If you have strayed from your New Year’s resolution of eating healthy, a new restaurant in Foggy Bottom could help you get back on track.
Flower Child, which specializes in health food, opened its first D.C. location Monday at 2112 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The restaurant is known for its extensive menu with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options that are conveniently labeled on the menu.
Before finding a seat in a Parisian-inspired woven chair or cushy booth or even entering the restaurant, diners will spot a vibrant rainbow mural from the street that boasts the phrase “good goes around.” The rainbow mural brightens the sterile white tile, and greenery around the restaurant also liven up the space.
Within moments of stepping into the restaurant, customers will be greeted by employees who help take your order and give menu suggestions before giving out a number to bring to back to your table.
Flower Child’s menu features salads like the Mediterranean quinoa ($9.50) with classic Greek ingredients like tabbouleh, feta cheese and tomatoes plus a harissa yogurt vinaigrette and wraps like the “Flying Avocado” ($12) with smoked turkey, gouda and avocado hummus plus crisp vegetables.
The restaurant’s heartier options include bowls like vegan ramen ($11) with a miso sesame broth topped with spicy tofu, pickled cucumber, roasted corn, bok choy and bean sprouts. Another staple is the plates where customers can pick two options from a list of entrees like gluten-free mac and cheese and yuzu brussel sprouts for $10.
Each plate or bowl can be finished off with protein options like all-natural chicken ($5), grass-fed steak ($6) and non-GMO tofu ($4).
The menu boasted dozens of options, which make it difficult to order, but I ended up with the “Skinny Cobb” salad ($9.50) and added salmon ($7) on top. Unlike a traditional cobb salad, this version used crunchy corn and pickled red onion to replace bacon and egg – and added tomato, avocado, cucumber and smoked almond onto a bed of romaine, cabbage and arugula – so the dish was both vegetarian and gluten free.
The salad was dressed with a gorgonzola cheese vinaigrette, which I was skeptical of at first, but the sauce thoughtfully brought the ingredients together into a great alternative to near-campus salad shops like Sweetgreen or Chopt.
As a side, I ordered the red chili glazed sweet potato, ($5) which was diced into cubes and marinated to perfection. The potatoes came alongside bok choy coated in the same spicy sauce and were sprinkled with sesame seeds.
While I loved my own order, I found myself envying my friends’ picks after stealing bites of the “Bird is the Word” wrap ($12) was served warm with chicken, cheese and broccoli. The wraps, which are made in house from whole wheat, flax and chia seed, are also served with a classic side salad of assorted greens topped with balsamic vinaigrette.
One of my other friends ordered “The Glow Bowl” ($11) – one of Flower Child’s many vegan options – with spicy sweet potato noodles with shiitake mushrooms and zucchini. Each bite was intensely flavorful and filling, so I didn’t miss meat in the slightest.
In addition to a large food menu, there is also a variety of drink options including kombucha ($6.50), rose-infused lemonade ($3.50) and cold brew ($3.50). Flower Child also offers local beers from Dogfish Head ($6) and Atlas Brew Works ($6) and organic wines like pinot noir ($9) and prosecco ($8).
The main menu offers many options for every type of eater until 9 p.m. daily, but guests can visit Flower Child earlier in the day too for breakfast until 10:30 a.m. The breakfast menu includes options like crushed avocado toast ($8) with an egg, black sesame seeds and white cheddar and a breakfast burrito ($10) with scrambled eggs, roasted peppers, potato and pepper jack cheese on a whole wheat tortilla.
Flower Child’s health-conscious options, although pricey, are worth the price for the quality ingredients, making it a great and healthy addition to Foggy Bottom.
