Health-Conscious Options At Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop offers a healthy, fresh take on lunch. With two locations in Beverly Hills and Century City, they offer quick gourmet options including premium salads, sandwiches, and entrees.
Now with two new locations, on 17th Street in Costa Mesa and at Costa Mesa's South Coast Collection, the menu at this Southern California health-focused eatery includes items like antioxidant salads with grapes, celery, apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, apples, blue cheese, mint, red onion, cucumbers, strawberries and blueberries with pomegranate whole grain mustard vinaigrette. If you think that's a mouthful to say, try eating this superb salad! You'll barely notice how rich in vitamins and healthy it is.
Forty miles South in Orange County, the star salad is the lemongrass chicken salad, with grilled citrus chicken, mango, grilled pineapple, jicama, toasted coconut, cashews, Thai chili, and Thai basil with lemongrass lychee vinaigrette.
So who exactly is the mastermind behind Greenleaf? Meet Kristi Ritchey, executive chef. An inspiration to many by losing more than 110 pounds in a little over a year, her dedication and lifestyle is a major draw. "Eating healthy is lifestyle, not a diet," Ritchey told us. "I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner six days a week in Greenleaf, and that's allowed me to have variety."
Chef and owner Jonathan Rollo has been alongside Ritchey creating many selections besides salads, so if you're not in the mood for salad, items such as the wild mushroom and truffle "pizza" are anything but traditional, made on a whole-wheat tortilla. Decadently delicious and large enough for a shared plate! Or try their award winning turkey sandwich, ranked America's best by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. A turkey melt piled high on a pretzel bun with turkey, melted Gruyere cheese, sautéed spinach with truffle oil, and caramelized onions.