Coda Boston Healthy Restaurant Review

One of the most difficult parts of my nutritional journey has been the constant struggle between the foodie and the health nut within me. It is increasingly difficult to eat out in a social capacity with the lack of healthy options available at restaurants due to the bigger and greasier is better stigma. Normally I have to bite my tongue and only eat 1/4 of what I am served. It is rare for me to go out and enjoy a guilt free meal that also catches the fancy of my foodie side.

Last night my uncles treated my sister, cousin, and I to a wonderful Holiday meal because he will not be able to share Christmas with us this year. We went to Coda on Columbus Ave in the South End Neighborhood of Boston. The meal that we collectively devoured was one of the best meals I have experienced in a long while. From the appetizers to the main course to the after dinner spirits, the only thing I felt guilty about was my once in a blue moon alcohol consumption (I worked hard this week, why not treat myself).

I would like to preface this recap by saying that I did eat meat on this special occasion because it was a special circumstance. We arrived at this cozy little restaurant in the South End and were seated in a corner booth by the window that was intimate but still allowed us to be a part of the greater restaurant environment and feel the overlying energy (important because we are social diners). The menu was overwhelming at first because there were so many delicious healthy choices available. We ordered the sweet and spicy citrus calamari and the Charcuterie with pickled veggies for our appetizers. The calamari was perfectly cooked (not rubbery and tough) and wasn't greasy and heavy fried. I felt it was closer to a nice saute. It was served in a sweet and spicy citrus sauce with a citrus aoli, but I don't even think it needed the aoli. It was a very creative take on traditional calamari. The Charcuterie contained and assortment of cured meats (prosciutto, a ghost chili infused cured pork, and rendered duck fat spread) with spicy mustard, pickles, pickled carrots and onions, and some crustinis. This was divine (though not healthy I just picked at it).

I had an extremely difficult time choosing my entree as there were many amazing sounding choice including: Herb crusted haddock with Quinoa and kale and a squash  puree, a fisherman's stew, and a chickpea stew with fried eggs. I ended up deciding on the braised Lamb Shank with sweet potato mashed and brussels sprouts. Let me just say that my knife was unnecessary. The perfectly cooked and seasoned lamb fell off the bone and melted in my mouth, the sweet potatoes and sprouts providing a perfect contrast in flavor and texture. It was a meal that I wished would never end. The portion size was perfect. There was a lot of sweet potatoes and sprouts to supplement about 4-5 oz of meat (not including the large bone). It was not overly filling and settled nicely. With dinner we enjoyed a beautiful Qupe Syrah that paired perfectly with the Lamb. My uncle and cousin ordered the smoked pork chop served with pork belly, creamy grits, and spaghetti squash. That was well outside of my health comfort zone, but I did try a bite and it tasted out of this world, the fat perfectly blending with the pork, cooked "pre-war" style as my uncle pointed out.

Finally, we finished of with a couple of 12 year scotches, Glenlivet for my uncle and Glenfiddich for me, Prosecco for my sister, and genuine good conversation. The experience was everything I could have asked for, and I will definitely be back. I would recommend this restaurant to any foodie or civilian alike.

Rant From a Concerned Member of Society

After a conversation with my parents about food and general nutrition, I finally had "the moment". Society's attitude towards food and nutrition is genuinely F#@!ed. I don't understand how we can have social norms that are so destructive to our health. My parents (who are very healthy people in general) could not understand my choice to eliminate meat from my diet. They couldn't get past the idea that is ingrained in their mind that you need meat to live and that you can't be healthy without it. People don't understand that there are so many sources of nutrition for your body that if you plan correctly, you don't need animal protein. I have no problem with meat or people that eat it. I just think that I'm at a point where I can get my nutrition elsewhere and get better results.

Society only looks at food on surface level. They don't go behind the curtain to understand that it is fuel that is a necessary part of life, not just a 5 times per day compulsion that needs to be satisfied. Somewhere along the line eating stopped becoming a survival instinct and became an obsession. We have become addicted to fatty and salty processed foods. You may think addicted is a harsh word, but I don’t think it is. I am guilty if it too. Even though I cut these foods out of my diet, just eating them once causes my body to rationalize eating them again. That is the very nature of an addiction, rationalizing behavior that is inherently destructive. People need to start seeing food for the elements that make it up. Until you can look at your lunch and see a carbohydrate that will keep your energy up, a protein that will help build and maintain muscle, and vegetables and fruits that supply the vitamins and minerals necessary to carry out bodily functions instead of something that tastes good that will make you full, you will never truly be healthy. These are habits that are being passed down to the next generation.

I just can't stand that I'm the one who is making a change to better myself and society is looking at me like I'm the annoying health nut. Mental illness (mainly anxiety disorders and depression) has been rising exponentially in our country’s youth. It took me overcoming my own struggles with anxiety and depression through lifestyle changes to actually understand how clear the link is. As we have shifted towards processed foods mental illness has spiked. I think it is our body’s way of crying out for help by responding to our malnutrition.  That is a huge problem and the time to change it is now. It is time for health conscious people to be in the majority, not the minority. I am all in.