Are organic, farm-fed, environmentally-conscious, homegrown places popping up in your neighborhood (or at least, your radar?). For me, even though both Cha Bella and Green Truck Pub have been around a little while, I only have visited them in the past month. Green Truck Pub blew me away. If you go, you have to order the hamburger (or so I'm told) as this is their bread and butter. I ordered the Rustico, a roasted red pepper and goat cheese concoction that I literally sopped up the juices from with my last little bit of hamburger bun. Honestly, I rarely order burgers because really, I always feel like there is something a little more exotic or fun I can try. My logic has always been, "I can have a hamburger at home any night of the week." This place has changed that thinking for me. Besides the fun toppings (other than the Rustico, they have 11 regular menu choices like the Greek style (olive tapenade, banana peppers, feta, and cucumbers), HAM-burger (topped with ham, swiss, dijon, and their homemade pickles), and of course classic styles like cheeseburger and bacon burgers plus a special burger of the day listed on their blackboard.
Their motto? "Some say nothing worth doing is ever easy, and we think easy food is rarely worth eating. Which is why we do simple food the hard way: from scratch." I read a review that said their homemade ketchup tasted like applesauce. Nope. It just tasted like a lighter, more pureed vegetable like sauce that is BETTER than ketchup. Yeah, I said it. Have some patience since they are making everything fresh (and I mean FRESH like the meat tasted that day made with very little grease, fat, or a bunch of seasonings--just clean, pure flavors thanks to its grass-fed start a bunch of extra stuff packed into the meat isn't necessary). While you wait, order one of the yummy craft beers they have on draft or by the bottle. I was truly impressed with this little place's beer selection. They had at least 8 on tap which they rotate, and this month they are featuring Wild Heaven Brewery from Decatur, Georgia--a very yummy Belgian-ale (anything Belgian style and I am IN!). I also liked the Founders Red's Rye PA, a very nice red (duh!) beer that had both a creaminess and a hoppy-ness to it with a little bit of spicyness.
I'm a big fan of this place if you can't tell, and I will definitely be visiting again soon. My belly's growling as I type. Down with processed food! Go out and enjoy some freshly made goods!
The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener