He Said: Chestnut offers healthy but hearty farm-to-table dining

It’s hard to miss the bright yellow building on the corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road.

Chestnut Fine Foods & Provisions has a little bit of everything and focuses on local ingredients and a farm-to-table concept.

Inside, it’s a bit small, but there is a big ope,n patio area perfect for those beautiful spring days we get. While Chestnut has been at this location for a few years, this was our first trip. It won’t be our last!

You can find local favorites like Mama’s Cold Brew, Noble Bread and MJ Bread at Chestnut intertwined within the breakfast and lunch menu.

The menu is both healthy and delicious and, most importantly, fresh. From breakfast sandwiches, chicken and waffles, banana bread pancakes and housemade granola, everything sounded delicious on the breakfast menu, but this trip was for lunch.

I ordered the Chestnut Chopped Salad, which mixed grilled chicken, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, feta, pumpkin seeds, organic greens and a balsamic vinaigrette.

You can’t help but feel good about yourself with this salad. Not only was everything crisp and full of flavor, but it was perfectly dressed in the vinaigrette.

Portion size was also to be commended, as it was an ample salad that filled me up to just that right amount. It kept me fueled the rest of the day.

My lunch date ordered the Green Goddess, which consisted of rice noodles on top of organic kale, Swiss chard, spicy Asian vinaigrette and was topped with toasted coconut, cashews and sesame seeds.

The sauce was highly addicting and made me wish I could just order a bowl of the noodles.

In the name of healthy eating, Chestnut makes the choices easy. If salads aren’t your thing, don’t worry: There are plenty of sandwich options — including a lobster roll — which looked so delicious I momentarily considered ordering a second lunch.

Luckily, for me, I had will power that day after the hearty salad. However, the real hard part is saying no to all the baked goods that greet you at the door and grab your attention as you walk back out.

The only problem with Chestnut is that it can be a bit difficult to get to. There is only one way in, and that’s from the north. Otherwise you’ll find you have to make a U-turn.

Don’t let that stop you from stopping in for a breakfast or lunch run. They even have a bike rack in case you live in the area. Some days, you’ll wish you had biked as it can get pretty busy and the parking lot can be full.

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