True Food Kitchen, the award-winning, seasonally-inspired restaurant and scratch bar, opens Monday, April 25 for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch in Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront. This marks the second Montgomery County location (Bethesda), third Maryland location for True Food Kitchen, and the 41st nationwide.
The full-service restaurant features a spacious dining room with 171 seats, an open kitchen designed to bring guests closer to the restaurant’s culinary craft and a full-service bar joining the dining room. An outdoor covered patio overlooking rio’s lake seats an additional 124 guests. A private dining room accommodates 12 guests. Natural woods and vibrant, locally inspired artwork add a contemporary touch to the restaurant’s earthy color scheme, natural elements and greenery, including indoor and outdoor garden basins filled with fresh herbs and spices. Eco-friendly materials are utilized throughout, and dining chairs are made of recycled soda bottles.
Our very own “Mr. MoCo” stopped by for a pre-opening event and shared some photos.
Per True Food Kitchen: Co-founded by integrative medicine expert, Dr. Andrew Weil, True Food Kitchen’s menu closely adheres to his anti-inflammatory food pyramid, which focuses on eating foods that help maintain optimal health. The Gaithersburg restaurant will offer a variety of flavor-forward dishes and beverages that harken to Weil’s philosophy that delicious dining and conscious nutrition can go hand in hand, without sacrificing flavor, creativity or indulgence.
True Food Kitchen’s menu, which changes seasonally, offers a wide variety of options. The just-introduced Spring menu includes Corn Tortilla Soup, a Southwest style soup made with seasonal vegetables, D’napoli tomato sauce, corn tortillas garnished with cherry tomato Pico de Gallo; Wild Caught Tuna Tostada, a mix of albacore tuna, avocado, jalapeno and citrus ponzu layered with house-made tostada chips on top of a sambal vinaigrette or prepared gluten-free served over crisp lettuce cups; Grilled Korean Steak, marinated grilled to order steak served with forbidden black rice, portobello mushrooms, blanched bok choy, a miso sesame vinaigrette and drizzled with a sweet and spicy wok sauce; and Strawberry Pancakes , a weekend brunch special featuring two gluten-free quinoa pancakes topped with Greek yogurt, macerated strawberries, lemon zest and served with real maple syrup. Other mainstay dishes available year-round include favorites like the Ancient Grains Bowl, Spaghetti Squash Casserole, Organic Tuscan Kale Salad, Good Earth Kale Cobb and Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake.
To complement Spring’s fresh flavors, the restaurant offers a scratch bar featuring freshly pressed juices, organic teas and natural refreshers, such as the seasonal Wild Blackberry Limeade and Strawberry Lemonade. A selection of beer, wine, and handcrafted cocktails containing organic and gluten-free spirits are also available. Signature cocktails include the Citrus Skinny Margarita along with seasonal selections such as the Passion Fruit Margarita, Common Bond, Beach Party, Juniper Rose, and the Cause-Mo.
True Food Kitchen Rio Lakefront will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm, Friday from 11 am to 11 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 9 pm. The full brunch, lunch, dinner and kids menu are available for pick-up or delivery, along with a selection of family meals and build-your-own packages four or six.
True Food Kitchen will open with a variety of ordering options. In-restaurant, guests are offered the option to order via their mobile phone, allowing them to scan, order and pay directly from their device. True Food will offer the full menu online for pick-up or delivery. Catering is also availablewith a selection of packages and a la carte selections including starters, salads, sandwiches, bowls, desserts and beverages that feature the freshest ingredients.
Diners at the Gaithersburg location will also be able to benefit from the brand’s True Rewards loyalty program that allows guests to earn points towards special offers every time they dine and includes a $10 welcome offer and $15 off every $150 spend. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are available on OpenTable. The rio Lakefront location will continue hiring post-opening, looking to hire in all areas including servers, bartenders, hosts/esses, chefs, cooks, dishwashers and other key positions. More information may be found atwww.TrueFoodKitchen.com/locations/gaithersburg or online applications may be located atwww.TrueFoodKitchen.com/careers.
TRUE FOOD KITCHEN at rio Lakefront
221 Rio Blvd, Gaithersburg MD – 240-821-6660
Hours: M-Th 11 am-9pm; Fri 11 am-11 pm; Sat 10 am-10pm; Sun 10 am-9pm
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