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| A Saxton Freymann creation |
The act of convincing kids to eat vegetables can, at times, be...well...an alternative form of birth control. Even my adventurous little gourmand treats my nerves like her own personal Theremin when she finds something non-starchy, non-protein-y and non-cheesy on her plate.
But, for whatever reason, she will relent when the veggies are offered up by a professional food server. (She's even been known to cave for the sample lady at Trader Joe's!)
So, when the budget allows, I will gladly pay for a meal's worth of sanity. Here are my best bets for getting my daughter to show some love for The Forgotten Food Group.
1. Forage
Our house is equidistant from both In-N-Out and The Oinkster (which — hello! — plays the Boomerang network on one of its flatscreens). That said, when asked where she'd most like to eat, the little one is often likely to suggest Forage in Silverlake. They change their menu frequently (the whole seasonal, locavore thing) and that kind of variety holds appeal. But, whether it's a cavolo nero and arugula salad or roasted beets, we always have a Clean Plate Club member on your hands. The hopes of getting gelato for dessert a few doors down pretty much guarantees as much.
2. Tender Greens
Whatever it is this place does to the otherwise-odious carrot, it works. Likewise, their spinach salad with hazelnuts and goat cheese gets scarfed down with relatively reckless abandon. My only problem with this place is that the food is so simple that I feel guilty for not making it home (as if I actually could). The Pasadena location is one block away from Vroman's; book-browsing is a perfect way to digest a good meal.
3. Real Food Daily
Vegan. It's a word that typically turns most diners off, regardless of age. Not so for us. RFD has goofy dish names ("Pippi Longstocking," "Dip My Chili Enchiladas"), sing-a-long '80s jams and more swiss chard, avocados and jicama than you can shake a stick at.
4. Native Foods
Their Soul Bowl is both lip-smacky and sneaky — heaps of steamed veggies and kale hidden under cornbread and faux chicken, plus, ranch and BBQ sauce. Now, if only their veggie-based fast food was as inexpensive as regular fast food. And while we're nit-picking, would it kill them to have a location further east than Culver City?!
5. Lemonade
I, personally, have never heard of half of the vegetables on this cafeteria-style restaurant's assembly line. Their chilled sides come in an array of colors I wasn't sure occurred in nature and feature names that are quite probably made up. That sort of culinary inventiveness really piques a kid's curiosity. Their portions are heaping and you can easily eat them there, or get them to-go for the next day's lunchbox. While these joints are popping up everywhere (including LAX), the Venice location is still my favorite because the people-watching's top notch and you can walk off your meal while strolling down Abbot Kinney.
Honorable Mention:
Veggie Grill would've made this list, but we usually end up eating everything on the menu at this "health food" spot except the vegetables. Mmm...sweet potato fries with chipotle ranch...
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