Tender Greens

Sometimes, I feel a little protective over my very favorite spots--those restaurants that I visit as often as once a week, places where I have to get my fix.  Something inside of me gets greedy and wants to preserve their familiarity, my feelings of ownership about these gems.  But today, I'm feeling generous.  So I'm sharing the latest episode of LA on 20's web series, and this time I am visiting Tender Greens in Santa Monica with my little brother, Sam.

I find that one of the most difficult things about being on a budget is being able to eat healthfully.  Fresh produce, especially organic and sustainably farmed/caught/raised fare just costs more to procure, and sometimes it can feel out of reach for those of us looking to get the most bang for the buck. 

Which is why I really treasure Tender Greens.  Seriously, it's a special place.  Because not only have they created a model where they can offer all of those things--seasonal, ethically raised, fresh, organic food--at an affordable price point, on a large scale, but they go above and beyond by also offering a consistently excellent, inventive specials menu each and every day.  I have had a beautifully cooked piece of cod with braised hen of the woods mushrooms for $12.  I have had delicious and light pea tendril ravioli with a side of arugula salad for $12 for dinner.  Free range beef and pork meatballs in a slowly simmered, rich marinara for $4.

It's cafeteria-style dining, because that's what allows them to offer these really elevated, well-executed, healthy, delicious dishes at that price.  But it feels like a nice sit-down restaurant--they have beer and wine on tap, and seasonal and decadent desserts, including some really good vegan ones.  There are multiple locations throughout LA and in the Bay Area, San Diego, and Orange County, so wherever you find yourself in California, this affordable and healthy option isn't far away.  I really cannot say enough about how cool this place is.  So I'll let the video do the rest of the talking.  Please enjoy!

The Misfit Bar Fly Lunch

Most days, I’m just trying my darndest to find a salad worth consuming for lunch for $10 or less.  It’s not easy.  Most of my go-to places for lunch portion salads are really pushing that budget, but I persist because I want to have a healthy, filling meal that I find craveable.  So I vacillate among GTA, Artisan Cheese Gallery, Thyme Café, Sycamore Kitchen, True Food Kitchen, and Café Gratitude pretty much every weekday, depending on where I am in this crazy city.  I know I can count on them.

You can imagine my genuine delight upon discovering that I could have a delicious, inventive kale salad (who doesn’t want a kale salad?  I eat one literally nearly every day,) for just $5 right here in Santa Monica.  Sitting down in a cool neighborhood eatery, no pressure to order something else.  Just shredded lacinto kale, grapes, sunflower seeds, manchego cheese, quinoa, and a light preserved lemon dressing.  A health foodie’s dream.  Does that not sound like what every Angeleno seeks at 1PM on a weekday?  I actually cannot stress enough the scarcity of a decent $5 salad in LA.  This is the only one that comes to mind.  And hold on to your seat, because you get a free treat afterwards.  A salted chocolate chip cookie with your name on it.  May I repeat.  Free.

I’m talking about The Misfit’s Bar Fly Lunch special.  Each weekday they offer a different menu item for just $5.  The only rules are that you must be occupying a bar stool, you can’t save seats, and the special ends at 4PM.  Those are pretty agreeable terms.  And the specials are not some gross hodgepodge that the chef whipped together with the week’s unused ingredients.  They’re menu items that run 2-3 times that price on the everyday lunch menu. 

On Mondays you can have this monster of a crunchy, spicy chicken sandwich. 

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Tuesdays, it's their signature burger.  Wednesdays are kale salad days, which works perfectly for me, because I just pop in after I finish up at the glorious Santa Monica Wednesday Farmer’s Market one street over on Arizona.  Summer is just the most wonderful time for produce, and I’m savoring the beautiful flavors and colors of that market.  The stone fruits, the melons, the heirloom tomatoes, the figs—a feast for both eyes and belly. 

Thursdays are a vegetarian’s protein-packed delight, a grain bowl with organic quinoa, black beans, feta, poached egg and harissa.  Finally, Friday’s offering is a seared ahi burger.  Seared sushi grade tuna and avocado for $5!  I’m sorry, I’m just a little excited here.

The Misfit is simply a cool spot, too.  A friend informed me that when he asked the owner what percentage of their clientele was made up of locals, he said 90%.  That’s kind of amazing in this neighborhood.  It’s a prime piece of real estate, and the rent is probably sky high—I’m sure that’s what contributed to the downfall of its previous tenant, the beloved Anisette.  I think all of us denizens of SaMo were shocked and disappointed when that wonderful hall of classic French cuisine and fresh oysters shuttered in 2010.  But The Misfit has really taken the space to a new height, constantly filling with a hip younger crowd, thanks to their great bar food, easygoing feel, and attractive brasserie-style interior.  The bar features a wall of liquors and glassware that kind of looks like an old apothecary, with a giant cabinet of tiny wooden shelves and distressed mirrors.

And then of course there are those magical chocolate chip cookies that get passed around in a communal bowl to whomever has just finished his meal at the bar.  It’s a small gesture, but it hits just the right note.  If a $5 kale salad weren’t enough, here’s a free cookie for your troubles.  See you again soon.

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Son of a Bun

I am extremely excited to announce the launch of LA on 20 a Day’s webseries! I’ve created a series of short videos to help you get a better feel for my favorite places to eat on a budget, and to tell the story of LA’s food scene right now. And of course, to tantalize your taste buds with some moving food porn! Our inaugural episode introduces a new food truck that I am really pleased to have discovered. The concept is simple—good food that everyone can recognize, done right. No strange fusion or spiral foods on a stick. Everything you want between two perfectly buttered and toasted buns can be found at Son of a Bun. I’ll let the video do the rest of the talking! Please watch, enjoy and share!

Many thanks to my incredible production team, David and James Codeglia of Ghostlight, and my multitalented friend and producer, Hesley Harps.

Gjelina Take Away

I hate how grossly overused this phrase has become, yet the fact remains: we eat with our eyes first. And let me tell you, my eyes devoured the entire display table at the new Gjelina Take Away in Venice. I’ve never seen such attention to detail lavished upon salad presentation. GTA doesn’t just offer a cauliflower salad with salsa verde, they select three colors of cauliflower, the purple, green and orange florets enticing the eye’s palate. Bean salad is piled vertically, smoked almonds tumbling over the lightly dressed yellow and green beans and shaved parmesan. Beet and carrot salad is vibrant with chunks of avocado and a drizzling of yogurt. Every single dish on display is artfully put together, and I appreciate that they showcase the ingredients with an extra respect. I know I’ll be coming back again and again until I’ve had everything. With 90% of the produce coming from California farmers, GTA’s counter is hard-core food porn for locavores. Of course, we also eat with our mouths, and that I did. I greedily dispatched the bean salad, crunching on perfectly crisp stalks and savoring every tart, vinegary, smoky, salty bite. The tuna conserva sandwich on homemade olive batard was stuffed with big chunks of fresh tuna, not flaky crumbles in mayonnaise. Atop the tuna, slices of roasted red peppers add sweetness and fresh peppery arugula lends crunch. The sandwich is moistened with a spread of aioli. It is a delight.

Like Mozza2Go and Charles Phan’s Out the Door in San Francisco, GTA offers a wonderful opportunity to eat master chef creations without the premiums we’re charged for sit-down service. For just $12 at GTA, you can get a trio of salads or any of the sandwiches, which currently include pork meatball and BBQ beef. The breakfast sandwich, which comes with a fried-to-order egg, chard, bacon and tomato sauce on a homemade English muffin is just $5. Right now they’re breakfast and lunch only, open from 8am-4pm. The offerings include breakfast porridge, granola, pastries, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, hand-crafted beverages including espresso drinks and berry limeade, and freshly baked bread. In accordance with health requirements, they don’t have to keep their salads under glass because they sell everything within two hours of putting it out. It's that fresh. Okay, so Gjelina doesn't have the best rep right now due to the whole "no substitutions, even for pregnant celebrities" debacle, but if it makes you feel any better, GTA does accept subtractions. (Still no substitutions though.) So go ahead, feast your eyes on GTA. And then feast your belly.

Forage

Take a good look at this piece of quiche. Does it just look like quiche? Well, look again. Because this is the best quiche ever. It’s almost like eating a block of butter and half and half, with a splash of egg mixed in. But not in a gross way. It’s so creamy and rich and light and fluffy at the same time, you would really be remiss to pass up this slice of Forage's melt-in-your-mouth comfort food. Today’s happened to be broccoli, which was delicious, but I have an inkling that the filling is really a secondary concern. I would eat this quiche if it were filled with grasshoppers. Not to offend anyone if you’re into that kind of thing. We also tasted the jidori chicken, with sides of fingerling potato salad and beet and citrus slaw, and a pistachio cardamom shortbread cookie, fresh out of the oven. The shortbread cookie was heavenly, but having just consumed the aforementioned block of butter posing as a quiche, I thought it wouldn't be advisable to eat much of the shortbread. I would recommend both, but not at the same time. The chicken was good, some yelp reviewers have found it dry, but my piece was nice and juicy and flavorful. I wasn’t wild over the potato salad, though there was nothing particularly wrong with it, and the beet and citrus slaw was also nice and fresh but not a showstopper. They do have a lovely iced tea, and they’re the only place in LA that I know of that serves Blue Bottle Coffee, the Holy Grail of beans. It is truly a shame that they don’t offer Blue Bottle espresso, only BB’s signature individually hand brewed drip coffees, but a girl can hope that espresso options are on the horizon. The quiche is $6.50, and paired with a bowl of soup for $4 would make a satisfying and affordable lunch or brunch any day of the week. The protein plates with two sides are slightly steeper at $13.50, but for fresh, seasonal, farmer’s market-inspired dishes, that’s actually a pretty fair deal.