Nourish the Budding Lotus

Review – Real Food Nation

I first heard about Real Food Nation from a friend who caught wind of a place in Santa Fe that makes their own gluten-free buns for their burgers…  That was exciting!  As many readers know, it is a rare occasion to find a restaurant that actually makes their own gluten-free substitutions so this was not to be missed.  RFN quickly became a fun getaway for my friends and I during Massage school.  We would jump in the car with hungry bellies, excited to “escape from the city” and have some great eco-diner food.

You see, Real Food Nation is pretty cool.  They definitely rock the burgers and fries angle, but with a great twist and they have tons of other options as well.  As they mention on their website:  “We are committed to serving only the finest naturally raised meats, poultry and produce. We have a greenhouse, orchard and gardens on site to supply us with the freshest greens, fruits and vegetables possible.”  So their food is fresh, and made with integrity, and that is evident in every meal that I have had there.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and have a pretty abundant menu.  My favorite time to go is for lunch where the options include burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups and in addition to gluten-free buns, they also usually have a gluten-free pizza.

My friends are not vegetarian so they usually get a beef, buffalo or lamb burger, and I often choose the veggie burger.  The one big downfall…  Their veggie burger is actually not gluten-free!  Hopefully they will work on this because it would be so easy to make it gluten-free…but I believe they use barley in their veggie burger mix.  Yes, there is room for improvement.  The burger is a little soft and falls apart as you eat it.  I actually overheard the people next to me discussing this same issue over their meal.  They sounded like regulars, and agreed that the veggie burger could be improved upon…

The good news is that you can have any of the sandwiches on a gluten-free bun as well, so the next time I get a craving for RFN I will certainly venture into new territory and have a sandwich instead. The Veggie Panini sounds tempting…

In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, they have dessert!  Real Food Nation is now making their own sorbets, and have some beautiful baked goods…including a few that are gluten-free.  One of my friends always starts off his meal with one of their gluten-free pastries, and I have to say they make some beautiful tarts.  When apricots are in season…watch out!  Delicious!

So, all-in-all, I love Real Food Nation.  The atmosphere is great… Sunny, lots of seating, friendly staff and happy people all around.  The menu is exciting and has a balanced variety and the prices are pretty reasonable for Santa Fe restaurants.