One of the healthiest trends in Downtown dining is the emphasis on locally grown and organic produce. One after another, restaurants are making it a point to support local growers and add organic fruits and vegetables to their menus.
If you’d like to give these folks some support of your own, here are a few Downtown eateries that will make you feel downright good about indulging:
NINE/05
A recent addition to Downtown, NINE/05 frequents the Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery for its produce. Most of the meats at this modern Asian restaurant are organic, and the acclaimed chef likes using heirloom produce when possible.
District American Kitchen and Wine Bar
This charming spot in the Downtown Sheraton has quite a story to tell. The chefs here give their produce scraps to a farm in Scottsdale, which uses them for compost. The compost is then used to grow fresh, local produce for the restaurant. How’s that for bringing things full-circle? And there’s more to the tale: The same Scottsdale farmer also helped the restaurant plant a garden on the Sheraton’s fourth floor.
Cibo’s
All the vegetables on the menu are locally and organically grown, which means that every salad, from their marvelous Mixed Vegetables to the savory Antipasto, is loaded with fresh produce. If you go to Cibo’s just for the pizza – and who could blame you – you can pat yourself on the back if you have vegetables on your pie.
Pasta Bar
The comfort food at this Italian eatery includes handmade pasta, homemade sausage and locally grown produce from the Phoenix Public Market.
The Roosevelt
Almost everything served at The Roosevelt, a classic pub-style place, is locally grown and organic. For example, the bread comes from a bakery down the street and the greens are grown locally. Matt’s Big Breakfast, which is owned by the same folks, also adheres to the owner’s passion for local food, and features cage-free eggs from humanely raised chickens.
Breadfruit
This fun eatery, which serves up Jamaican food and reggae, gets its fruits and veggies at the Phoenix Public Market and uses only cage-free chickens (who had better lives, but still wound up on someone’s plate).