| "I ate, I left, I was hungry."
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Monday, March 16, 2009 |
Review: I felt like the portions at the Balanced Kitchen were tiny. The food was tasty, but I felt like for the amount that I paid for dinner, I left hungry. The location is out-of-the-way at best (it took me over an hour on public transit). The owner and staff are friendly and clearly passionate about what they are doing, but they need to up the portion size.
Pros: friendly staff * good decor *
Cons: tiny portions * hard-to-reach location * |
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| "Pretty good!"
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My Rating |
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14 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 |
Review: I didn't get to eat a full meal at the Balanced Kitchen but I did stop in for dessert. They have a wide variety of cookies, cupcakes, and loaves of bread. I tried a molasses cookie and it was good but not mind-blowing. The tuxedo cupcake was amazing though! I'd love to go back and try an actual meal. The owner and her father seemed really nice and they obviously care a lot about being green. I did think the prices were quite high.
Pros: On-site parking * Friendly staff * Healthy food
Cons: Expensive * Limited seating * |
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| "make it here."
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My Rating |
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30 |
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Posted on: Sunday, January 25, 2009 |
Review: pretty good food here, and in a neat hip atmosphere, with parking in the back. good for the gluten free crowd and they have gf bread loaves for purchase. my only critique is that i know with nicer sort of fancy places (which i would say this is) you get small portions, but these were seriously small portions. so def go here for the experience and something that tastes really really good, but do not go here hungry! oh and get a tasty dessert, i just dont have to tell you to save room for it thought ;)
Pros: * *
Cons: portion size * * |
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| "A very balanced meal"
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My Rating |
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4 |
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Posted on: Saturday, January 17, 2009 |
Review: I went here for my friends birthday on sunday. and on sunday you make reservations and they only serve one (huge brunch) meal and everyone sits together. I wouldn't mind going by myself since everyone was so friendly. The restaurant is a combo of glutun free/ vegan/ raw. This is a concept that i thought Karen would put together when she opened up her cooked restaurant. Some of the dishes were amazing and I couldn't believe healthy could taste so good! Plus after the meal there is no stomach upset. We had all this energy after we ate. The serving sizes were perfect for me, but most people are used to an "american" serving size when they go out to eat instead of what we should eat. If that is the case plan on ordering 2 dishes. The deco was very cool with all the new green design that i've seen at the smart home at the science museum. I recommend this restaurant!
Pros: friendly staff * healthy food * cool deco
Cons: too far for me! * * |
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| "The Balanced Kitchen"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 |
Review: This is easily the worst restaurant I've ever been to. Avoid at all costs.
I went here on Christmas Eve with a group of four. We are all vegans and thought it was going to be a nice experience after having read a review here. The interior of the joint is a bleak white tile, and resembles a mental institution. The menu is displayed on huge plasma HDTVS. How is having these tv's sustainable when it takes tons of lead, other heavy metals, oil, and resources to make them? There were few options on the menu, and we asked about the pizzas. The waiter said they were individual sized pizzas, and described them as 7 inches each. We thought he had no concept of size and ordered one each. We were utterly shocked when the pizzas arrived. They were no larger than a saucer plate, and literally as thin as a piece of cardboard. There was a one shitake mushroom on it, two miniature grape tomatoes and crushed nut butter. We sat there, stunned staring at each other, laughing as though this was some kind of cruel sick joke and a hidden camera was waiting to pop out. We were starving. This meal wasn't big enough for Stuart Little. The waiter came up to us and asked if there was a problem. We politely said we were just shocked at how small the portions were. I explained I could eat nearly 25 of these things. With an arrogant tone, he said nobody had ever complained at all about the size of the pizzas. He began this rant on how it was all fresh and local vegan gluten free and how they were very expensive ingredients. With the size of the pizza, how much could one mushroom and 2 tiny grape tomatoes cost? Also, where do you get tomatoes in the winter in Chicago locally? Trying to calm him down, we said we said there was no reason to get defensive. He blew up, saying he wasn't getting defensive, and said he would give us one dessert(for the four of us) for free. We didn't know whether to leave the pizzas and walk out, or to eat them and promptly go get something to eat elsewhere. The waiter then proceeded to stare at us with his death glare. We felt extremely uncomfortable and when he walked away, we began to talk amongst ourselves. Then a few minutes later he returned, staring rudely at us a few feet away, saying nothing. We just wanted to get the heck out of there, so we ate the pizzas as fast as we could, and went to pay the bill at the register. I asked for the bill, and he angrily blurted out "When I have time!!!". There was a call on the phone for him, and another server tried to give him the phone. He cried out "Have them WAIT!" Then he jotted down our balance, took a pair of tweezers and put four unappetizing cookies in a box for us for the road. The bill was $50.00 for that junk. We left hungrier than when we got there. We ended going to Marcello's Father and Son Restaurant at 2475 N. Milwaukee for two huge cheese-less pizzas with three toppings for nearly the same amount. We were actually full! It's one thing to pay a higher cost for a good meal, but another to feel ripped off and humiliated. I wish I could give a score less than 2 cows.
Pros: NOTHING * ABSOLUTELY * NOTHING
Cons: Miniscule Portions * Crummy Interior * Rude Staff |
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| "Great Place!"
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My Rating |
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10 |
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Posted on: Sunday, July 27, 2008 |
Review: I had the pleasure of dining at the Balanced Kitchen on my last visit to Chicago. The owner and staff are amazing and caring people, and the food was very tasty! After speaking to all of the chefs I could tell they care about the planet, people, and animals--and know how to make good vegan food.What more could you ask for? They also have Raw vegan options, and sell delicious Cru Cacao raw vegan truffles there. You can take home gluten free snacks for later too!
Pros: Clean * Eco-Friendly * Great Staff
Cons: * * |
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| "WOndeRFUL dining!!!"
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My Rating |
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4 |
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Posted on: Sunday, July 13, 2008 |
Review: Sweet staff+ Spectacular food+ Competive prices = Amazing experience (x) Happy Customer;)
Pros: DEeeelish! :) * *
Cons: only 1 location * * |
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| "Everyone Must Try This Place!!!!"
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My Rating |
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162 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 |
Review: I also had the pleasure of experiencing the Balanced Kitchen's brunch this past Sunday. I too agree that it is a requirement for every Vegan in Chicago to eat here. The server [Josh] first greeted us and was very charismatic, he has such a great personality and was so much fun. We were all seated at the same table along with two other groups of people. It was really nice because we made friends and talked with some very nice people. The other thing to note is the décor, as it's aesthetically pleasing [and very clean]. Overall, the meal consisted of six AMAZING well-presented courses. Their version of tofu scramble is out of this world and the deserts were excellent! Again, this is a must!!! Bring your friends too [and make sure you make a reservation]!
Pros: Awesome Soy Lattes!!! * Excellent Food * Very Nice Owners!!!
Cons: * * |
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| "Blockbuster - Must Experience 100% Vegan"
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My Rating |
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304 |
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Posted on: Monday, January 07, 2008 |
Review: I had the pleasure of experiencing the Balanced Kitchen's brunch this Sunday and it should be a requirement for every vegan living in Chicago. Its a multi course affair that leaves you feeling like a kid on Christmas. Everyone is served at the same time and guests can interact and and swap vegan survival tips. Organic - Made on-site (The place is also a commercial kitchen) Pancakes / Tempe Bacon / Tofu Scramble / Hashbrowns / Salads / Sandwiches / Desserts (best part!) come joyfully out with wonderful presentation. The Balanced Kitchen is also environmentally newly constructed (LEED) so its a breath of fresh air and has some really cool recycled glass counter tops and lots of Bamboo! Keep your eyes peeled for it because most of us drove right past it! We parked along the alley beside it, so as soon as you spot it PULL IN!
Pros: friendly fun staff * atmosphere * desserts!
Cons: * * |
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