A bite into the future

A bite into the future
Taste the new wave of dining at Organixx restaurant
Emma Marshall
Monday, March 16, 2009
From left, manager Tom Wilson, owner Luis Erwin Chang and kitchen manager Jason Begin pose with some of the dishes they make at Organixx, a new healthy eatery at 1520 Blake St. Organixx is a low-cost, organic eatery where even the tables, and walls are gr

Bite into the future of quick dining with an array of colorful, organic wonders complete with a creative business concept that stumbles onto a new generation of dining.
With a vision tainted green, Organixx restaurant owner Luis Erwin Chang opened up the low-cost, organic eatery at 1520 Blake St. in LoDo. From the building materials to the daily business operations, Organixx thrives off of sustainable resources and offers fresh, organic ingredients that taste like they are straight from the garden.
“I love the vision. I love what it’s doing for the environment,” said Chang.
He’s one of those people you can “hear” smiling through the phone.
Very green-friendly
Although business could be better, it’s no secret that Chang is onto something. The casual, quick, affordable and organic theme is a combination emerging into the dining world, one recycled chair at a time.
Organixx takes a different approach to breakfast sandwiches with the dilled salmon creation. It’s a breakfast harvest complete with scrambled eggs and wild caught salmon cake, onion and dilled caper cream cheese served warm on a house-made focaccia or brioche roll. With ingredients like that, you’d think it’s expensive. Think again — the dilled salmon for breakfast is only $7.
The generous business owner sacrificed his dollars so customers wouldn’t have to. From decomposable plastic to-go bags to the ingredients people are usually hesitant to purchase, he shelled out the extra cash to create the new era of dining.
Hard-to-cook treats
For the veteran organic fanatics, there are surprising menu items that are expensive to purchase for your own kitchen and even more expensive when it ends up going to waste because some organic treats are hard to master on the stove. Quinoa, that ancient grain that takes a few attempts at preparation, and then a few more to get the seasoning right, is a highlight of perfection. The mound of perfectly cooked grains is served on a bed of spring greens with fresh asparagus spears, hard-boiled eggs, roasted new potatoes and lemon caper vinaigrette. A taste of each ingredient in every bite defeats the personal attempts to prepare the dish at home. Instead, let the expert chef provide the creation close to the same price it would cost to buy at the store.
Open all day
Don’t stop there. Organixx is open for lunch and dinner with a colorful variety of sandwiches, soups and salads priced comfortably below $10. The appetizing ingredients range from grilled mahi mahi, to favorite Italian meats, dressed with bean sprouts or wild mushrooms — all kept cozy on fresh bread.
You can really have a B.L.A.S.T. at Organixx. The cleverly named dinner sandwich has some universal favorites (minus the mayo) for the person who doesn’t want exotic, just plain healthy. Bacon, lettuce, avocado, sprouts and tomato on your choice of bread are a wholesome ending to the day.
The hip light fixtures and bamboo attire decking the dining area creates a zen-like feeling and comfortable dining for any type of person, any time of day.
The small entrance does no justice for the depth of the restaurant. With enough tables for any swarm of lunch crowd, the quick experience allows virtually no wait at half the cost and 10 times the flavor of the surrounding restaurants. Chef Mary Putnam perfected the unique menu and maintains it in the sparkling-clean kitchen with 100 percent organic ingredients and the most environment-friendly sanitation practices possible.
The business concept Chang hopes to accomplish is to create a way to standardize organic guidelines and environment-friendly procedures. He hopes to help other business owners grasp the concept, teaching them new techniques that provide such a natural and healthy restaurant, all around.
“I really believe that if you do good to the environment, it will be good for you. I just want to help other business owners see it and incorporate it into their practices as well,” said Chang.
So, grab a $10 bill and a water cup and have an organic, wholesome meal any day of the week at Organixx.
1520 Blake St, Denver
303-825-1550
Open every day until 8 p.m.
Breakfast served until 11 a.m.