In a world full of fast food and chain restaurants, it can be hard to find a healthy place to eat out. Core Greens, Grains & Bone Broth is hoping to make the quest for more nutritious eating easier and enjoyable.

(Photo: Kate Bernhardt)

To start, the atmosphere at Core is warm and inviting. The employees are welcoming and helpful, and the interior design is both unique and comfortable. Most importantly, their menu is extensively creative, including options that are sure to please every customer. Here are some of the dishes the manager was gracious enough to allow me to try:

Sriracha Ginger Roasted Tofu Greens Bowl

Salads have a bad reputation of being flavorless and, well, quite boring. This greens bowl, however, was full of crisp kale, spinach, flavorfully roasted tofu, crunchy carrots, broccoli, and sprouts, as well as an amazing carrot chili vinaigrette made in-house. The dressing starts off very sweet but quickly becomes tangy and spicy, which complements the other aspects of the dish well.

(Photo: Kate Bernhardt)

Greens and Ancient Grains Bowl

This vegetarian-friendly option was like a mix between a salad and a burrito bowl. It had the freshness of a salad but also the warm hearty mix of quinoa and farro. This mixture is tossed together with sweet corn, juicy cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, broccoli, shredded white cheddar, and a multi-dimensional balsamic vinaigrette. This dish also had a nutty flavor that blended deliciously with the other ingredients as well as the amazing homemade vinaigrette.

(Photo: Kate Bernhardt)

Grilled Chicken Tortilla Bone Broth Bowl

As we all know, Syracuse isn’t exactly the warmest city… Core’s unique bone broth bowls will certainly help make even the coldest day a little better. This bowl was a base of hearty chicken bone broth, perfectly cooked grilled chicken, steamed kale and napa cabbage, finely chopped jalapeños, black beans, crispy tortilla strips, and a fresh squeeze of lime. The lime helps offset the spiciness of the jalapenos and the tortilla strips add an element of crunch to the meal.

(Photo: Kate Bernhardt)

There’s a reason this restaurant is getting so much buzz – it’s one of a kind. As a health-conscious foodie, this place was a dream come true. I truly enjoyed the quality of food and the experience I had at Core, and I will definitely be back!