There is no playground.  There is no Dollar Menu.  BUT – There is a drive-thru.

Fast food that is handmade and wholesome is the goal of Start at 4814 Greenville Avenue in Dallas. (There is a new location at 4023 Lemmon Avenue in Dallas also.)

I distinctly remember a conversation with Ever-Lovin’ when the kids “graduated” from McDonalds.  We were thrilled.  Not only did we feel the food tasted just so-so, but we knew giving in to the lure of a playground to entertain the children did not justify the unhealthy choices.  (Don’t get me wrong – we spent plenty of money under the “Golden Arches”.)

Real Food Fast means that Start uses “Humane, Antibiotic, Hormone, and Nitrate-Free Meats – Organtic Eggs, Milk, Yogurt, Butter, and Sugar –  Peanut Butter Without Filers – Whole-wheat Flour in their Baked Goods”. Also they use local Honey, Scratch-make Mayonnaise and Salad Dressings.  These are the ingredients championed at organic grocery stories like Whole Foods.

It took us a while to study the menu.  Breakfast is served until 11:00 am during the week and until 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

We visited on a weekday afternoon, and finally decided to order a Baked Chicken and Goat Cheese Empanada, a Roasted Sweet Potato, and the Start Burger.

While waiting on our order to be served, I explored the restaurant.  Start is very clean and has plenty of light coming through the windows.  It has a modern industrial feel. The wooden light fixtures are made from recycled wood.

Positive reviews from several local publications fill the walls that lead to the bathrooms.

Signs are posted that explain the philosophy of Start.

 

Be still my heart.  I love that they have books for children (or adults) to read.

The Baked Chicken and Goat Cheese Empanada was tasty, but the crust was a little soggy.  Perhaps it was the time of day.  It came with a cilantro cream sauce that we really liked.

The Roasted Sweet Potato with Organic Butter seemed like a good choice, and we were right.  The potato was excellent, and we ate the whole thing!  They also have other stuffed sweet potatoes – a sweet cranberry tater and a savory chicken tater.

The Start Burger was excellent.  The antibiotic, hormone, and nitrate-free meat patty was served on a toasted wheat bun. (Gluten free buns are available.)

Romaine lettuce, red onions, tomato, avocado, white Cheddar cheese, and applewood smoked bacon top this giant burger.  The yummy dressing was Dijonnaise.  There was a build your own burger option on the menu also.

For some reason (Okay, it was me.  I didn’t know if we needed bacon.), we got the bacon on the side.  Sweet Mother of Pearl.  It was so crisp and delicious.

Let it be know that Start also serves excellent Fair Trade Coffee.

There were some yummy looking desserts available, but we will have to try dessert on another visit.

You can even enjoy dining on the patio.

It is interesting that about 60% of their business is from their drive-thru.  I can not imagine the handmade items being served fast, but people who want fresh healthy ingredients are probably willing to wait.

It is unusual to find a “fast food” establishment that serves healthy food.  The cost of the quality ingredients does not come cheap, but people who buy organic, etc. are used to the cost of these ingredients.

We enjoyed our meal at Start, there are other items on the menu to try.  I especially want to try the Best Ever Quinoa Salad.  I read some rave reviews about this salad.

Blessings to you and yours,

 

 

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