Protein Fit Kitchen plans early July opening in Southlake
As we’ve often noted, restaurants seldom make their target opening dates, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, you just get the feeling that the owners are being patient and trying to get things right.
That’s the sense with Protein Fit Kitchen, announced last September for Southlake, with a target opening date of January or February. That kept getting pushed back, with the restaurant posting about the postponements on social media. But an early July date, announced Wednesday morning in a press release, is looking pretty solid.
Steve Herrera and Tony Phansana, described as “two foodies with a passion for fitness,” came up with the idea, both believing that most “fitness food” just doesn’t taste that good. They enlisted Deb Cantrell, a popular DFW personal chef/caterer whose Savor Culinary Services emphasizes healthy meals, to be their culinary business coach (Cantrell, who is very busy with Savor, is no longer involved)..
Kalen Jane, the former “Hell’s Kitchen” contestant who ran the short-lived FW Market + Table and was chef de cuisine at Tillman’s Roadhouse Fort Worth, will be the executive chef and general manager.
Per the release, Protein “will offer chef-prepared, nutritionally balanced, protein-rich meals, snacks, mylkshakes (made with nut milk) and tonics to support today’s active lifestyles and improve health and overall fitness through proper meal choices.”
Tonics include ginger, apple cider (as in apple-cider vinegar, with cinnamon, lemon and agave), hibiscus and lavender (that’s one tonic, with lime and honey) and the intriguing-sounding “cherry lime buzz.” The “mylkshakes” get the clever names: “We Got the Beet” (yes, beets in a nut-milk shake that also has blueberries, raspberries, nonfat greek yogurt, orange and agave), “Strawberry Fields Forever” (strawberries, basil, almond milk, nonfat greek yogurt, honey) and more.
Breakfast items will include a build-your-own omelet, pancakes, avocado toast, steak & eggs and more. Also on the menu: “greens” (cleverest name: “Zoodles and Zoodles,” featuring spring squash, tomato, cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta, red onion, Greek vinaigrette); and a section called ‘fit Kitchen,” where the proteins (grilled sirloin, BBQ pork loin, salmon, chipotle lime chicken, etc.) really come in.
The restaurant will offer a customized weekly meal-prep option so that a week’s worth of meals can be ordered ahead and picked up, along with more traditional dine-in, to-go and grab-and-go options. Protein will also work with nutritionists to help customers plan personal menus for special dietary needs, weight loss or athletic enhancement.
The menu is entirely gluten-free and includes many vegetarian/vegan options, but as you can see, omnivores aren’t being left out.
Proten will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 1151 E. Southlake Blvd. No. 390, in the Park Village Shopping Center, 817-329-2372, www.proteinfitkitchen.com
This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Protein Fit Kitchen plans early July opening in Southlake."