal option. For fall, they have unveiled the butternut squash pizza with vegan almond ricotta, lemon drizzle, caramelized onions, kale and dried cranberries. While I admit that I’ve not been a huge fan of a lot of vegan cheeses, True Food got this one just right. Not your traditional, cheesy pizza, imagine more flatbread style with dollops of the ricotta. The cranberry complemented the lemon drizzle expertly, and while it’s a shareable pizza-you may not want to share.

And, the grand finale: dessert. Last year, True Food Kitchen had a phenomenal squash pie. AKA, a pumpkin pie, but even better. As True Food Kitchen has a dominantly gluten-free menu, it’s always surprising that they get this pie crust so right, each year. Our cheery and helpful server, Sofia, told us that the secret lays in their Bob’s Red Mill almond flour. Just like True Food’s versatile menu, so are their cafe vibes. If you want to jump in and get a drink and slice of pie on the go, or have a proper sit down meal, any way you choose to enjoy True Food Kitchen is not a problem.

And, speaking of drinks-we also tried their vanilla cinnamon cold brew latte. What made this order special was the fact that the restaurant was out of their vanilla syrup. Instead of telling us that they’d be unable to accommodate our order, Sofia checked in and let us know that they were going to get more syrup and the drink would be out ASAP. How’s that for fantastic service?! The cold brew paired so well with the pie and officially got us in the fall mood.

Enter for a Chance to win a $50 Gift Card for True Food Kitchen

How would you like to try True Food Kitchen for yourself? I have a $50 gift card good for any location in the USA. Use the form below to enter by October 22nd. Open to USA residents 18 and over only. Please visit my sweepstakes tab for further information. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to visit in the meantime, make sure to visit them HERE! xo

(*Disclosure: I received a hosted visit to True Food Kitchen on behalf of this review and giveaway. All opinions are my own.)