Our culinary columnist gives meatless dining an overdue deep dive.
How’s that New Year’s resolution to lose weight going? If you are feverishly hitting the gym but not seeing any results, it may be because of your diet. Think about it. Any amount of working out won’t matter if you’re dining poorly – and by poorly I mean a lack of nutrient-dense, whole ingredients and meals.
Cooking at home and having complete control over what you’re consuming is an ideal scenario. However, we live in a society that enjoys stepping out or meeting friends to share a meal. If you want to take some of that control back, try suggesting places in the future with many healthy selections and not just an eatery that considers tagging vegetarian/vegan dishes on its menu to be doing its part to promote a well-balanced lifestyle.
Below are a few established, heart-healthy brands in Orange County that I’ve “paired” with newer restaurants possessing comparable characteristics to lead you down a path of variety.
PHOTO 1: Three menu items from Sweetgreen, from left: the BBQ chicken salad, Italian chopped salad and the elote bowl. PHOTO 2: A close up of Sweetgreen's Italian chopped salad. Photos courtesy of Sweetgreen
If You Like Cava, Check Out Sweetgreen
With six locations in O.C. (Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Irvine [Woodbury], Irvine [Barranca], Costa Mesa and Anaheim Hills), Cava’s cafeteria-line method of ordering has allowed diners to view ingredients before committing to anything. This Mediterranean-style Chipotle gets the job done and has been doing so around here since 2016. As much as I prefer Mediterranean foods like nutrient-dense falafel, roasted eggplant and spicy feta, these same flavors would eventually bore me. Cava also serves optional animal proteins for those who do not lead a meat-free lifestyle.
Sweetgreen would solve my Cava issue with local storefronts at Irvine Spectrum, Tustin and Huntington Beach. Mexican, Italian plus Asian and American flavors and ingredients provide much needed variety; my current go-to Sweetgreen dish (when I’m not crafting my own meal) is a miso-glazed salmon protein plate that includes pickled onions, nori sesame seasoning and spicy cashews. Like Cava, Sweetgreen provides more than one animal protein for interested eaters.
Touch-screen ordering in Huntington Beach currently replaces cashiers receiving and ringing up orders. Workers could now focus on quality control and assist with ordering inquiries. Behind the counter, newer technology is mostly self-sufficient in order fulfillment – except when it comes to replenishing ingredients. Inputting an order and then watching it being assembled by a machine feels like something out of the recent “Wonka” remake.
“Our focus is always on elevating the quality and integrity of our food by partnering with trusted suppliers to better serve our guests and community,” said Jonathan Neman, CEO and Co-Founder of Sweetgreen. “We’re thrilled to welcome this community to their newest Sweetgreen home for a taste of the fresh, quality and thoughtfully sourced ingredients.”
Menu items from The Plot. PHOTO 1: The shepherds pie with meatless gravy, topped with mashed potato and served with seasonal veggies. Photo courtesy of John Dole. PHOTO 2: Chilaquiles with roasted chile salsa with charred herbs, tortilla chips, tomatoes, beans, quefaux fresco and cilantro. Photo courtesy of Israel Palacio. PHOTO 3: Plot Cake with Spanish olive oil, vanilla crème and fruit. Photo courtesy of The Plot. PHOTO 4: The Plot interior in Costa Mesa. Photo courtesy of Kimberly Motos
If You Like Veggie Grill, Check Out Vibe Organic Kitchen
Veggies, grains and other plant-based ingredients are manipulated to resemble the likeness in texture of chicken, beef or even fish at Veggie Grill before being factored into grain bowls, appetizers and sandwiches. When VG launched in Irvine in 2006, it was a success and (at the time) I considered it a baseline for similar fast-casual restaurants. Sweetheart fries and a Santa Fe Chick’n sandwich were my usual meal there. Like the menu at Cava, I grew tired of Veggie Grill’s menu and stopped going.
Note: Oregon-based Next Level Burger recently acquired Veggie Grill and is now referred to as Veggie Grill by Next Level as of January 2024. It may be worth checking out in the next few months to see if newer dishes have boosted the menu.
For the past few years I would drive by Vibe Organic Kitchen and Juice upon leaving Moulin in Newport Beach (with newer locations in Costa Mesa and Dana Point), wondering if/when I should give Vibe a chance. That chance was earlier this year while working on a YouTube video with Dzung Lewis (aka @honeysuckle on social media). We met up for a late breakfast/early lunch at Vibe and by the time we departed, I wished I had tried its menu sooner. We devoured brekkie tacos stuffed with cauliflower scramble, a Mediterranean bowl with black lentils, and an avocado Caesar wrap; this was washed down with a turmeric tonic shot and Ironman smoothie. Vibe Organic Kitchen is the type of menu I seek during times such as Lent or after returning from vacation. There’s more than enough variety offered, and I plan to return the next time I’m in the area for a meal.
Although Vibe has been around since 2017, it’s still new to me.
If You Like Seabirds Kitchen, Check Out The Plot
I still remember Seabirds as a popular food truck. When this vegan kitchen on wheels transitioned into a Costa Mesa brick-and-mortar inside The LAB Anti-Mall, the hip, stationary location suited this brand. Was Seabirds Kitchen doing well enough for it to expand into a South Coast Plaza vacancy down the street? The short answer was no – although I think being temporarily closed in its newer location due to the pandemic had something to do with it. My favorite items were the tacos, especially the beer-battered avocado ones.
Coincidentally taking over a previous vegan dining room named Native Foods, The Plot is an Oceanside-based mini-chain of meatless wonders across the street from Seabirds, at The Camp. It has received San Diego Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant of the Year” in 2020, among other accolades. The Plot is unique in that it even maintains its own garden to grow some ingredients used in the brand’s three kitchens. It’s also the only spot out of the six I have yet to dine at (something I plan to fix sooner rather than later), so my recommendations aren’t available. Responsibly sourced ingredients make up the bulk of an eclectic menu – I’m eyeing Plot’s goddess salad, biscuits and gravy, and a ”Spam” kimchi bowl.
Healthier lifestyles aren't always about dining meat-free, though. It’s about making better decisions about one’s diet. It also means fewer processed foods. Opting out of animal proteins is better for our ecosystem overall, but it is up to each individual to make the choice that is right for them.
