After the holidays, most of us are coming down from an extended food binge, which likely included generous portions of all things rich, carby and boozy. This remnant seasonal joy, lingering in our stomachs and tightening our pants noticeably, makes January the perfect time to detox. If you’re not one of valiant few who can subsist for days on cayenne-pepper water and sheer will, then the ideal remedy to kick you into gear for the new year is…more food! But don’t worry—these eateries serve up healthy cuisine that’s both tasty and resolution-compatible.
Navigating: detox dining
Healthful eating options to start the year right
By Katie Bain
Special to MetromixJanuary 2, 2009
Beverly Hills Juice Club
8382 Beverly Blvd. - Beverly Hills323-655-8300
Trying to pass juice off as a meal is blasphemy for those who organize their days around when and where they can procure sustenance. (Not that we know anyone who does that.) Still, the concoctions flowing out of BHJC are so varied (there are 38 options), so good for you (nutrient-packed E3 and wheat grass can be added to any blend), and made with so much love (owner David Otto wakes daily at 2:30 a.m. to snag the market’s freshest produce), that they should count for at least a feel-good snack, if not a health-centric dessert. The Banana Manna alternative ice cream will make believers out of even the most skeptical eaters.
Cru
1521 Griffith Park Blvd. - Los Angeles323-667-1551
Don’t let the raw-food title send you running to the shelter of the nearest McDonald’s. Raw cooking doesn’t have to mean vegetable platters and bowls of undistinguishable goo masquerading as a meal. Cru will crush your preconceived notions with entrees like raw pizza, ravioli and pad thai. A few warmer options, like the pumpkinseed walnut chorizo wrap, are available too. Cru also offers cooking classes, so you can learn to pump out healthy eats from your very own kitchen without even having to turn on the oven.
The Flowering Tree
8253 Santa Monica Blvd. - West Hollywood323-654-4332
Yes, organic vegetarian cuisine sounds a trifle dull. But with a five-page menu packed with options like salmon burgers, stuffed avocadoes and cashew asteroid cookies, you’ll certainly find something tasty to liven up your meal, your self and your health. The surprise guest on this mostly omnivorous menu is chicken, which is featured in a number of protein-leaning entrees.
Govinda's Natural Food Restaurant
3764 Watseka Ave. - Los Angeles310-836-1269
Buffet enthusiasts might think they’re S.O.L. when it comes to finding healthy, sneeze-guard-protected dining options. Luckily, Govinda’s Natural Food Restaurant features a cheap ($7!) all-you-can-eat buffet of vegan and vegetarian options, not to mention halavah for dessert. The buffet is the perfect place to dip your toes into the health food waters, as you can sample a variety of detoxifying dining options from the rotating menu. (Creamy pesto pasta? Heck yeah! Banana squash chowder? What the hell!) The restaurant is located in a Hare Krishna temple, so you get a side of cultural experience with your meal. There's also a bookshop upstairs, where you can research your next move towards self-improvement.
Le Pain Quotidien
8607 Melrose Avenue - West Hollywood310-854-3700
With a name that translates to “the daily bread,” Le Pain Quotidien doesn’t need to twist our arms to make us eat healthy. The restaurant, with locations all over L.A., features an eclectic menu including everything from seaweed salad to quiche Lorraine and coconut macaroons. The common thread is that everything is organic and cooked, baked, wrapped and whipped with your optimal health in mind. Le Pain’s stated goal is to do “what’s best for our bodies, our community and our earth.” Bless their souls for including carbs in this mission.
M Café de Chaya
7119 Melrose Ave. - Los Angeles323-525-0588
Perhaps the closest your diet gets to macrobiotic is the occasional Big Mac. M Cafe de Chaya will change your ways with its macrobiotic-for-the-masses menu, which includes tasty and diverse options like Bi Bim Bop (a rice bowl of fried tofu, vegetables, spicy miso sauce and kimchi), a hummus-and-falafel wrap, and fresh-baked cakes and pastries—all free of refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat and poultry. Those craving a heartier fix can try M Chaya’s Big Macro, complete with special sauce and organic fries. It might just inspire you to swap golden arches for whole-grain starches permanently.
Rainbow Acres Natural Foods
13208 W. Washington Blvd. - Los Angeles310-306-8330
This deli and health-food store offers organic wraps, sandwiches (try the tuna and avocado on wheat), soups, and freshly liquefied fruit smoothies and juices. After you eat here, you can pick up everything you need to recreate your healthy meal at home. Yes, Toto, somewhere over the rainbow, there’s a health food fanatic in you.
Real Food Daily
514 Santa Monica Blvd. - Santa Monica310-451-7544
There’s really no arguing with a get-healthy plan that promotes well-being through daily chow-downs. This is the premise of Real Food Daily. Don’t judge the restaurant and bakery by its vegan title—RFD specializes in a wide variety of organic fare including breads, soups, desserts and entrees. Ease your way into health with entrees like the TV Dinner, which includes tempeh vegetable loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. Is it comfort food? Is it health food? Saints be praised, it’s both!
Real Raw Live
5913 Franklin Ave. - Los Angeles323-461-4545
While RRL offers wraps, salads and snacks, the names of the detox game here is juice. The meticulous staff can whip up a laundry list of juices, smoothies and wellness shots—try the Hangover Tonic if you’re still not quite recovered from New Year’s Eve—that’ll have you feeling as fresh as that ubiquitous New Year’s baby. Smoothies like the French Toast (pecans, walnuts, buckwheat, allspice, almond milk, maple syrup, ground flax and cinnamon) and the Chocolate Alchemist are delicious enough to make you forget they’re also ridiculously good for you.
Seed Kitchen
1604 Pacific Ave. - Venice310-396-1604
If we are what we eat, we must also be where we eat. In that vein, Seed is a feel-good place on which to model your diet and yourself. The restaurant is committed to local organic produce, ecological sustainability, vegan and macrobiotic fare, biodegradable packaging, and responsible business practices. The restaurants doesn’t even use nonstick pans. And the food is darn good, too. The fare includes curry, Asian kale and a sweet tribute to the ultimate macrobiotic material girl, Madonna’s Chocolate Mousse.
What other people are saying...
Angel from mid-wilshire - January 08, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Great choices in restaurats. Eating vegan is not only healthier for humans, it is healthier for the planet. Be aware of your actions. It is real...
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