Room 39, a cozy café near 39th and Rainbow, seemed the perfect place to start a nutrition discussion with Adrienne Moore Baxter, MS, RD, LD, a clinical instructor in KU Medical Center’s Department of Dietetics and Nutrition.

I’d made a reservation, a wise decision given Room 39’s compact size and growing reputation as a hot new dining spot. The intimate space with its mustard-colored walls, exposed brick, and polished hardwood floors creates an inviting setting for a leisurely meal.

We studied the menu. “What’s nutritionally PC here?” I asked, knowing I’d get a straight answer from this down-to-earth professional recognized in 1997 as the Outstanding Dietitian for Kansas.

“The menu definitely contains environmentally friendly food,” she observed. But she pointed out that terms like free-range chickens can be misleading. “Does that mean the chickens were let out of their cages for 20 minutes a day to hang around the barnyard or have they been out there their entire lives?”

Baxter has a sense of humor. Yet she’s serious about the importance of eating sensibly and asking questions about what’s on the menu. She ordered the crayfish pasta dish and a side of root chips. I went with the chicken liver salad with a side of spinach.

The chips arrived first and were delicious. “White potatoes, purple potatoes, and taro – very healthy in moderation,” she said after looking them over, “unless of course they’re cooked in something loaded with trans fats.” Our waitress reported they were cooked in soy oil.

Adrienne approved. “Everyone should have a dose of soybeans in a good, sensible diet.”

Given my tendency toward high cholesterol, I asked what she thought of my chicken liver choice.

“Okay,” she said. “But for you, I’d only have them once a month. For anyone else, they’re a great choice because they’re so nutrient rich and a great source of vitamin A.”

Lest anyone think that Room 39 is a restaurant for the granola and Birkenstock crowd, far from it. The lunch and dinner menus, which change daily, always contain a beef, chicken, fish, and vegetarian entree. And judging by the number of folks ordering the Room 39 burger and the grilled steak sandwich, their beef selections are in demand.

“Are they throwing nutrition caution to the wind?” I asked.

“Not at all,” she said. “Eating sensibly is all about portion control and preparation. When you look at a menu, you have to look for red lights and green lights. Choose more green than red. And be careful because some restaurants simply serve too much food that can be loaded with salt and unhealthy fats.”

For portion size, nutrition and ambience, Adrienne Baxter Moore gives Room 39 an A+.