By Andrew Simmons
LA Weekly
In honor of his late dog Rabbit, WeHo Tender Greens chef Eric Hulme is making dog treats now–bone-shaped, preservative-free slugs of rolled oats, peanut butter, canola oil, flour and eggs. They’re available at all three restaurants, and he’s charging $3 per dozen, which shouldn’t bother the dogs of Los Angeles, seeing as they don’t pay for anything themselves.
By Eric Rosen
LA Confidential
WE HESITATE TO GENERALIZE, but when it comes to dining around town, everyone has his or her favorite hangouts, and there are a few spots you can be sure to find certain LA “types.” Here’s our guide as to who eats what where
WeHo Party Boy
Power Lunch: Tender Greens
Vital Juice: Thirst for a Healthy Life
Whether you’ve waited on the Culver City line or dined at the hip WeHo location, chances are you know about LA’s farm-to-table salad sensation Tender Greens. (The next location: Sunset & Vine.) Founders Erik Oberholtzer, David Dressler and Matt Lyman shared their LA weekend plans:
Matt and Erik meet in Marina Del Rey, and bike the Palos Verdes loop. When he’s not on the road, Matt cycles at the Encino Velodrome.
David’s favorite trail is Westridge-Canyonback. “The views are incredible, and it’s usually deserted on weekdays,” says David. “Two trails run parallel to each other: one relatively flat, and a hilly, rocky path that’s a really fun and gnarly workout.”
At Equinox Santa Monica, Erik takes Power Yoga and kettlebell core and conditioning. When he’s not at the gym, he hikes Mt. Baldy. “It’s challenging, and gets more into mountaineering,” says Erik.
“I go to LGO [La Grande Orange] quite a bit for breakfast,” says Erik. “I get their Venice Burrito with egg whites and tofu chorizo. It’s clean, healthy and good.” 2000 Main St., Santa Monica, (310) 396-9152, MAP
We’ll leaf it at that.
Ideal Bite
Does your growling belly need some attention? Grab a meal that’s easy o the taste buds at salad specialist Tender Greens’ new WeHo location. It’s bigger than its Culver City cousin (but same cafeteria-style setup and menu), plus it’s got stuff you can’t get at the CC location, like Wild Shrimp Ceviche Salad. TG serves humanely raised meat, line-caught fish, and local produce – how considerate..
Anywhere you look, there isn’t much that’s tender in downtown Boystown. The gyms and approach of summer keep the boys of the boulevard hard-bodied during the day, and the go-gos and back alley romps keep denizens from going soft at night.But now there’s a “tender” place right along WeHo’s main walk-of-shame.
Whether you’ve stumbled by it after bars close or were awakened by street cleaners as you were passed out on its patio, Tender Greens is provoking curiosity among the locals.
Aside from the gym and pride, the new casual eatery featuring customizable salads is giving us the best reason to visit the boulevard during non-drinking hours, or as others call it, daytime.
After choosing a leafy green and its accompanying ($5.50), guests can pick a hot protein (for $5), like Oxnard vegetables or free range chicken – to throw on top.
If you’d rather have your protein forced upon you, you dirty little thing, the hearty and delicious “big salads” take control by deciding your ingredients for you. We would’ve tried the eatery’s Chinese chicken ($10.50), but after taking one home from the boulevard the prior weekend, we opted for the chicken cobb ($10.50), which is a grand slam.
Go ahead, introduce yourself to Tender Greens as you would any new WeHo neighbor, but keep in mind that L.A. County Health has a strict no-shirt, no service policy.
By Michelle Foody
Sofisticati
It’s all-the-rage among the downtown Culver City crowd, keeps attracting new devotees in San Diego and now its setting West Hollywood abuzz. After months of delays and anticipation, Tender Greens has finally opened on Santa Monica Boulevard to a warm welcome, serving up their eco-friendly cuisine at a rapid clip. Hungry, health-conscious eaters line up to order counter-side, then file along the assembly line that whips up their order before their very eyes. By the time you pay, dinner is waiting.
The extensive menu offerings, while served up faster than a drive-thru, are anything but prototypical “fast food”. Special care has been given to selecting top-shelf ingredients: produce comes from Scarborough Farms in Oxnard, the chicken and beef are grain-fed, free-range, and local, while the tuna is caught right here in the neighboring Pacific. The “big salads” and hearty soups are accented by TG’s homemade, freshly-baked bread and ought to leave plenty of room for indulgence: don’t pass up that lovely display of homemade desserts!
Prefer something a bit stronger than a toffee crunch devil’s food cupcake? The eatery also offers Craftsman draft and bottled beer, along with reds and whites from boutique wineries. Just don’t expect an intimate, atmospheric dining experience—Tender Greens is more cafeteria than bistro, with simple wooden booths, bright lighting, and a high ceiling that magnifies the din of dozens of chatty diners. But the price points may make amends for those on a budget: entrée-sized salads and their substantial “hot plates” all run for $10.50 and their savory soups go for only $4.
What Chef Fermin Arias has accomplished for such reasonable prices is rather impressive, and delicious! It’s prime location and pre-established reputation can only add to its staying power. Let’s hope it keeps drawing WeHo regulars for years to come!
Photography by: Joan Adlen
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