Monday, July 14, 2014

Road Trip! LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto



Phil and I were in the Bay Area this weekend and stopped in for lunch at LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto. If you haven't heard about the LYFE Kitchen restaurant chain before, it was started about three years ago by a couple of former McDonald's executives, of all things. Unlike McDonald's, however, LYFE Kitchen promotes healthy eating. Their menu lists the number of calories (less than 600) and the sodium content for each dish. LYFE, by the way, stands for "Love Your Food Everyday." I know, I know, "Everyday" should be two words, but LYFED just doesn't have the same ring to it.


When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a line out the door. Inside, the first thing I noticed was the herb garden in the middle of the restaurant. The second thing I saw was a rack that held a variety of different menus: V for vegan and vegetarian, E for everything, GF for gluten free, and W/B for wine and beer. Obviously, I grabbed the one with the V on it.


Then came the hard part, deciding what to eat among so many great choices! Since it was cooler in the Bay Area than in Sacramento, soup sounded good. I ordered the delicious Sweet Corn Chowder, made with corn, potatoes, peppers, and cashew cream. I was glad I did!




All of the vegan entrées seemed interesting, but I decided to go with Art's Unfried Chick'n, a breaded Gardein chick'n patty served with roasted Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, dried cranberries, and a sauce made from cashew cream and Dijon vinaigrette. I really enjoyed this dish, and the sauce was perfect with the Gardein patty.




I also want to mention the drink that accompanied my lunch. I ordered the Ginger Pomegranate Lemonade, which was sweet and tangy and had a nice little zing to it from the ginger. Loved it!




People were still pouring into the restaurant as we were leaving, and I found myself wishing there were a LYFE Kitchen location in Sacramento. Unfortunately, the Palo Alto location is the nearest one. More information about LYFE Kitchen can be found on their website or their Facebook page. It's definitely worth a visit if you have the opportunity!






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