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I have many vegetarian and several pescatarian friends, so I am always happy to find places which serve dishes they will eat. Of course it always helps if the options offered are tasty enough for me to happily forgo my meat, and I’ve written about a few restaurants in a previous post, but the Veggie Grill has now updated their menus and expanded their locations. Their latest outpost is at the Farmer’s Market next to the Grove and I was invited to their soft opening tonight before they officially open tomorrow. It’s always good to have a dress rehearsal before playing to the public and even with some technical difficulties, like the air conditioner on the fritz, the cast and crew performed flawlessly.
I took my friend Mika, who is an omnivore, but like me, she has vegan friends. She had never been to this vegetarian friendly fast food chain (betcha can’t say that five times:) and she was so impressed that she literally yelled out in the restaurant, “This is delicious!” to all the servers.
Mika ordered the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ $8.95, which is their Crispy fried chillin’ chickin’ (specially seasoned and marinated veggie protein blends), lettuce, tomato, red onion, and avocado, served with southwestern spiced vegan mayo. She opted for it served on Steamin’ Kale $1.50 instead of the wheat bun and she substituted the Sweetheart Fries $2.25 (you can also opt for a spring salad or mac and cheese as substitutions) instead of the red cabbage slaw or chili that normally accompanies the sandwiches. I was glad I got a taste of everything on her plate before she inhaled, because by the time she exhaled, her plate was clean. I was impressed by the crispy friend chillin’ chickin’ for both texture and taste; if children grew up eating this, they would never want “nuggets” again. The sweetheart fries were wonderful even without the chipotle ranch dipping sauce, and the spiced vegan mayo was surprisingly spicy.
I learned from my last experience and ordered my salad dressing on the side when I chose the All Hail Kale salad $7.95. The kale and red cabbage in the salad are already marinated, so the extra dressing is overkill IMHO. The salad is served with roasted corn salsa, agave-roasted walnuts with a ginger-papaya vinaigrette, and I added blackened tempeh (a tender yet crunchy blend of organic soybeans and rice culture that is sautéed and grilled) for $2.50. I enjoyed the fresh ingredients and found the marinade tasty, but the tempeh was not the best; I found it bland, even though it was “blackened”, and a bit greasy. If you want added protein in your entree salad I would suggest you go for the chickin’. The walnuts added a nice sweet crunch and even though I did not add any more to my salad, the ginger-papaya vinaigrette had a nice bright zing.
We got to taste all three dessert offerings which are all free of dairy, cholesterol and refined sugar. Neither Mika nor I liked the chocolate pudding because neither of us is a pudding fan, but she adored the carrot cake (she said it was the best she had ever eaten), but I found the frosting too sweet. I liked the chocolate chip cookie because it was not too sweet, which is exactly the same reason Mika did not like it.
Having the freedom to choose is one of the great pleasures in life. Choosing for your taste while others choose for theirs is one of the reasons there are so many options for restaurants and on menus. It’s nice to find a vegetarian friendly restaurant where two omnivores have choices that please them enough to want to return.
I love introducing my old friends to new places; it’s like watching kids discover a new toy hidden in their closet. Even though Cindy only lives about one hour away, coming to “The Big City” offers possibilities her bedroom community does not, and some of my neighborhood favorites, like Huckleberry Cafe, are exotic tantalizing experiences for her. Since she is a pescatarian (eats fish, but no other animal), a place which offers vegetarian choices automatically gains a spot on my list of places to take her.
Being an omnivore, my choice was the asparagus salad, made with arugula, Jidori chicken, fried prosciutto, roasted red peppers, feta, red wine vinaigrette, and of course asparagus for $12 (normally farro is also included but they were out). This was an incredibly luscious combination of crunchy prosciutto, tender greens, and juicy Jidori chicken. The light dressing enhanced the salad without overpowering it, and the tender asparagus was perfectly cooked. I would order this salad any day as a hearty meal.
Cindy chose a trio of salads for $12 from the deli, with brussel sprouts, squash, and the best quinoa salad she has ever eaten (her words) made with pistachios.
She adored the soft slice of bread that came with her salad so much she took it home.
She also ordered a cup of the pureed vegetable soup for $4 which was a symphony of fresh goodness in a cup.
I had to order a doughnut ($2.50) since Huckleberry makes my favorite fluffy yeast doughnut (but I did share it with Cindy).
I would have ordered some of the best beef brisket I have ever eaten to go, but we were going shopping and I wasn’t sure it was cold enough to leave it in the car for several hours. Oh well, that just means I have to come back (again)!
>The best advertising a restaurant can have is a line of potential patrons waiting for a table. I first noticed Porta Via while walking around Beverly Hills because it has a very inviting sidewalk patio and there was a line of diners waiting for a seat.
When Cindy came to town for lunch, we decided to try it even though we waited for nearly 20 minutes for a table at 1:30pm. I would suggest reserving a table if you want to eat during the height of lunch or dinner rush times to avoid a wait.
The hostess and waitress were both very friendly and professional, a refreshing way to be welcomed in attitude-centric Beverly Hills. The hostess even took our drink order and had it delivered before we could decide what we wanted to eat!
I chose one of the daily specials, a seared sesame encrusted tuna salad, with avocado, daikon sprouts, shaved red onions, pickled ginger, and green beans in a ponzu vinaigrette that was so delicious I literally cleaned my plate of the last sprout. If this is ever offered as a special, order it!
Cindy ordered a half sandwich and half salad combo with a Tuna Sandwich made with white albacore tuna, homemade lemon mayonnaise, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, on honey wheat bread. For her salad she chose the chopped version, made with organic beets, organic chopped lettuces, green beans, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, shaved parmigiano champagne shallot vinaigrette. She adored her salad, but not the tuna sandwich as much. I tasted the tuna and found it fine, but Cindy found it a bit boring.
Using fresh organic produce and quality free range products, this is a great choice for anyone concerned with pure ingredients in their food. The biggest reason to come here is the tasty food and the range of options, for vegetarians and carnivores alike (even the daily special soup always has a nondairy version). With warm service and very reasonable prices (we paid $46 for both meals, including one non alcoholic drink, tax and a 20% tip).
Porta Via will become a regular stop whenever we are hungry in Beverly Hills.
Il Grano has always focused on bringing out the essence of the quality products they use, whether it is the lovely tomatoes they raise, or the fresh fish they cook to perfection with the exquisite skill of a master chef. Culinary training can only teach skills, and as in any profession, skills combined with passion can create masterpieces. Il Grano serves food masterpieces at prices that make it enjoyable to taste different items on the menu several times a week.
They offer Sal’s Lunch for $19.00 which gives you a choice of either the market salad or daily tartar as an appetizer, then either a daily pasta or daily fish as entree, and finally a spun gelato for dessert.
I chose the daily tarter of tuna, served with slices of muticolored roasted beets and a drizzle of parsley oil. The taste was as beautiful and uncluttered as the composition, with the fresh fish flavor the key note in a lightly dressed tartar.
I chose the daily fish of halibut, lightly topped with freshly crushed tomatoes and a confit of onions. The green beans were as perfectly cooked as the fish, just to the point of doneness without being over or underdone; a testament to the expert training and skill of the chef. However, the flavor of the ingredients is the true barometer of a master, and every bite burst with the sweet freshness and light enhancement of someone who loves food enough to know when to allow it to speak and how to support it with complimentary notes.
Il Grano is still a grand experience after more than a decade, and they even have a five course dinner tasting menu for $65 or five course tasting menu for vegetarians for only $49. This may be the place to take someone who says “I don’t like vegetables” and convert them.
