Tender Greens Fast Casual Organic Restaurant

Distinctive Living

Talk about an idea we wish we’d had! Tender Greens is the place, the happy bistro in the heart of Culver City that offers up farm-fresh (and often-organic) vegetables, grain-fed hormone-free beef and chicken, line-caught tuna — and all at an incredible reasonable price.

It’s the brainchild of three friends, Erik Oberholtzer, Matt Lyman, and David Dressler. Two chefs and a food and beverage director (who met while all were with Shutters on the Beach and Casa del Mar), the trio came up with a simple, yet wonderful idea. Why not use only the freshest and most earth-friendly ingredients, served in a comfortable space created with recycled and environmentally friendly products, and create a homey place where “simple salads,” “hot stuff,” “comfort soups,”"big salads,” and “sweet stuff” are offered, all for $10 or less?

Throw in organic teas, microbrewed beers, wine from small vineyards, and a sunny outdoor patio, and it is no wonder that Tender Greens often has a line out the front door, both at lunch and dinner.

Choose from steak, chicken, tuna or vegetables grilled over mesquite, paired with Yukon gold mashed potatoes or thrown into one of many salad mixes (baby spinach, goat, hazelnuts, and cabarnet vinaigrette dressing, for example). Or try their yummy rustic chicken soup paired with a salad and a piece of their rustic bread for dipping.

There’s a chipotle barbecue chicken salad, an Ahi tuna nicoise, a Chinese chicken salad, even a “salad in the raw”, and a “happy vegan” salad. We went crazy for the carrot-top frosted cupcake and the Aztec brownie for dessert, despite the fact that the main course portions were hearty enough to satisfy even the hungriest appetite. Tender Greens is a place that serves such good, fresh food that it truly is tough to stop eating there once you have started.