Whole Life Times: Sustainable is the New Sexy

February 2008 | Tastebuds

Sustainable is the New Sexy

LA’s best green-friendly date nights

By Lucinda Michele Knapp

A romantic evening out is a great way to build up an appetite for luh-uv. But for foodies who value sustainability, a Valentine’s date chez ConAgra is probably the ultimate dealbreaker. GMOs? Sorry, I’m washing my hair tonight. Pesticides and hormones? Thanks, but I’ve got a boyfriend. Nonorganic strawberries for our lovey-dovey fondue? Maybe lose my number, ok? Factory-farmed veal when I’m a veg-head? I’m calling the cops, you creep!

It doesn’t have to end this way, young lovebirds. LA offers a veritable cornucopia of environmentally-responsible, sustainably-fished or farmed and free-range food. If your sweetie is a greenie, you’ll have no reservations about supporting the eco-smart businesses listed in this round up. As for actual reservations at the restaurants themselves, better get a move on. These places fill up fast.

Madeleine Bistro
18621 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana.
818.758.6971

Regularly compared to Millenium in SF, Madeleine may be the best all-vegan dining in southern California. Savory and full of flavor, their no and faux-meat dishes are often better than the real thing. Sample highlights of their menu, such as the beet tartare or grilled “cheese” with tempeh bacon (melty and crisp, like a good cheese sammy should be). Splitting beignets, flourless chocolate cake or bananas Foster over candlelight will put a cap on the perfect date night, or stage a blissful post-V-Day brunch starring their show-stopping, vegan fried-chicken-and-waffles.

Elf
2135 W Sunset Blvd., Echo Park.
213.484. 6829

The delicate darling of the Eastside, wee Elf Café (yes, it’s named that because it’s so tiny) was opened by a small collective of local vegetarian folk-rockers, yogaheads and spiritual seekers — in short, peeps who think as carefully about the food they eat as the art they make. Be the beneficiary of their attention to detail when you order tartlets of red pepper and roasted tomatoes with feta, fool mudammas (a roasted garlic and lemon-lashed fava bean puree), gorgonzola mac and cheese and seasonal fruit tarte tatin — all of which are so tastebud-twirling they’ll leave the two of you giggling at the table. Low, warm lighting enhances the romance factor. Organic wines are available next door for a small corkage fee back at Elf.

Inn of the Seventh Ray
128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd., Topanga.
310.455.1311

Definitely reserve this one ahead of time, kids. In the sylvan glade and longtime hippie haven that is Topanga Canyon, Inn of the Seventh Ray occupies a English cottage-style home (rumored to once have been a moonshine factory) built into the ravine among sycamores and oaks. The soothing trees bend low over diners in the cozy cottage and romantic garden, where candles flicker, delicate white lights loop the branches and a rose petal-strewn fountain gently burbles. The food is lavish, ranging from the light (raw vegan tapas) to the rich (duck breast with Portobello mushrooms in an apricot glaze). Where meat does appear, it’s free-range and grass-fed.

The Restaurant at the Getty
1200 Getty Center Dr., Brentwood.
310.440.7300

The only way the experience of eating at the Getty Museum could possibly be improved would be if you could eat the view. Short of that, you and your date can stare dreamily out to sea as you sup on local, seasonable dishes, all of which change regularly depending on what fresh ingredients are available. If fish is your fave, trust that all seafood on this menu conforms to guidelines recommended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. The museum closes early on Valentine’s Day, but they’ve prepared a prix fixe afternoon menu (and you’ll need light to enjoy LA’s greatest lookout, any way). We suggest kidnapping your sweetie from work for a leisurely lunch on the hill.

Blue Velvet
750 S. Garland Ave., Los Angeles.
213.239.0061

Another room with a view, Blue Velvet’s eco-consciousness extends beyond the food itself: the luxe design within, instantly both cosmopolitan and cozy, consists of dual-glazed windows made without lead and very low iron (much more energy efficient), formaldehyde-free paneling pressed from wheat and sunflower hulls, and renewable timbers like bamboo. And of course, with Kris Morningstar as exec chef (AOC, Grace), the foodstuffs are sourced locally, from Oxnard, the Farmers’ Market in Santa Monica and even Blue Velvet’s rooftop garden. Split locavore faves, gaze at the city skyline, and feel like the true in-the-know urbanite that you are.

Paru’s
5140 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles.
323.661.7600

A bejeweled treasure trove of all-veggie goodness, Paru’s has been dishing up vegetarian south-Indian style food in this tiny garden restaurant for over 30 years. Its low, decorated ceiling, golden wall tapestries, images of Indian sages and large plates — from which two diners can comfortably share — has made Paru’s a well-loved dating destination. Sample crispy, steaming samosas, rich dal lentil soup, roasted dosas with mild curried fillings and gulab jamun for dessert, made with cream and a little flour in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom, rosewater and saffron — incidentally, natural aphrodisiacs.

Hokusai
8400 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.
323.782.9717

Sushi is a difficult nut to crack when it comes to eco-responsibility. Fish is on the forefront of recent ecological battles: overfishing, farmed fish, chemically treated and colored fish, even fish as repositories for heavy metals (mercury with your maki, anyone?). Not very romantic… but we love our sushi so. What’s an eco-sensitive soul to do? Grab your date and head to Hokusai. It’s one of the first U.S. restaurants to serve Kindai, a sustainably-farmed bluefin tuna (raised in a process developed by Kinki University in Osaka over several decades to the tune of $60 million). Jeff Nitta, Hokusai’s owner, says it costs about the same as wild caught — which is quite expensive because of severe over fishing and high demand — “but the quality is much better, and the sustainability of it is great.”

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