Dining
GREENLEAF GOURMET OPENS IN COSTA MESA!
04.24.12
By Sheryll Alexander
We are super excited about the opening of Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop in Costa Mesa on Monday, Apr. 30. Why? Because we tried out this “gourmet salad” eatery on a family getaway to Beverly Hills last fall and we fell in love with this fast, casual, fresh, relaxed and über organic eating joint.
But perhaps we are more excited about the location (because it just happens to be in our neighborhood!). It seems Greenleaf Gourmet has taken a “natural health center” (aka massage parlor) on bustling 17th Street and is hopefully transforming this garden-like plaza into something cool so locals want to stay and hang awhile. Set back from the corner of Westminster Avenue and 17th Street, Greenleaf Gourmet is in the same plaza at Citibank (directly across the street from Café Rio and Staples).
Now, let’s get back to the food. Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, which was named one of the city’s “best new restaurants” by Los Angeles magazine in 2009, brings premium and custom-made salads, wraps and sandwiches to Orange County. Yeah!
We are also excited that the company’s first OC outpost also includes 4,200 sq. ft of space with market, wine bar, indoor and outdoor dining and an on-site chef’s garden. Guests can even call ahead (or place orders online) and pick up their meals curbside. Wow!
“I’m thrilled to open Greenleaf in Costa Mesa,” says “commander-in-leaf” Jonathan Rollo. “We searched for a great Orange County location for a long time and I couldn’t be more excited about how the restaurant turned out. We assembled a talented team to create this beautiful place and now we have the opportunity to introduce our healthy options to Orange County locals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And, on the personal side, this is a project of passion for me, because it means my own family doesn’t have to drive to LA to satisfy their Greenleaf cravings!”
Some of Greenleaf’s signature items are the “antioxidant orchard salad” with grapes, celery, agave-roasted walnuts, dried cranberries, crumbled blue cheese, mint, red onion, cucumbers, and seasonal berries with housemade pomegranate, whole grain mustard vinaigrette ($10.95). There’s also lighter versions of specialty salads, including the “buffalo wangs lite salad,” which is modified with turkey bacon and grilled chicken tossed in chipotle orange barbecue sauce ($9.95).
Salad lovers can also invent their own creations with over 78 toppings and more than 15 dressings, all made in-house and free of gluten, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. A selection of grilled pizzas and entrées include the wild mushroom and truffle pizza made on a whole wheat tortilla ($9.95) and a housemade turkey burger on a five-grain bun ($10.95).
Guests can start their day with a breakfast menu including a selection of nourishing hot items and fresh grab-and-go options such as a breakfast sandwich with grilled chicken, portobello mushroom, egg whites, aged cheddar, shaved onions, and truffled spinach on whole grain bread ($9.95) or a Cobb omelet with egg whites, turkey bacon, tomato, basil, blue cheese, and avocado pesto ($9.95).
Greenleaf’s focus on fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and sustainability is also reflected in the environmentally conscious construction of the location. Design elements incorporate reclaimed, recycled, and compostable materials and green energy initiatives to create an eco-friendly environment. The Costa Mesa outpost echoes the “modern farm stand” aesthetic of the Los Angeles locations, incorporating décor elements by SF Jones Architects, such as reclaimed wood furniture, vintage riddling racks, and other repurposed materials.
The gardens, planted and maintained by Harvest to Home (a local Southern California company specializing in creating organic vegetable and herb boxes and raised bed gardens), will grow a variety of herbs and seasonal vegetables that will be incorporated in seasonal menu specials and available for purchase in Greenleaf’s marketplace.
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop Costa Mesa is located on E. 17th St. between Orange and Santa Ana Avenues, and will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. The Greenleaf marketplace will be open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Guests can place curbside pickup orders by calling 949-200-3950.
Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California.
TOP 25 CHEFS COOK FOR KIDS!
04.16.12
By Sheryll Alexander
CNN Hero Bruno Serato of the Anaheim White House and international taste maker Sophie Gayot of Gayot.com are bringing together 25 star chefs and special guests, including Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks, for a one-night blow out dinner to benefit Bruno's giving-food-and-homes to “motel” kids foundation.
The star-studded dinner starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 26. After the cocktail hour, a fabulous five-course dinner is served to you and other honorary guests including Disneyland Resort President George Kalogridis, KFI Radio’s Bill Handel, Clean City’s Bill Taormina, Yellow Cab’s Larry Slagle, Stovall Inn’s Jim Stovall, former Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and the head coach for USA Volleyball, Hugh McCutcheon.
Tickets cost $250 each and include complimentary drinks during the cocktail hour and free-flowing champagne with dinner.
Click here to purchase tickets online or send checks payable to CVOC/Caterina’s Club to: Anaheim White House Restaurant, 887 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA. 92805.
Bruno’s New Project for OC Kids
As you already know, I am feeding 300 underprivileged children seven nights a week. I am so happy and grateful that you all have helped me continue to do that. However at 5 p.m. -- when it is time to send the kids back to motel -- I have a broken heart.
Most of these kids are going back to a motel environment that is far from safe. Not only are there drug addicts, prostitutes, and alcoholics but there are also sexual predators that live in these motels amongst our children.
I have new project in 2012. I would like to move families who qualify out of that environment, and help them start a new path for their future. I work with another great organization, The Illumination Foundation. They are helping me find families who lost their job and homes due to the economic situation. Let's give them a chance to come back into a more stable environment, a dream come true.
So far we have families from Anaheim, Placentia, Buena Park, Newport Beach, Los Alamitos, San Juan Capistrano, Tustin, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana that lived in motels and had the chance to move out into a two-or-three bedroom apartment. "It's time to stop talking about it, and to start doing something about it!"
I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. – Bruno
25 Celebrity Chefs in Attendance
Michel Blanchet- Small Smoked Seafood Company
Laurent Brazier- Executive Chef Instructor for Laguna Culinary.
Maurice Brazier- White House Catering
Antonio Cagnolo- Antonello Ristorante
Ryan Carson- ‘Pri-v a ‘touring' restaurant.
Jean Pierre Dubray- Pelican Hill Resort
Sophie Gayot- Gayot.com
Jamie Gwen- KFWB 980 "The Chef Jamie® Radio Show"
Christophe Happillon- Oyster Gourmet
Wendie Huffman- Ten Asian Bistro
Susan Irby - The "Bikini" Chef
Louis Laulhere! - Former Owner of La Vie en Rose in Brea
CJ Luis- 12 year old chef guest celebrity chef
Jeff Mahin- Stella Rossa Pizza Bar
Eddie Meza- Anaheim White House
Octavio Montoya- Laguna Culinary Arts Café
Philip Moreau- Cookie Gallery.com
Anahita Naderi- Hidden Dinner
Pascal Olhats- Pascal Restaurant
Francis Perrot- Fairbanks Ranch Country Club
Edmond Sarfati- Formerly of Lafayette Restaurant
Pierre Sauvaget- Former executive chef of Bel-Air Bay Club
Bruno Serato- Anaheim White House
Yvan Valentin- Sweet Temptations
Barbara Venezia- "At Home the Range"
Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California.
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