Restaurant Report: Grateful Kitchen Co.

If you go to a restaurant twice, it usually means you liked it the first time you went, or at least liked it enough to give it another shot. If you go to a restaurant three times, it means you really liked it. So…what does it mean when you go to a restaurant three times in three consecutive days? Well, it means it’s fantastic. It means it’s worth your money, worth your time, and worth putting into your body!Grateful Kitchen Co. is a place designed to make you feel good. It’s brought to you by a fantastic team of three: owner Kimberly Sickmen, who also co-owns the nearby Zweet Sport hot yoga and Total Fitness studios; manager Ashley Ott, who formerly ran the pastry department at Junction Bakery in Del Ray; and cook Stephen Hardy, who used to work at Rose’s Luxury in D.C. When you step into the bright and airy space -- the brown wood-and-tile walls are complemented by a whitewashed-wood ceiling with modern pendant lights and suspended potted succulents -- you’re instantly greeted by Sickmen, Ott, Hardy, or all three, all of whom are happy to see you and happy to share Grateful Kitchen’s organic menu with you.The carefully designed menu is made up of coffee and tea, smoothies and bowls, made-to-order juice, breakfast, snacks, savory items, and a kid’s menu, and you can trust that nothing was just thrown onto the menu to add fluff. The Grateful Kitchen Co. team crafted the menu items to make you feel satisfied, healthy, and energized. Their passion and precision in choosing quality organic ingredients is clear from their enthusiasm in discussing what goes into any menu item and transparency about the sources of their ultra-fresh produce.So far, I’ve tried the Green smoothie, which is accented with fresh ginger; the Blue Majik smoothie, which doesn’t turn your mouth blue (I was about to teach a class at barre3 Old Town, so I asked); the Matcha Latte, deliciously nutty and made with hemp milk; the Chia Pudding, made with orange juice, fruit, coconut cream, and local honey; and the seasonal pumpkin smoothie (the menu embraces seasonality and changes with availability, so get this while you can).I want to try every single thing on the menu — especially the avocado toast and peanut butter bites — so I’ll be back soon and hope to see you there. I also hope to see the man who got up from the counter when he was through eating, thanked the team, and said his stomach was doing cartwheels of happiness. Mine, too, sir — mine, too.

Grateful Kitchen Co. | 727 N. Henry Street | @gratefulkitchenco

Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 7am-3pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am-3pm

 

first & second images courtesy @gratefulkitchencothird image: Sarah Marcella Creative