Salad with butternut squash, golden beets, grapefruit and flank steak: Mark Davis

Salad with butternut squash, golden beets, grapefruit and flank steak: Mark Davis

Tucked away behind the AMC theater on the second floor in NorthPark Center, a space once inhabited by Starbucks has undergone quite a transformation in recent months. A restaurant with an all-white interior — a clean and crisp palette — immediately draws attention to the fiery colors of freshly chopped grapefruit, golden beets and butternut squash on display in the salad case. In the center of the restaurant, executive chef Ben Hutchison sautés meat and warms bread baked by local Village Baking Company for panini and ciabatta sandwiches.

“The whole idea that we want to promote is that people should know where their food is coming from — we should be able to go see our cows and chickens and look them in the eyes,” says owner Michael Siegel. He and his wife, Robyn, opened Green House Market in December after the success of their Green House gourmet food truck, which also emphasized fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Michael says that instead of expanding to three food trucks to meet customer demand, the couple opted to swap the food-truck biz for a brick-and-mortar location. Keeping in line with the philosophy of their food truck, the flank steak comes from Local Yocal farms in McKinney, and the chicken breast and fish come from Texas as well. Menu items at the restaurant are made to order and served fast-casual. Robyn adds that they now offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, which they couldn’t do with the food truck. There also are several pieces of artwork on display inside Green House Market. Robyn is an art advisor and says that she selects pieces for the restaurant that explore the themes of form and function, pertaining to food. So if the vibrant colors of your meal aren’t exciting enough for you, there’s some cool modern art to look at, too.

Green House Market
8687 N. Central
214.809.5977
thegreenhousemarket.com

Ambiance: Modern
Price range: $7-$15
Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Tip: The menu has symbols indicating gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options

More spots for local fare

1 True Food Kitchen
Order Texas redfish or Gulf brown shrimp for some fresh local flavors. The menu changes four times a year, so you can always eat fresh, seasonal fare.
8383 Preston Center Plaza,
214.377.3333
truefoodkitchen.com

2 Neighborhood Services Bar and Grill
The double-cut chicken breast comes from Vital Farms, just outside of Austin, and is served with russet frites and arugula salad. Burgers are served on buns made at Village Baking Company.
10720 Preston, Suite 1101
214.368.1101
neighborhoodservicesdallas.com

3 Hopdoddy Burger Bar
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill burger joint. Angus beef sourced from Austin is ground fresh daily. Plus, burger fixins such as mushrooms, goat cheese and eggs are all from Texas.
6030 Luther, Suite 100
214.363.2337
hopdoddy.com