Ann Arbor: Juicy Kitchen

Juicy Kitchen’s mission is to nurture people with healthy, creative, flavorful food prepared with love. And they do just that! The menu is well balanced between vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options, also offering dishes with meat/fish. Each menu item at Juicy Kitchen is unique and creative in it’s own way, being the perfect blend of healthy and delicious. Take the JK Benedict for example. Two poached eggs served over corn cakes, sauteed spinach, mushrooms & sun-dried tomatoes topped with house made roasted red pepper & goat cheese sauce. Juicy Kitchen also has an eggplant sandwich that sounded killer. It was hard to choose!

Lora and I stopped into Juicy Kitchen for brunch after our Orange Theory Fitness class on Saturday (yes, I joined a cult). We walked in and my first impression was how small and quaint it was, yet packed. Seriously, Juicy Kitchen’s dining room was about the size of a large living room. How they managed to fit around 10 tables in there is quite crafty and honestly, impressive. We waited in line to place our order and by the time we were finished, a table was cleaned off and we were sitting down anticipating our order.

Veggie Nachos: Organic corn tortillas topped with sauteed kale, broccoli, sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, black beans, goat cheese, salsa, a dollop of guacamole, and a fried egg. Mexican-esque dishes are always my go to not only for brunch, but really any meal of the day. The veggie nachos were the best of both worlds. Healthy, good for you ingredients that gave me energy and satisfied my hankering for cheesy, crunchy, goodness. My egg was a tad overcooked. I really wanted a yellow yolk that dripped all over the rest of the nachos. What I got was a cooked yolk that did nothing. I really liked the goat cheese. This was new for me on nachos, but it worked perfectly. Overall, the nachos were delicious and hit the spot.

Power Bowl: Organic quinoa, kale, black beans, mushrooms, caramelized onions & sweet potatoes sauteed in house made sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, topped with The Brinery’s kimchi & a dollop of guacamole. I’m a fan of bowls because you get a ton of ingredients and flavor in one shot. The sweetness of the caramelized onions went well with the spice and tang from the kimchi. This bowl was hearty, yet light and perfect after a good workout.

Health Nut Smoothie: Banana, kale, peanut butter, walnuts, almond milk, and local honey. I tasted the peanut butter and banana immediately and it was delicious. The honey added a nice sweetness and the almond milk made this smoothie extra creamy. I love adding kale to smoothies because you can’t really taste it, but you get a ton of vitamins. As you can see by the smoothie spilling over the glass, Juicy Kitchen doesn’t skimp out on portions.

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Juicy Kitchen runs a smooth operation. The staff is extremely friendly and on top of their game despite being busy. They never once seemed flustered or pressured. I can see Juicy Kitchen being my new favorite spot and I can’t wait to go back!