A vegan, a low-carber, a guy who doesn't eat red meat, another guy who mostly eats red meat, and a very picky eater walk into a restaurant...
Team lunches can be a challenge, when you have folks of different dietary needs/preferences. It's tough finding a place with a menu that doesn't alienate one or more folks completely ("Don't whine, vegetarian! That BBQ joint we're going to has potato salad and cole slaw for you to eat!"), or that is so broad it can't possibly be done well. So, when a new person joined our team, I went on a limb and called a "welcome" luncheon at Fresh Heim.
It certainly wasn't where I expected it to be: In the shopping center at Lake Creek and 183, next to a liquor store and "Cici's Pizza", across the lot from the "24 Hour Fitness". This is the kind of "ladies who lunch healthily" place serving food that would be at home in a day spa in Westlake. But, ummm, instead in a parking lot with a "Cici's Pizza".
They quickly sat our table of nine, with staff smiles all around. We were a little confused between the sauce choices for salad, and the sauce choices for our proteins, but the wait staff met us with smiles and patient answers. Folks still got a little caught off guard by the purple tint to the rice (expecting plain steamed white rice), and the piles of vegetables in the "salad". Just having everything on one plate was a surprise to some. I purposefully kept my pics as clean and unprocessed/unfiltered as the food I was trying to show.
But, our diverse group all seemed to have no issues devouring the food. And even I didn't feel hungry at the lunch option. There are larger dinner portions to choose, if you think you might have an issue with portion size being too small. Clean, fresh, and healthy. Service might be best described as "relaxed". My medium-cooked beef was tasty. The tofu option was popular with our two vegetarians, as was the chicken with a couple others. The American in me wanted to ask for more dressing for the salad (the peanut pecan was great), but I didn't. The Red Pepper sauce was a hit for those that like a bit of kick. It looked like a great stir fry (especially with the "noodle" option, the japchae comparison made in another review is apt), that just never got stirred/fried. And in a good way. As we left, the female chef wished us farewell from the back, and all I could do was smile.
If the Jokhang Temple in Tibet has a cafeteria, it feels just like Fresh Heim (in my head).
EPILOGUE: Full disclosure, I did leave work at the end of the day to the nearby bar with a team member who desperately needed a large burger and curly fries (dipped in ranch) while I just sipped on my vodka press. 'Murica. read more