Healthy Living Restaurant Review: Ruggles Green

Since the Rice serveries are closed on Saturday evenings, this leaves us students in a hungry and slightly vulnerable state as we are forced to go beyond the hedges in search of some weekend grub. While some students might find this to be a pain and would rather order in a pizza or walk over to the Chipotle in the Med Center, I’ve always been so eager to venture out into the Houston restaurant scene and discover the many hidden foodie gems this city has to offer. Since I’ve been at Rice for over two years now, I’ve been to my fair share of restaurants, both in Rice Village and beyond, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the extremely overpriced. As a “cultured” upperclassman, my gift to you is to show you where you can find some delicious, healthy, and cheap meals for your weekend adventures. So this is the start of my career as an unofficial restaurant critic; let’s see how this goes.

Two weekends ago, after some fab reviews from some other students, a group of friends and I went to Ruggles Green on a Saturday evening, located on 2311 West Alabama. This location is definitely the healthiest of the Ruggles franchises,  and it’s a nice change from the Ruggles Cafe and Bakery in the Village. I think the best thing about the menu at Ruggles Green is that there are options for EVERYBODY! Whether you are a vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, pro-organic, or an omnivore, there is something delightfully delicious on the menu for you. Ruggles Green promotes a healthy (and green) dining experience by using the freshest local and organic ingredients, and every dish on the menu is held to a very high standard.

Now back to my delicious experience. As soon as we walked in to the warm and cozy cafe, we were greeted by a sweet aroma, colorful plates of food, and friendly counter staff. After much deliberation over the expansive menu (seriously, check it out), we finally came to a decision. One friend ordered a bowl of vegetable and quinoa minestrone soup and the organic hummus and pita, another ordered a gigantic grilled Atlantic salmon salad. Two of us (myself included) ordered the all-natural grilled chicken sandwich. The hummus was absolute perfection; it had the perfect balance of smooth richness and nuttiness from the chickpeas, plus the order came with some delicious toppings for the toasted pita like olives and sundried tomatoes. The salad had a unique balance of salty and sweet, but the real winner on this salad was the housemade mango ranch dressing.

My dinner was omgdelicious. First of all, I’m pretty sure they put an entire avocado half in my sandwich, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that I’m always a fan of. My sandwich was also topped with some crunchy micro greens, that delicious mango ranch dressing, Swiss cheese, locally grown tomatoes, and homemade pickles (which were a little too sweet for my liking, so I picked them off). I am also a HUGE french fry fan, one of my few guilty pleasures. To satisfy my craving for that crispy goodness, I opted for some sweet potato fries. Though these contain more sugar than regular fries, they contain more vitamin A (betacarotene) and vitamin C, which are both powerful antioxidants that remove damaging free radicals from the body’s cells. Yes, I am totally justifying my french fry craving, but whatever. It works. They were absolutely wonderful, with the perfect ratio of crunchy exterior to soft, buttery interior.

Though my friends and I were way too full from our hearty dinners to even think about dessert, we did notice they had a good variety like the other Ruggles restaurants in the Houston area. Some of the things that caught my eye were the hi-protein hemp brownie, the all-natural pink velvet cake (colored and flavored by fresh strawberries), and the organic carrot cake. The desserts are gigantic, so be prepared to share with friends. Maybe next time...

My friends aren’t the only people who are a fan of Ruggles Green. While we were there we also saw two other groups of Rice students enjoying a yummy dinner prior to their Saturday evening festivities. With good reason, I say, because there aren’t too many restaurants that offer high quality, diet-conscious, local and organic meals for under $15. This dining experience is worth the drive, the cost, and the calories from those awesome sweet potato fries.

Please leave your comments! I’d love to hear what you guys have to say about Ruggles Green, as well as take suggestions for other yummy, healthy restaurants.

--Cristina, Wellness Intern