Restaurant wars

The past week has been pretty restaurant heavy.  It makes sense since our fridge currently has more condiments than anything else. 

After returning from Vegas, we stopped at the Culver City location of Tender Greens for some very necessary clean and organic meals.  It was pouring rain and we had no umbrellas, so we decided take-away was the best option. 

After showering and unpacking, I dug into my “Happy Vegan” salad.  For optimal photography, I removed the toast and greens that were resting atop the other parts of the salad and put them on a separate plate. 

Look at the gorgeous ingredients that were hiding under the lettuce!

I’m not usually a fan of tabbouleh but this was exceptional.  It was pretty acidic, but it provided a beautiful zing when combined with the other parts of the salad. 

Then there was quinoa with cucumber and beets, which also wowed my taste buds.  I don’t recall actually seeing any beets, but I still loved it.  The texture was mushier than I typically make my own quinoa, but I’ve come to realize that consistency is more common with red quinoa. 

 

The farro wheat with hazelnuts and dried cranberries was actually one of the best parts of the salad, though, since I haven’t been able to find farro in stores and I adore the combo of nuts and dried fruit.  It was sweet, crunchy, savory, chewy, and 100% perfection.  Farro is an amazing grain.  I’m a big big fan.

And yet, I couldn’t possibly deny the green hummus the #1 spot.  It was, without a doubt, the best thing to hit my lips in a LONG time.  I was debating calling the restaurant to ask for the recipe…or order another tub of it a la mode.  They should really package this stuff up and sell it in stores.  Do you hear me Tender Greens? 

To start, I smeared it all over the toast.  Mmmmm…

After my palate was primed, I reconstructed the Happy Vegan salad on a plate.

 

I love that their greens are organic and farm fresh and seasonal, but I had to remove a few sprigs of dill (not a fan).  Otherwise, the blend of tender greens was amazingly vibrant and fresh.

Truth be told, I was apprehensive in ordering this salad because I make damn good salads and restaurant greens rarely live up to my own creations.  However, this was better than ANYTHING I could ever make on my own.  I couldn’t get over how flavorful every single ingredient was.  Not only that, but the unique combination of grains, nuts, fruits and veggies was so creative!  I’m so rarely surprised by restaurant salads, this was such a pleasant treat.

It was tangy from the tabbouleh acidity, hearty from all the grains, and crunchy due to the textural variety that the nuts and dried fruit provided.  Not to mention the greens tasted like they had been picked that morning!

All in all, it was a dream meal and I’m so excited that they are opening a restaurant in Santa Monica soon.

Cut to a few days later, and our fridge still hadn’t been restored…

Since my sister was in town, we decided to hit up a local hole-in-the-wall called Interim Cafe.  I’ve blogged about this place before.  It’s cheap and delicious, what more do you need in a restaurant? 

Seriously, the dessert display is too close to where you order food.  Laura and I had already picked out two desserts each before we even settled on our entree orders.  That’s what happens when two girls go to dinner starving when it’s that time of the month. 

I’m not kidding, we left with 5 desserts.  Lesson learned.  But back to dinner…

After going back and forth half a dozen times, I finally chose the roast vegan chix burger with avocado, veganaise, and the works on a whole wheat bun.  The “chix” portion of the burger reminded me of the soy patties that The Veggie Grill uses.  It was flavorful and I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. 

Kyle ordered the hemp tofu steak sandwich with avocado, tomato, onion, pesto-tofunaise on toasted Rudolph Steiner hazelnut bread. 

The bread looked SO fantastic, I begged to do a half for half swap.  He agreed, so I had half of his sammie and half of my own.  Kyle thought the tofu was on the blander side, but I liked it.  Plus the veganaise and avo combo is always a winner in my book.  Love me some healthy fats.

Laura got the Vegan Hot Tamale Platter with a veggie tamale, brown raza rice, sombrero salad, a salsa vinaigrette, and hot mushrooms sauce on the side.

Clean plates club x3

Interim Cafe is especially good for diners with mixed dietary preferences because they have vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, and gluten free options, but also have meal options with regular cheese and meat.  My sister happens to be lactose intolerant as well, so we both enjoyed the ease of dairy free ordering.  Kyle chose a vegan dish because he’s noticing more and more how much better he feels when he eats animal free. 

After dinner, we paused for digestion, but soon enough it was time to dig in to dessert. 

I was SO excited for my marshmallow chocolate brownie thing.  It’s hard to tell from the photo, but this thing was a monster.  I heated it in the microwave for a few seconds which got the marshmallow all gooey and part of the chocolate melty.

So.  Effing.  Yum.

Kyle and Laura also got the same dessert.  🙂

Laura and I also split a french press of Peet’s English Breakfast tea.

It may seem weird to have a caffeinated tea after dinner, but if you knew what time we ate, you’d understand (early bird special!).

The next day, Kyle had a lunch time meeting, so Laura and I were on our own for lunch. 

She had a strong craving for the same white bean hummus she had last time she visited…and I am never one to turn down hummus for lunch.

Enter Huckleberry!

Last time with split a salad and side of bean dip, but this time we were older hungrier and wiser.

White bean hummus with bread for each of us.

And the white bean and spinach salad for each of us.  This salad is a bit different each time I order it.  The cherry tomatoes in this one were orange and sweet (yum!) while the capers added some vinegary tang (which I was surprised that I liked).  As per usual, I liked the bowl clean.  We each had leftover bean dip though.  Score!

Our restaurant extravaganza continued for dinner and drinks at The Den on Sunset.  The owner was best man at my cousin’s wedding so we refused to let the weather hold us back. 

On tap.

On the menu.

What do you think I ordered? 

White bean hummus with grilled flatbread (obviously).  I ordered a second plate of flatbread after finishing the first because there was still half a pot of hummus left. 

Other orders included the Chicken Club with avocado, grilled chicken, bacon, tomato, butter lettuce, shaved red onion, and dijonaise on foccacia.

Triple cooked fries.

Grilled bread (house-made!) with roasted cherry tomatoes, warm burrata, fresh basil and a balsamic reduction.

Seared Ahi Tacos with salsa verde, red chili cream, and onion jam on corn tortillas

Pulled Pork Sliders with slow roasted pork, BBQ Sauce, shaved lettuce, and pickled red onion (sans buttermilk dressing)

Grilled cheese and roasted tomato soup

We all enjoyed our meals, although rumor has it the tacos were a bit on the greasy side.

No complaints from Finn 🙂

The next night Laura and I made our way to Newport Beach and so my Aunt and Uncle treated us to dinner. 

Taco Rosa is really close to my G-ma’s house, and it’s a bit different from your typical Mexican fare.  It’s a family favorite for sure.   I started with some house vino (so so).

While we browsed the menu they brought out some cute little pulled pork slider things.  I passed on them, but loved the marinated carrots on the side.

For my entree, I got the pollo con espinacas y champiñones. 

The actual dish contains chicken, spinach, mushrooms, red onions, and tomatoes in a whole wheat tortilla, topped with Guajillo tomatillo and Tequila lime sauces with black beans, guacamole, sour cream and escabeche (carrots) on the side.

I asked for a chicken and dairy-free version and they had no problem meeting my requests.

It was reallllly good.  The sauces on top were fantastic and the inside spinach, ‘shroom, and onion sauté hit the spot.

Laura got a cheese-less tostada salad with blackened chicken.

How fancy does this look!

My G-ma’s plate included a sweet corn tamalito (which she practically spit out), rice and beans, with a Oaxaca cheese enchilada, and a carne asada and black bean taco.

I didn’t capture my Aunt and Uncle’s meals, but everyone seemed to enjoy their food. 

So as you can see, the week has been filled with restaurant mania!  Time to dust off the cobwebs in the kitchen…

Do you prefer home prepared meals or dining out?  I love eating at restaurants, but at the same time it can get tiring after a while.  Sometimes I crave simple things that aren’t on the menu, ya know?  That said, it’s pretty fun to get pampered.