No. 195: Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop (Beverly Hills, Century City)

May must be a month of salads for me -- on top of a salad being my most memorable dish in New York, I also had the opportunity to sample some pretty amazing tossed greens here in L.A. at a blogger dinner @ Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop in Century City (they also have a location in Beverly Hills.)

I know, salads usually elicits a yawn -- serving as a half-finished precursor to the actual entreé, or an even worse rep as a healthy/diet food - "healthy" being code for "this isn't what I would be ordering if my love handles/blubber butt/thunder thighs didn't have a say in it."

At Greenleaf, however, these are salads worth ordering on the taste factor alone, if anything - its being healthy is more of a noteworthy afterthought. Hell, these are salads I aspire to making at home if I had the time & energy to prep, cook and combine 8-12 different ingredients. The flavors & textures here are balanced, clean, bright and most of all... satisfying, as opposed to one of those entreé salads that leaves me craving an actual entreé afterwards.

We sampled a few made-to-order & prepared salads that evening, and while they all tasted great--these are my definite faves:

Antioxidant Orchard - I know, some people have a 'problem' with fruits in their salad, but I don't so I definitely love this vibrant mix that's abundant with strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apples and dried cranberries - along with a dose of crisp celery, crunchy walnuts, blue cheese crumbles and pomegranate vinaigrette. Despite all the components, it's not cloyingly sugary -- if anything, the overall fruitiness balances out the tang and the sweet very well and the salad itself was a myriad of delightful textures, from the snappy crunch of the celery & apples to the juicy burst of the berries to the occasional creamy pungence of the cheese.

Lemongrass Chicken - their take on the ubiquitous Asian chicken salad, with mango, grilled pineapple, toasted coconut, agave-glazed cashews, thai chili & thai basil with a lemongrass-lychee dressing. Yes, another fruit-forward salad, but again - it's not that sweet and the fruits binds & mellows out the basil and the chili. I also love the cooling and refreshing tropical dressing that adds a decidedly relaxing summer feel to anything it's drizzled on or tossed in!

Wild Mushroom and Truffle "Pizza" - I'm not a big fan of healthified remakes (i.e. if you crave a pizza, eat some pizza & just do it moderation!) but this lighter variation had me sold on the taste alone, even if I hesitate to put it in comparison with an actual pizza. The whole wheat tortilla 'crust' had a pleasant nutty flavor & chewy texture, and the toppings were a nice contrast between the fresh, peppery arugula, intense parmesan shavings and a bold mushroom spread with just a hint of truffle. Of course, the icing on the cake (or pie, rather) is knowing this whole ~10" dish is approx. 400 calories.

Green Lentils & Beets-Yam-Walnut-Goat Cheese Deli Salads - I'm a lentil lover, but even those at the table who were ambivalent or wary of the stuff gave high praise for this version, which were nicely cooked to an al dente-ish feel with a deeply nutty and earthy flavor brightened up with some herbs. Likewise, the beets & yam salad tasted as colorful as it looked. A little sweet, a little tang, a little creamy and a little crunchy . . . and mostly festive as it all combined in my mouth!

And for those who like to customize, Greenleaf offers a Counter-like menu option where you can build it as you like it with nearly any combination of greens, toppings, proteins, dressings, etc. as you please. But since all those choices tend to paralyze me with indecisiveness - I think I'll stick to their already solid menu of signature dishes (with maybe a tweak or two.)

Finally, to commemorate their recent 3rd anniversary this week (May 31 to June 4, 2011) they're offering specials all week long - including 50% off the entire beer/wine list and gifts for bringing 2 newbies (to make a 3some) to try Greenleaf. So give it a try (with some friends!) if you have the chance to swing by either of their locations -- hope you'll agree that healthy & tasty aren't mutually exclusive with one of their delicious fare (and if you're like me, inspired to whip up some fancy salads @ home yourself!)

What Do Others Say?
- My two compadres @ this blogger dinner, Savory Hunter & Gourmet Pigs, were both pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of the foods here
- LAist praised chefs/co-owners Jonathan Rollo & Kristi Ritchey's ability to "find ways to move from caloric wastelands to tastier, healthier territory."
- Green LA Girl recommends this for anyone who "Wanna order a damn good organic salad for lunch." Enough said
- LA Weekly got a few pointers about pairing beers & wines with salads from Rollo
- Gayot rightly pointed out that "Greenleaf is not just for the health nut . . . a flatiron steak salad and another one inspired by Buffalo chicken wings make things interesting"

Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
Beverly Hills
9671 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 246-0756

Century City
1888 Century Park East
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(424) 239-8700

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No. 171: Four Café (Eagle Rock)

Four Café in Eagle Rock is one of the latest L.A. additions in the fast-casual, healthier-eating scene (which includes the likes of Forage in Silver Lake and the mini-chains of Tender Greens & M Café de Chaya, both of which opened new locations this year.) Curious about this joint and armed with a Blackboard Eats offer, Hey Hey Scenester's ConBon and I decided to check this place out following Colorado Wine's tasting (one of my favorite recurring tastings in town, by the way, their Friday ones are $15/person to taste five eccentric wines plus a help-yourself platter to a wide array of cheeses from nearby Auntie Em's.)

The seasonally-driven menu at Four is pretty straightforward and tight, about two dozen selections of soups, sandwiches, plated salads and deli sides/salads, plus an assortment of baked goods and desserts. Nonetheless, there were so many delicious-sounding options we both took a while to decide what we want.

I got the jerk tempeh sandwich paired with chopped miso tofu salad ($15); For the sandwich, overall it was a nice mix between vegetables (red onion & arugula), their cashew cheese, avocado slices and jerk marinated tempeh -- all the flavors complementing each other very well (a little umami, a little vegetal "greeness", a little creaminess) though, lover of spices that I am, I think the jerkiness could've been upped a bit without throwing off the flavor profile. Still, a very substantial and hearty sandwich. I'm glad I paired it with the miso tofu chopped salad, which was flavorful from miso vinaigrette but otherwise a very light, clean and refreshing salad with a satisfying crunch from almonds and fresh cabbage and a nice punch of oniony flavors from the crisped shallots and chives.

Whereas I went the full-veggie route, Conbon decided to release her inner-carnivore, ordering the $15 sandwich-salad combo with Southwest steak salad and Hawaiian barbecue pork bun. She found the steak on the salad just a little tough but otherwise loved the combination of crispy jicama, roasted bell peppers, corn freshly sliced off the cob and avocado, in a bright honey-jalapeno-lime dressing (yes, it sounds Bobby Flay-ish, but I snuck a meatless bite and it was tasty!) The downside of such a salad was that it left her very little room for the even more filling pork bun sandwich (I don't think she took more than 3 bites after the initial one photo'd above.) And so, she had to doggy-bag the sandwich, which she also found delicious with moist, tender pork in an oversized sweet 'n eggy Hawaiian roll, -- though that tragically got tossed since she left it in the car the day after and didn't realize until it got car-be-cued in sweltering afternoon heat. But she said it's a sandwich she would order again, if not tempted to try something new on the menu.

Since Four is currently BYOB, we took advantage of Colorado Wine's eclectic collection of beers and got Allagash's Fluxus 2009, a limited edition farmhouse ale brewed with sweet potato and black pepper. At ~$20 for a 750mL bottle, this is definitely not an everyday beer; the taste definitely screams fun special occasion, all over the map in a festive kind of way, with citrus and spice notes, a delightful little hint of the sweet potatoes and a tinge of hoppiness (it's like having a spicy candied yams in your beer, which is surprisingly good!) And, unexpectedly quaffable for a 8.3% ABV beer.

And of course, with pastry case how can we resist desserts? I got their mixed berry fruit crisp ($4), which was everything I expected, a slightly-sweet filling well balanced by the bright-tanginess of the fragrant berries, and I liked how its texture is a nice foil to the crunchy crisp without being too mushy or tasting too raw.

On the other hand, Conbon's apricot cobbler ($3) didn't fare as well -- granted, it was scooped out of an almost-empty casserole tray by the time we ordered it so it may have been sitting out a while, but it tasted a bit too sweet and the cakey topping was unappetizingly soggy. So we made a mentally note to stick to the individually-prepared dessert, or order casseroley baked goods only when it seems fresh outta the oven.

Despite the cobbler, we generally have a positive opinion of Four's dishes, it was fresh and tasty and not too damaging on the wallet. And we definitely love it's mutualistic relationship with Colorado Wine (you can either BYOB from Colorado to Four, or order take-out from Four to nosh on at Colorado!) Either way, I can already see myself returning regularly to enhance my palate with some very fun eats and wines -- and maybe super soon for the debut of their breakfast menu next month.

What Do Others Say?
- Eating L.A. thinks "every neighborhood needs a cafe like . . . Four"
- Let Me Eat Cake finds it "comforting and inviting with food that makes you want to come back again the next day"
- Banana Wonder also notes it as "relaxing and unpretentious" and "can't wait to go back"
- The Minty looks forward to a return, too, finding "the delicious lavender brown butter cookie [tasting like] Ludo's lavender butter"
- Eat L.A. calls it "an instant hit" between the fairly-priced, tasty dishes, kids' menu & BYOB

Additional photos from our Four excursion here

Four Cafe
2122 1/2 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
323.550.1988

Mini Foodventure #93: Take a Bao (Century City)

Since I made the effort of parking my car during holiday seasons at the horrific lot in Century City Westfield's, I figure I might as well check out one of new eateries that pop up around Century City in addition to the chocolate tasting at Breadbar. Craft? A bit far and pricey at the moment. RockSugar? Um, not really feeling like Pan-Asianed cheesecake. Ooh, speaking of Pan-Asian, how about Take a Bao? It's food-court cheap (well, for C.C. standards anyways, considering their court also has Lawry's Carvery serving up $25+ prime ribs) and it sounds like an interesting, if gimmicky, fast casual concept. Could be cool as long as I don't compare them to the baozis readily available in Chinatown and all over the San Gabriel Valley.

Like most fast casual places, Take a Bao's menu is basically a mishmesh, mix and match of different already-prepped ingredients and sauces that's plopped onto and sandwiched between flattened and steamed bao dough (or, if you so choose, in lettuce wraps, on a bowl of rice or noodles -- but really, who'd go to Take a Bao to, well, NOT take a bao?)

After reviewing their assorted "Asian-inspired" filling options (including a signature barbecue pork that includes pea shoots and marinated cucumbers, unlike any charsiubaos I've ever eaten -- reminding me again not to evaluate these dishes by real baozi standards), I opted for the spicy sesame citrus chicken standard white bao and a miso beef wheat bao. About $10, ten minutes and one light-up/beeping vibrator later, my two baos and side of chinese napa salad arrived.

As you can tell, the only real difference between the two tacolike baos is the dough, sauce and meat, the veggie stuffings (pickled carrots, marinated cucumbers, radish sprouts, scallions) were identical -- and most of the other fillings have this same combo too.

I tried the chicken bao first, and it tasted like a poorly made orange chicken (a dish I normally love when I get that faux Chinese craving,) there was way too much of the overly-sweet sauce, and the battered chicken was dense and dry as a brick and not crispy at all (were they trying to compensate for the dryness by overdousing with sauce? well, it didn't work). But at least the bao dough was decent - fluffy, a little chewy, not dry at all and surprisingly holds together well as I took repeated bites of this otherwise sticky-and-syrupy mess.

The beef bao was way better, the miso braising liquid was sweet-savory but not overly so and it complements the tender sheared short rib nicely. The crunchy and tarted-up veggies actually provides a nice foil here and rounded out the flavors while contrasting the textures, as opposed to the previous bao where it was just another territory for that crazy citrus sauce to pillage and dominate.

But the part I liked most was the salad (yes, my yellow flag popped up when I realized the side is the best part); it was one of the better Chinese (no-chicken) salads I've had in a while, nice crunchy texture and flavors from the chopped napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, almonds and fried wonton strips and a light, nutty, sweet dressing that's just enough to bind them all together. I would've readily traded the chicken bao for more of the salad.

Summing up, my feelings for this place is mixed given the hit and miss dish I had (though for anyone craving these taco-style baos, I'd surely point them to Cafe Hiro in Cypress for their peking pork appetizer, styled like Momofuku's roasted pork buns and much more memorable than those here!) I am open to checking out this place again, but it's definitely not a destination eatery and it's rare that I'll be at the Century City Westfield so it may be a while for me to re-evaluate. That may be for the better in the long-run, 'cause maybe by then I can finally forget about that terrible super sweet brick of a fried chicken.

What Do Others Say?
Caroline on Crack, while disappointed by the baos, thinks it's a nice change of pace from usual food court offerings
Drink Your Milk actually did not take a bao here and had mixed experiences with bunless dishes.
Teenage Glutster had better opinion (or luck) with both the baos and salads here
but the democracy of the Yelpers gave it a middling 3 stars

Take a Bao
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, 90067
310.551.1100
http://www.takeabao.com