As I’ve mentioned before on this column, I’ve struggled a lot with maintaining healthy eating habits during quarantine. Lately, I’ve been fluctuating between feeling confident and comfortable with my newfound quaran-twenty pounds, and feeling really self-conscious about it. I’ve been working on feeling less guilty about letting myself fulfill my junk food cravings, but I also want to cut some of the crap and make more of an effort to put better, cleaner things in my body. So, this week, let’s find the happy medium.
It is totally possible to eat healthy food while still getting the same satisfaction you would from eating your favorite junk. In fact, there are lots of healthy foods that I adore just as much as my cake and cheeseballs, like seafood. So, I turned my attention this week toward seeking out delicious, healthy seafood options right here in Rochester. All of these dishes are available on GrubHub/DoorDash, so you can enjoy them social-distancing-style for added health benefits!
I started off the week by ordering from my go-to spot for healthy takeout: CoreLife Eatery. CoreLife has tons of salads and bowls that I adore; this week, let’s talk about the tuna poke bowl. I went with CoreLife’s “Choose Two” option, which lets you select any small bowl and a soup or side. I love this tuna poke bowl. It’s crisp, light, fresh, well-dressed, and well-balanced. The combo of quinoa, kale, and cabbage makes for a nice, textually-diverse base, with an abundance of toppings to balance it out. The ginger dressing I chose was flavorful, a great compliment for the fish, creamy yet still light. The tuna itself is great quality as well ─ fresh and not too fishy.
For my side, I chose the roasted sweet potatoes, which is the only side I’ve ever ordered from CoreLife because they’re so good that I just can’t help myself. They’re coated in a sweet brown-sugary glaze that perfectly compliments and lifts the sweet potato. I would totally recommend everything I’ve ever had from CoreLife.
Next, I decided to try out a new place, so I went over to the “North Shore” from Original Grain, which is yet another tuna poke situation (sorry not sorry). Although I had tried North Shore out for the first time earlier in the week, where I had an enjoyable experience with the same dish, I was disappointed when I tried it again for this review.
When one poke bowl isn’t enough, the North Shore pita bowl from Original Grain is an option
This dish is a tuna poke pita with lots of other yummy toppings that were not nearly as yummy the second time around.. The shredded cabbage that was once a great textural component was now oddly bitter and sour. The tuna, which was fine and dandy before, now seemed less fresh and was bordering on too “fishy.” The worst part was definitely the avocado, though. Once again, fine and dandy the first time, but upon a second ordering, the avocado was now hard and dry and covered in brown patches and even a bit of the skin. I feel like any food professional should have been able to see that the avocado was brown, even if they couldn’t tell it would be hard and dry. It really should have been left off,and there was so much of it that I lost a lot of the dish.
One element of the “North Shore” that was still nice the second time was the sweet and salty crispy garlic slices, which had a lovely flavor and texture that paired well with the slightly spicy dressing. Overall, though, I do not know what to make of this dish or of Original Grain in general. It was so nice the first time and then so actively bad the second. I’d say give it a chance at your own risk.
On to a better note now: My next dish, the crab meat salad from King Crab, was certainly pleasant! The lettuce was crisp and fresh, and the tomato wasn’t very flavorful but was nice and hearty. I loved the ginger dressing; it was sweet and paired beautifully with the seafood. Thankfully, they did not try to psych me out with that imitation crab bullshit. It was real crab meat, and it was fresh, sweet, and light. This salad was definitely simple overall. It offered nothing particularly exciting or new, but in its simplicity, it was simply lovely and definitely hit the spot.
TLDR: Seafood can be a little fishy, so be careful what you reel in. But, with that in mind, there are plenty of great options right here in Rochester (and available online right from your phone)! This quest for healthy delivery options ─ and light seafood options, in particular ─ is one that certainly warrants more attention.
