Let’s be honest, we’ve only got two more weeks of health-conscious eating before we hit the gluttony that will ensue with holiday binging.  In other words, this might be a good time to check out the newest addition to the Valley dining scene, Lyfe Kitchen—the healthy-lifestyle restaurant that accommodates gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian diets.  

 

In sync with the Valley restaurant boom, Lyfe opened this past weekend at the Tarzana Village Walk—the retail and residential complex anchored by the 50,000 square foot Whole Foods, among other restaurants and boutiques.  This is the third branch of the fast casual eatery, with the first two locations in Palo Alto and Culver City.  

 

It’s really no surprise that the calorie-conscious menu has healthy spin considering it is created by chef Art Smith (former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey) and chef Tal Ronnen (author of the New York Times Bestseller “The Conscious Cook”).  Every dish clocks in under 600 calories, and each menu item lists its sodium milligram count.  Lyfe has even created their own “meat” substitute, gardein™.  

 

Breakfast entrees include a turkey sausage sandwich made with organic eggs, alongside quinoa buttermilk pancakes.  Lunch and dinner can begin with a dairy-free corn chowder, made with cashew cream, or edamame hummus served with flax seed crisp.  In the farmer’s market salad, a mess of greens are touched with blackberries and agave-pickled onions; flatbreads include a mushroom goat cheese selection as well as a BBQ chicken option, topped with onion and sweet corn.  

 

There’s a grass-fed burger that will only cost you 530 calories, and grilled mahi fish tacos dressed with slaw, avocado, and cilantro.  The menu highlight, “Art’s Unfried Chicken,” is a crisped slab of chicken, breaded and baked, and served over a medley of brussels sprouts, cubed butternut squash, cranberries, and a pool of cashew cream.  We recommend eating it with a serving of Palo Alto Firefighters Pepper Sauce—an off-menu item you’re going to want to inquire about.  

 

 

The chocolate budino—pudding-like chocolate served in a swamp of chia seeds swollen in pomegranate—is an astonishing 210 calories.  Or you can wash your meal down with a hibiscus beet concoction or a slightly sweet kale smoothie, a vibrant swamp of ginger, banana, apple, and lemon.  

 

The space is modern and clean, with a pops of orange, bamboo, and metal.  Keeping in line with their “Eat good.  Feel good.  Do good.” philosophy, chairs are manufactured out of old shopping carts; tables are built out of reclaimed wood.  

 

Lyfe is planning to expand to 250 locations within the next five years, with another branch opening in Chicago this week, making it so much easier to enjoy healthy-heart meals on a regular basis.  

 

But don’t worry—we’ll let you off the healthy hook for the upcoming holiday season.  

 

Lyfe Kitchen, 18700 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, CA 91356.  (310) 507-7841.