A Healthy Choice

Me with my duo
of "healthy-ness"

With winter rolling in, the California swell is coming.  Although I could wear shorts all year round in LA, the weather at the beach has definitely taken a turn.  Katherine and I have made a plan to try and go surfing as much as possible this year.  In order to accomplish our twice-weekly goal, we knew that wetsuits were going to be a necessity.  I had already purchased mine over the summer, but Katherine was in need of some serious rubber.

We headed to Main Street in Santa Monica to check out ZJ's surf shop.  The manager of the store was surprisingly helpful, and hooked her up with an awesome Roxy suit!  After a little shopping on Main Street, we ended up at the Promenade.  We knew traffic was going to be horrendous, so we decided to take our time, and maybe stall a little with dinner.  

Not a huge fan of all the chain restaurants down 3rd street, I recommended True Food Kitchen.  Tucked away in Santa Monica Place (near Nordstrom), this hidden gem is a great after-shopping stop.  The menu provides many healthy, yet hearty choices, and there is something for everyone.  The restaurants' concept is to take popular trends in dining, and match it with healthy choices.  Although there are plenty of gluten free and vegan choices (shitake and tofu lettuce cups, heirloom tomato and watermelon salad), you can also find a grass-fed bison burger and an assortment of pizzas.  

While looking under the starter menu, the Edamame Dumplings caught my eye.  I wanted to match the dish with something light, so I also ordered their classic Tuscan Kale salad.  

Tuscan Kale Salad
Lemon, Parmesan, and Bread
Crumb

The dumplings were delicious. The outer shell was thin, yet still dense and chewy (almost like gnocchi).  Inside was an edamame puree that was surprisingly flavorful.  I usually find the beans to lack a distinguished taste, but the filling was almost as wholesome as a sweet potato. The best part was definitely the white truffle sauce.  The oil soaked into the dumplings without being too overwhelming and pungent.  The daikon radishes didn't do much for the dish.  They resembled bean sprouts in thai food, but without the crunch.

With only 4 simple ingredients, the kale salad was amazingly complex.  The acidity from the lemon brought out the richness in the green.  I've never liked "dirty" tasting vegetables, but kale was very well complemented with the sharp and salty parmesan.  The bread crumbs also provided some texture to the dish, making it more filling.  True Food Kitchen was the perfect choice for my healthy and hearty vegetarian dinner.

Wild Mushroom Pizza
Roasted Garlic and Tallegio

Katherine had a salad for lunch, so she opted for something a little more dense and rich.  She asked for my advice between the Wild Mushroom Pizza and the Turkey Lasagna.  Although the gluten-free lasagna sounded great I told one of my rules of thumb: stay away from dishes the restaurant makes beforehand, and then just heats up.  Unless you're at an authentic italian restaurant, where they make the dish to order, I would usually stay away from the lasagna.  The whole point of eating out is to get fresh food you wouldn't usually get from your kitchen.  

She was happy with her choice.  The mushroom pizza was the perfect size with the right amount of cheese and crust.  She said that the shrooms really absorbed the flavors from the garlic and the dish hit the spot.  

I always enjoy my dinner dates with my "wife" Katherine.  The healthy choice of True Food Kitchen was a merited change compared to the usual Umami burger and dessert adventures.