gain bowl

Talk about a lean, mean flavor machine!  Cornerstone’s newest restaurant is a healthy focused, new chain out of New York.   CoreLife Eatery, founded just 2 years ago, is the brainchild of a group of friends in Syracuse.  It is getting some great buzz around town with a couple of soft opening events that have impressed local foodies.

Food Adventures was able to get a sneak peek into the restaurant on 4 separate visits, and talked with the friendly staff and managers.  They explained the philosophy of fresh, healthy, food that makes delicious combinations.  They pride themselves on not using genetically modified vegetables, and anti-biotic free chicken.

The main staple of the menu is a salad bowl, where you pick a protein and then choose from dozens of premium toppings.  Choices are as simple as carrots and tomatoes, to the gourmet edamame or shredded roast beets.   The menu at CoreLife features suggested combinations, or you can build your own masterpiece.  You can even add broth to make your meal a soup.

We were pleasantly surprised that healthy could taste so good !

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY on CORELIFE EATERY.

— CoreLife is located at 5201 Cornerstone North Blvd in Centerville, and opens officially on November 10th, but is hosting a soft opening Nov.9th where you choose what you pay and all proceeds go to Hannah’s Treasure Chest !  Hours are 11am – 9pm every day.

—The Cornerstone location is the 22nd store in the CoreLife restaurant chain, which ranges from New York to Michigan, Utah and Pennsylvania.  Look for another one to open in Miamisburg next year !

— The unique business plan features 3 menu items:  Salad Bowls, Bone Broths, Spiced Iced Teas

— Salad sizes are small, medium and large.  You choose a protein tuna, chicken or tofu  (or go vegan) and then pick your salad and veggie toppings (choose from almost 40 items).  Small salads are very filling for most people.  The regular and regular double protein are for bigger appetites.

— Holistic Bone Broths featured are Beef Broth and Chicken Broth.  There is also a Vegetable Broth.  All are found to reduce inflammation and have medicinal benefits to the body, including the digestive and immune system.  You can use the broth to make your own soup, but we prefer drinking it in a coffee like cup.  It will help curb hunger.

— They have about 9 spice infused iced tea drinks.  Amazing flavors with various health benefits from each tea.

—Did we mention they make their dressings from scratch too?  Yeah, there are at least 10 of them and they are one of a kind.

Now after trying various menu items on multiple trips, we have come up with our patented “Must Eats.”

 

MUST EATS at CORELIFE EATERY:

SPICY CHICKEN and ANCIENT GRAINS BOWL:
It starts with quinoa, shredded kale and arugula with tomatoes, corn and chickpeas. Broccoli and shredded white cheddar finish it out.  We added roast beets, edamame, carrots, and cucumbers, and had it tossed in Lime Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette Dressing.

 

TUNA POKE GRAIN BOWL:
Seared, very rare, ahi style tuna covers this delicious mix of kale, shredded cabbage, cucumber, quinoa, carrots, scallions, ginger, edamame, avocado, sesame seeds, and almonds. The dressing is a Miso Sesame Ginger Dressing.

 

CUP OF CHICKEN BONE BROTH:
Simmered all day, this chicken broth is mild and scorching hot. Sip it like coffee and feel the warmth touch your toes. Bone broth is thought to have many health benefits including appetite suppressant, immune boost, and digestive health.

 

CUP OF BEEF BONE BROTH:
A hot, steaming cup of this broth in a coffee cup to go. Sip it as it cools and feel the effects of the warm broth as it reaches your tummy. The feeling of your body healing is a good one. Bone broth like this is said to have all kinds of health benefits including stopping inflammation, helping joint pain and replenishing nutrients.  Sit back, sip and enjoy as if it was a cafe latte from Starbucks.

SRIRACHA GINGER ROASTED TOFU GREEN BOWL:
Let us first start by saying this roasted tofu is the best tofu that the Big Ragu has ever eaten. It is flavorful and delicate.  The cubes of tofu are sprinkled over baby spinach leaves and kale.  Broccoli, carrots, sprouts, basil, ginger and sriracha sauce are all tossed in.  We added extras like edamame and shredded beets.  The dressing was a Carrot Chili Vinaigrette dressing.

 

THE MEDITERRANEAN:
This salad features homemade Falafel and Hummus.  The salad consists of shredded romaine and kale.  Other toppings are cucumbers, tomatoes, feta and red onion.  A Cucumber Basil Dressing finishes the whole thing off.  The falafel is what makes this salad great… it is incredible.

 

BEET LEMONADE:
Even if you aren’t a fan of beets, you might like this one.  The subtle earthy flavor is masked by a great lemonade.   It is easy to ignore the hint of beets and drink the lemonade, knowing you are getting some health benefits.  Beets have been directly linked to lowering blood pressure and increasing brain & memory functions.

 

APPLE CIDER GREEN TEA:
The best drink by far in our estimation.  And the bonus is the benefits.  Green Tea helps lower cholesterol and is an anti aging herb.  Wow – we could all use a pause button on Father Time.  The mix with the apple cider, means a purely refreshing drink that you will fall in love with.

HONORABLE MENTION:
3 Soups – The Tomato Basil, Autumn Squash and Broccoli Cheddar soups. These taste sinful, but are totally healthy because the creamy flavor comes from cauliflower puree.

There you have it, the tips on the best things to eat in this big menu  of healthy stuff.  The key to CoreLife is that you can tweak the salad your way. Choose a dressing, choose vegetables, leave some out.  We  all know, no one makes a better salad than ourselves.

So remember, Thursday Nov. 9th is “pay what you want” and proceeds go to Hannah’s Treasure Chest.  November 10th, Friday is the official opening of the restaurant.

We loved this place, and think you will too.  It is a refreshing take and a unique theme.  There is nothing else like it in Dayton.

We would like to thank the staff of CoreLife for their hospitality, from Head Coach Tammy to Regional Operations Mgr Tony from Cleveland.

–Thank you for reading this week’s Food Adventure article.  Food Adventures is a blog that seeks out the best eats in the Miami Valley and shares them with you.  Are you a foodie?  Then join the 7500 foodies on Facebook that follow Food Adventures by clicking HERE.

Feel free to browse our gallery below, for more pictures from Corelife.  Leave a comment below on what you would like to try, or what your favorite dishes are …