True Food Kitchen’s summer menu

(This article was originally written for and published by Fabulous Arizona).

Written by Ali Dugaw 

Nothing quite captures the essence of summertime as effectively as a classic barbecue, featuring succulent chicken, golden corn and juicy watermelon. The seasonal menu at True Food Kitchen reimagines these nostalgic favorites with new dishes that combine many of summer’s most bountiful flavors in peak season.  

Among the new appetizers on the True Food Kitchen summer menu is the street corn flatbread, inspired by elote, a traditional Mexican street food with flavors that are very popular on Arizona menus right now. Here, the house-made dough is topped with roasted corn, crème fraiche, lime and Tajin, culminating in a flavor surpassing expectations given its humble components. Gluten-free dough is available, too. 

The heirloom tomato and watermelon salad returns to the True Food Kitchen menu with multicolored heirloom tomatoes, cubes of juicy watermelon, Peruvian cucumbers, Marcona almonds, all tossed in a spicy mango vinaigrette and avocado mousse. Each mouthful offers a delightful combination of crispness, juiciness, with a hint of spiciness, making it a refreshing choice on a scorching summer day.

Some of the new summer entrees include The TFK Original Chicken Sandwich, made with grilled chicken breast, a unique house-made blueberry and Peruvian hot sauce BBQ sauce, topped with kale slaw, pickled red onion and jalapeños, served on a flaxseed or gluten-free bun. A new seared tuna tataki entrée is served over fried brown rice and quinoa, asparagus, roasted corn, tataki sauce, roasted mushrooms, gochujang, baru nut and mango chutney. And the grilled sustainable salmon seizes the essence of the season, gracefully mingling with a Thai corn broth, bok choy and edamame. While this meal might not leave you feeling full, its flavors are absolutely satisfying.

The new summer desserts evoke classic childhood memories but with a healthier twist, in True Food fashion. The root beer float is made with a bubbly probiotic root beer and topped with house-made vegan vanilla ice cream. The blueberry crumble sundae showcases grass-fed ice cream, with a Marcona almond-date crumble, crowned by fresh blueberry compote and lemon zest.

A variety of new sips round out the seasonal menu, including The Grove, a zero-proof option with strawberries and lemonade, and Fresa Rosado, a spin on the classic margarita and made with Ana Maria Tequila Rosa.

The True Food Kitchen summer menu is available through Labor Day weekend and, as another summer bonus, the restaurant will offer half-off all bottles of wine every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the holiday weekend (dine-in only).

True Food Kitchen has three locations in Arizona and 44 locations across the US. For more information, visit www.truefoodkitchen.com.