FOOD REVIEW: Tender Greens

1109 Glendon Avenue

Westwood, CA 90024

213-335-5359

tendergreens.com

Price: $

By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer

I’m not particularly fond of frequenting chain restaurants for the simple fact that I’d rather support local. Consider Tender Greens a rare exception.

Dining at these sustainable restaurants, one can feel less guilt in this department because actually, the fast-growing, fast-casual chain originated with the downtown Culver City location. As the story goes, Tender Greens began a decade ago as the farm-to-fork daydream of Erik Oberholtzer, Matt Lyman and David Dressler—three guys employed at Santa Monica’s Shutters at the Beach.

Since then, you may have spotted Tender Greens on Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica or any of the dozen other Los Angeles locations from Burbank to The Village at Topanga to Torrance. (There are also two Irvine outlets, four in the San Diego/La Jolla area and five Bay Area restaurants).

Now many of you reading this may hear the name Tender Greens and reflexively think “a restaurant for vegans and vegetarians.” Yes, the emphasis here is on salads, cooked veggies and grains (like tabbouleh, farro wheat and quinoa). However, meat is definitely served here and, best of all, it is prepared as naturally as possible.

What makes Tender Greens different from other chains is the free will of the chefs at each location to supplement and embellish the menu. That autonomy is a big reason why Executive Chef Kirsten Walker joined the company, she said.

“I try to marry my style with the desires of the consumer within the community I serve,” she said. “I feel Westwood as a whole is very health oriented—most definitely with the inclusion of UCLA students.”

At the Westwood outlet (which opened Aug. 1), Walker has added everything from a decadent risotto to yellowtail (like all fish here, hailing from Santa Monica Seafood) to the menu of company-wide permanent items, as well as a seasonal potpie, house-made biscuits or cornbread, and sliders.

“Tying in options of indulgence to a menu that is light and healthy at its core provides the perfect mix of options,” Walker said.

From the Big Salads section ($11.50 each), there is much to choose from and, depending on your mood and appetite, these salads either make terrific starters or succeed as meals in themselves. Vegetables here are locally sourced, and the care, freshness and quantity are all on display within such orders as Harvest, featuring Scarborough Farms lettuces topped with local nuts and fruit, such as cranberries, artisan cheese and golden balsamic vinaigrette.

Salami & Kale, a large serving replete with roasted fennel, potato fingerlings, chick peas, parmesan and golden raisins in a roasted garlic vinaigrette, is outstanding, especially if you love kale but crave a protein boost to your plate of greens.

However, probably the best of the salads we tried remains Tuna Nicoise, featuring nice big slabs of sliced, grilled, herb-brushed rare albacore and hard-boiled quail egg.

Certain salads incorporate chicken: Chipotle Barbecue Chicken, Chinese Chicken, Southern Fried Chicken and Grilled Chicken Cobb. Perhaps you’ll want to investigate these options because, seriously, the chicken here is a great move.

As entrees from the Big Plates section ($11.50) attest, chicken tastes fresh and delicious here. This is not your fast food-variety chicken—not even Fried Chicken, which covers pieces of white and dark meat in a buttermilk batter with rosemary and thyme. That’s because, as Westwood’s Sous Chef Vidal Martinez explained, the fried chicken is cooked to perfection in non-GMO canola oil within six minutes to ensure that the chicken does not become oversaturated and greasy. Instead, the batter is light, buttery and a nice agent of texture upon the succulent breast meat.

Equally healthy tasting: Chipotle Barbecue Chicken lightly glazes its white and dark pieces in a chipotle barbecue sauce (created by the company with smoked chipotle, molasses and spices) but does not drown it, thus letting the juiciness and natural flavors of the cooked meat speak for itself, with only a nice hint of that barbecue sauce sweetness. My favorite remains the understated, garlic-kissed Salt & Pepper Chicken—sprinkled with oregano and thyme.

There’s also the aforementioned Herb-Brushed Albacore as a main course while Backyard Marinated Steak—grilled medium rare—is tender and tasty. These meats can be purchased as a plate with salad or as a sandwich. You’ll want some herbs-and-oil-brushed sliced ciabatta to pair your salad with. (All breads/desserts come from Mar Vista-based Röckenwagner Bakery.)

Beverages here are fresh and good for you. Lifestyle Drinks ($3.50) include cantaloupe Agua Fresca and Seasonal Shrub, another refreshing, cleansing flavor combining seasonal shrub plums, blueberries, strawberries and apple cider vinegar. I found the Lemongrass particularly sublime. Here, Walker and her team chose to eschew sugary soda pop for healthier, homemade-replicating options. As Martinez noted, “It gives you good nutrition with the berries providing antioxidants.”

“In the weeks building up to [Westwood’s grand opening], I must admit I was slightly worried that we would receive pushback from guests,” Walker said. Thankfully, locals have embraced Walker’s choices.

(There’s also an array of local craft beer and wine on tap.)

I left with an appreciation for the location’s excellent balance of health-consciousness and deliciousness, with just enough meat products to please a carnivore. We did not get to sample any Comfort Soups ($5), such as Roasted Tomato (with ciabatta croutons) and Rustic Chicken (with potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks and thyme). However, it’s good to save something for next time, since I most definitely plan to return.