A friend of mine suggested this restaurant when my husband and I joined them for dinner one night before a musical. She knew I liked organic food and thought I would enjoy it. She hit the target with her suggestion. My husband and I enjoyed the food and the prices. My husband is always “in a hurry,” so he loved the fast food nature of the restaurant. This is great food to go or when in a hurry, as well as when you want to linger and enjoy good quality food with family or friends. I have since been here a couple of times with my “girl” team, Hannah and Miriam and have enjoyed their quick, fresh food.
Overall rating ★★
Food ★★★
We have ordered the gluten free pizza, salads, and soups when dining here. This is a great choice for times when in a hurry due to the “fast food” nature of the restaurant. The soups are made ahead of time from a “recipe” that is standardized by the franchise. Food is ordered in line, paid for at a register and then brought to the table.
The salads are prepared before you and can be individualized. They are chopped which makes for easy eating. They have a large variety of toppings that make it possible to make your salad really fun. Some of our favorites are their candied walnuts, cranberries, apples, eggs and avocado. Miriam and I both like the balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but Hannah, the one who usually likes mild tasting food, thought that both the dressings that she tried (caesar and balsamic vinaigrette) did not have a strong enough flavor to them.
Pizzas can be made gluten free which is a plus. The first time we got the gluten free pizza it was delicious, but the second time was disappointing. It was served barely warm, so we asked that it be reheated and it was still not as good as the first time. The crust tasted kind of like a thin crumbly bread, but at least the toppings were still good.
Tried and True Favorites:
- Wild Spring Salmon Salad
- Chipotle BBQ Chicken Salad
- Gluten Free Five Cheese Pizza
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Organic Iced tea
Quality ★★
The restaurant employees claim that the restaurant only carries organic ingredients for their salad (except for the tomatoes). They also state that the salmon is wild and from a good source, but I could not obtain more details to verify this. They showed us the ingredients for the gluten free pizza crust which was made of rice flour. They also have organic unsweetened iced tea that we have tried and enjoyed. The restaurant website states that the tomato sauce used is organic.
They do seem committed to reducing their environmental impact, as evidenced by their being eco-friendly and members of the Green Dining Alliance. The Green Dining Alliance certificate is granted after going through a comprehensive analysis determining that a restaurant exceeds norms for sustainable restaurant management and operations.
This restaurant is a great alternative to other fast food restaurants and does serve lots of healthy greens for salads, even if the ingredients are not certified organic. It is still more natural than most restaurants and eco-friendly.
Price $
The food items range from $5 to $10 in price, making this a reasonable, inexpensive place to dine for veggies and foods that tend to be more healthy than most.
Atmosphere ★★
We have dined at all three locations, and most recently have enjoyed their Creve Coeur location, close to our home! The restaurants are all comfortable with several booths, along with tables located both inside and outside. Real silverware is available at each table and there is a rustic, modern feel to the restaurant. On warm nights it is nice to have the option to dine outside.
Location
There are now three locations, one in Kirkwood, Creve Coeur and Clayton, with the Creve Coeur location opening recently in 2015.
Creve Couer Address: 11635 Olive Blvd. (Creve Coeur Place), Creve Coeur, MO 63141
Kirkwood Address: 140 Kirkwood Pl, Kirkwood, MO 63122
Clayton Address: 8007 Maryland Ave, Clayton, MO 63105
You may check their website for more details: Crushed Red
