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Green & Grilled

8547 N. Rockwell Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 563-2605

Green & Grilled

Sometimes I lament the lack of real choices in restaurants, and it begins to look as if they have to specialize in greasy fried foods to survive. I eat my share of this type of food, but one of the purposes of this web site is to seek out places (particularly little known restaurants) that are different from the norm. Green & Grilled is one such place that provides a contrast to the average diner or burger joint. Green & Grilled concentrates on healthy foods, but with satisfying flavors. It is a little different, but I found it to be very good.

Green & Grilled serves American food, including grilled meats, salads, and soups. If I had to describe a down side to the restaurant it would be the limited menu (although once people try it I think they will be happy with what is served). In my opinion the grilled meats make a good meal, especially since they come with a side and a salad. They have a very liberal substitution policy, and practically anything (including soups) can be ordered as a side or a substitute for a salad.

My favorite meats are the chicken and pork, but all of the main items are very good (except that I am not very excited about the tofu). All of the side items and salads I have tried are also very good. I particularly like the soups of the day, and find them to have a better flavor than many I have tried in other restaurants. The most filling dinner that can probably be ordered is a meat with salad and steamed potato, but there are several other items (including at least three kinds of rice) that can do the job just about as well as the potato. The soups are also very substantial.

In addition to being healthy dining, the flavor is what really sets Green and Grilled apart. The owner is from South America, and specializes in adobo flavored meats (the tofu is also adobo flavored). The food is not salty, and everything has a fresh flavor. From reading the comments on Urbanspoon I know that I am not the only one who thinks this is much better than the average restaurant.

Salads are a large part of the menu, since a half order comes with every dinner plate or a full salad can be ordered. I have found the variety of salads to be quite good, and each one has its own house made dressing to give it just the right flavor.

Bacon spinach salad
Full order of bacon spinach salad

The Bacon Spinach Salad comes with spinach, olives, chopped eggs, and bacon with honey mustard dressing. The menu states that the salads are all natural, and the bacon consists of bacon bits sprinkled on top.

The Apple Spinach Salad has been my favorite so far, with spinach, diced green apples, cranberries, walnuts, and an orange vinaigrette dressing. Each salad at Green & Grilled has its own specially prepared dressing, and all I have tried have been good. I have not decided, though, which is my favorite (I imagine customers can ask for a substitute dressing if they like something else better than the dressing that comes with the salad).

Grilled chicken
Grilled chicken with apple spinach salad and brown rice

Grilled Chicken was my first sampling of the meats served, and I was very impressed with the quality of the chicken, the way it was cooked, and the adobo flavor. The adobo was mixed with pineapple, and I thought it had a very Latin American taste (although it was not spicy).

The Brown Rice had an excellent flavor and was well cooked.

Grilled pork
Grilled pork with apple spinach salad and steamed potato

The Grilled Pork was much like the chicken, and I also liked the way the meat was cooked. I thought it was very high quality meat, and was a good cut.

The Steamed Potato was not only very good but was also filling.

I sampled the Sirloin Steak and thought it had a good flavor, but the meat was a little tough. In terms of flavor the adobo tasted somewhat like the Worcestershire sauce and other spices used in a sirloin pattie. I thought of all the meats I had tried the beef was the one that adobo was probably most designed to complement.

Grilled tofu
Grilled tofu with spinach soup and apple spinach salad

I am a big proponent of substituting tofu for meat whenever possible in Asian food, particularly in stir-fried dishes. The Grilled Tofu served at Green & Grilled, though, came in a large slab and there was no way to disguise its flavor or texture (neither of which I found to be very enjoyable). The adobo seasoning, though, was as good as it had been with the meat dishes, and overall I did not find this to be a bad dish (only disappointing compared to the meats).

Each dish comes with a side salad (half the size of a regular salad) and a side dish. Sometimes the daily soup is hard to resist as the side dish, such as in this case when I got the Spinach Soup. This turned out to be excellent in terms of flavor and texture, and was not overly salty. I tried turning the bowl in all directions to discern the significance of the white design on top, but to no avail (maybe it is a message to readers that the soup is only available on Wednesdays, since this was the daily special).

Grilled pork and portobello mushroom soup
Grilled pork, portobello mushroom soup, and apple spinach salad

The Portobello Mushroom Soup was just as good as the spinach soup although not as colorful. I think I liked the fact that it had a mushroom flavor but it was puréed so that it did not have a mushroom texture. This soup, along with vegetable soup and creamy butter squash, is available every day.

Grilled chicken with steamed white rice and carrots
Grilled chicken with steamed white rice and carrots

All of the rice side dishes have been good, and the Steamed White Rice with Carrots was better than I expected from white rice.

Flan
Caramel flan

Several desserts are listed on the menu, and I think some are sugar free. The Caramel Flan was a winner, with the kind of flavor I have experienced along the Mexican border but until now not in Oklahoma. At $2.99 it also seems to be a bargain.

Zucchini cake
Pineapple zucchini cake

The Pineapple Zucchini Cake is a good choice for those who like a lighter and less sweet taste (although the pineapple and zucchini gave it a vibrant flavor). For those like me who are not sure they would want a dessert with zucchini, I will say that the flavor that could best be discerned seemed to be the pineapple.

If others are like me and wish for there to be more healthy alternatives that also taste good, Green & Grilled gives us a chance to actually patronize this type of place. I think it would be better if they had more main items on the menu, but with soups of the day and an almost endless mixing and matching of the side dishes, it has never gotten boring.

RESTAURANT DETAILS

RATING: 23

Cuisine: American
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No Smoking
Alcohol: No

Most Recent Visit
Sep. 5, 2012

Number of Visits: 8

Best Items
Grilled Chicken, Grilled Pork, Apple Spinach Salad, Spinach Soup, Mushroom Soup, Steamed Potato, Flan

Special Ratings
Grilled Chicken:
Grilled Pork:
Grilled Sirloin Steak:
Grilled Tofu:
Apple Spinach Salad:
Bacon Spinach Salad:
Spinach Soup:
Mushroom Soup:
Steamed Potato:
Brown Rice:
Spinach Rice:
White Rice with Carrots:
Flan:
Pineapple Zucchini Cake:

Restaurant Web Site
Green & Grilled



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