A shiny new restaurant whose philosophy is ‘love your food everyday’? Of course I need to try it! This place is all about fresh ingredients and being healthy. Not to mention, its white lights are SO bright, you can’t help but notice it in Downtown Culver City at night.

Walk into Lyfe Kitchen, and you might feel like you were in an upscale campus cafeteria, except for the exposed brick walls and fresh herb garden. I mean, it’s pretty cool.

I immediately stood in the order line, and to my left there was a stand with Lyfe’s menus: Lunch/Dinner, Gluten-Free, and Vegan. I really appreciated this aspect, as I know how tough it is for someone who is gluten-free or vegan to decode what they can eat on an establishment’s menu. They also serve wine and beer.

One of the other great things about the menu was that it listed each item’s calorie count and sodium count. There were a bunch of items on the Lunch/Dinner menu that looked good. As I was waiting, a waiter passed out samples of Hibiscus Iced Tea and Cucumber Mint Cooler. Both were refreshing. I was partial to the Cucumber Mint Cooler because of the stronger flavors.

I ended up ordering Tal’s Ancient Grain Bowl. It consisted of stir-fried vegetables, gardein (made from plant-based foods and has a similar texture to lean meat) “beef tips” all over quinoa with a sweet chile-ginger sauce.

It was good, but it wasn’t great. Maybe it’s because I’m a serious carnivore at heart, or I just wanted a little more from it. The flavors were diverse and fresh, but just not savory enough for me; I like my dinner to have a little more flavor to it. Perhaps if Tal’s Ancient Grain Bowl had a thicker and more robust sauce, I’d like the dish more.

Overall, I think this place might be better for lunch than dinner. I would go back to Lyfe and try some of their other dishes. Their quest for healthiness and freshness can’t be beat.  

By Jen Troy