In 2007, Chef Jonathan Rollo left the Patina Group to start his own restaurant combining what he has learned from his Mom, family, and friends as well as his travels around the world. An added dimension is his passion for sourcing local, organic ingredients for a fresh, healthier dining experience. In 2008, Executive Chef Kristi Ritchey, also formerly of The Patina Group, joined Chef Jonathan and opened the first Greenleaf location in Beverly Hills. She was the perfect executive chef for the job, losing 110 pounds within a year, following a healthier diet and exercise regimen. Since then, Greenleaf has added two locations, in Century City and, in April 2012, Costa Mesa. SoCal is the perfect place for such a restaurant concept. Greenleaf is situated on the up and coming bustling restaurant row on 17th Street. Upon entering, the interior is very organic and rustic with wood-planked communal tables and adjustable bar stools, cozy wine bar, gourmet shop with local artisan products, and coffee/juice bar. The staff is dressed in working ranch attire, adding to the organic farm ambiance.
They have a large array of sides to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of them:
· Quinoa Salad had the perfect combination of flavors and textures from the nutty almonds, sweet cranberries, and hearty quinoa. Thumbs up, way up!
· Green Lentils tasted almost pickled and a little too sour for my taste, but might be great paired with something on the sweeter side to balance the flavor.
· Yam, Walnuts, and Goat Cheese had a good combination of flavors and textures. The yams were naturally sweet with a soft, smooth texture. The walnuts were sweet and crunchy. The goat cheese was creamy with that unmistakable aroma at the back of the palate. Thumbs up!
To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/review/greenleaf-gourmet-chopshop-offers-high-quality-healthy-cuisine-costa-mesa
Mahalo,
OC Food Diva
My name is Akemi Lee and I am the co-owner of HapaCupcake, a small but growing alcohol infused cupcake company. We are looking to open a store in the next couple months and working hard for everyone to taste our delicious cupcakes! In the process of getting our own store, we are also filming our progress as women entrepreneurs documenting from start to finish on how to build a business.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow night we are inviting some well known food bloggers to come taste our cupcakes and be featured in our film! (We will OF COURSE create a small video of your own blog to give to you so you can put it on your blog... we want to give you something in return, too!)
We would LOVE if you could come join us tomorrow evening. We are located in Anaheim, so hopefully local to you! Please let me know if you can make it! We would be oh-so-thankful!
Thank you,
Akemi Lee & Hanayo Martin
HapaCupcakes.com
Hi Akemi,
DeleteI would love to! Please email me what time I should be there. My email is ocfooddiva@gmail.com.
Mahalo,
Chelsea