Owners Jerrmy Gawthrop and Clayton Suttle decided to take the concept of eating responsibly, which they have personally practiced for many years, and make it available to the public. “Fayetteville is a very progressive town in the sense that there are many local farmers who are growing organically, yet no restaurant served their products,” said Gawthrop.
The two opened the Greenhouse Grille in its first location in May 2006, and quickly outgrew the tiny space. “The restaurant was very popular. During peak hours, we would often have to turn people away due to lack of space.”
Gawthrop had his eye on a larger building in the Mill District on School Street, and when the building became available, he jumped at the opportunity. The new location at 481 S. School St., offers twice the space as well as room for the live music that Gawthrop had always envisioned. The large dining area, painted in soft earth tones of brown and yellow, houses two elevated platforms that function as extra seating areas during dining hours and stages for the jazz, bluegrass and singer/songwriters the restaurant hosts weekends.
Though the bar has become an essential part of Fayetteville’s nightlife scene, the “conscious cuisine” is still the star of the show. Gawthrop, who also acts as executive chef, picked up on the art of cooking in his younger years as a server and stand-in cook at local restaurants.
“I would help out in the kitchens when the chefs needed me. One of them thought I had a knack for cooking asked me to stay in the kitchen to help out.” Gawthrop earned a degree in public relations and advertising, but decided to go into the catering business. Through catering, he developed some of the delightful dishes found on the Greenhouse Grille menu.
The menu offers quite a variety of sandwiches, salads, wraps, gyros and entrees. Gawthrop stresses that while most of the items are organic, not every item is. “Lots of times the word ‘organic’ scares people, which is odd. They are afraid of free-range chicken, but not afraid of [fast food burgers], which they should be,” he said, joking.
Free-range chicken simply means the birds are allowed to roam and develop naturally as opposed to being confined to small cages and injected with unnatural hormones to promote growth. The concept of grass-fed beef is similar; it ensures the cows are able to graze on grass instead of the industrial method of feeding them small amounts of hay enhanced with additives and hormones to promote faster development. In addition to organic meats, the Greenhouse Grille supports a variety of local farmers and organically-producing establishments for vegetables, herbs, teas, sodas, beer, wine, alcohol, bread, coffee and more.
On our visit, we sampled three delicious, organic options. The Caesar salad was fresh and crisp with a bed of romaine topped with grape tomatoes, carrot ribbons, sautÉed organic shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers, Parmesan cheese and garlic herb croutons. The spicy, Caesar dressing, created by Gawthrop, was the most creative touch.
The Grilled Free Range Chicken Gyro was a highlight. The flavorful chicken was grilled to tender perfection and surrounded by homemade hummus, mixed greens and tomatoes, topped with tiziki sauce and wrapped in fresh grilled pita bread.
The fish tacos, recommended by our waitress, were also worth mention. The flash-fried tilapia filets had a Latin flair with a layer of black beans and fresh citrus cumin slaw wrapped in two all-natural corn tortillas.
Other popular choices include: Lemon-infused Grilled Meatloaf, Grilled Buffalo Burgers and Sweden Creek Farm Organic Shiitake Mushroom Fries.
We suggest you give the Greenhouse Grill a try … there is nothing to be afraid of, we promise.
Location:
481 S. School St.
Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479) 444-8909
greenhousegrille.com
Hours:
Tue. through Thu., 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fri. and Sat., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sun. brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
