As you know, I eat gluten-free and about 90% organic and GMO free foods. How do I do it, you ask? Well, for one, I don’t eat out anymore and have limited my diet to things I am sure are truly organic, by growing my own food and shopping at local businesses and farms. Since I have been on my journey with G2N I have been on a quest with our team to start to building resources of as many clean eating places we can find in the states and Canada; eventually the world. We want our organic living readers to go to our website and find a restaurant that suits their natural living needs wherever they are. I have to be honest and say I really do miss going out to eat with my husband, and moreover, I REALLY miss the break from cooking. However, I have found great places to eat, one of them being in North Carolina: The Refectory Cafe’. This place really stood out to me because of the food and friendliness.
The Refectory Cafe‘ has a fresh atmosphere and awesome customer service. As you can see, it is cute as can be, and the food was even better. They support farm 2 fork, local farms and buy organic as much as they can. The food is very fresh and non-GMO. I called ahead to let them know I would be doing a casual review on their restaurant and told them a little bit about G2N.
So as some of you may know, I ALWAYS do a bathroom check and if it’s not clean I don’t eat there. Period. It is a general rule of thumb for me, if you can’t keep your bathroom clean then I doubt you can keep the kitchen clean ether. As I walked into a sparkling clean bathroom, I couldn’t help but whisper a relieved, “yes”, as I am a bit germaphobic, so extra clean is always good for me.
They greeted us with a smile and seated us immediately. Rachel the waitress came over right away to start us off by going over the specials. We were both very hungry and wanted to taste a few different dishes so we decided to go all out and have soup for our appetizers along with dinner and dessert for later.
My husband ordered the Chicken Dumpling Soup and I ordered the leek and potato. We loved both. My soup was vegetarian and gluten-free but yet so creamy. I was extremely pleased. We were both very satisfied and ready for our main course!
I ordered the Kale cranberry salad and one of the house specials, Butternut Roasted Fennel Quinoa Risotto for dinner (which is vegan and gluten-free) and my husband had the Steak Frites which is Petite Local Filet of Beef with House-made Fries & Grilled Veggies. The steak was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The fries were non-GMO and house-made.
The Kale salad was awesome with crunchy walnuts, cranberries and a great house dressing. It was also vegan and gluten-free. The quinoa risotto was surprisingly rich and full of flavor and I enjoyed it thoroughly down to the last bite. We also got a surprised visit from Bob Compton the chef who came to greet us along with Laura Hall the owner of Refectory Cafe’. I was pleased we could tell him in person how much we truly enjoyed his food. Laura sat with us a bit and discussed her values and dedication to giving her customers the healthiest choices. Where she obtains her goods, makes such a difference and it shows. From the garden she has in the back of her restaurant, to supporting local farms and businesses. Laura was as warm and inviting as her team. Her love and passion for food and health showed through just a short conversation. Her words and passion really shined through this wonderful cafe she has created. The team at the Refectory Cafe’ really impressed us and gave us many reasons to return.
Usually my family will only get the main course but with my newfound restaurant reviewing days… me and hubby have opened our palate and have learned to take leftovers home, but who’s complaining! Even though we did splurge a bit with the dessert, appetizers and drinks (we are water drinkers 95% of the time), we only spent about $18 per person. The Refectory Cafe’ is pretty affordable especially considering the quality of food they offer. You can eat lunch for approximately $10 and dinner for $12-20. I confidently give this cafe 4.5 stars out of 5 and will return in a heartbeat.
Since I first went to The Refectory Cafe’ I have been back twice and have yet to be disappointed. If you are ever in the Duke University/ Durham area, you should definitely check them out.
Also don’t forget to try their awesome fresh house-made juices. 
