Five Top Hidden Menu-Crouching Vegetarian Meals In Paleo LA

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Vegetarian dishes find their way onto most mainstream restaurant most brunch menus.   These international dishes that make up filling meals even for a paleo at these spiffy, popular places, well known for their massive bar scenes – and Fogo de Chao is, of course, known for its Brazilian beef.

Texture is key to a sated appetite. You can alway seat plate fulls of lettuce and still be “hungry.”  I’ll always remember the mushroom burger I had at the Four Seasons (on Doheny in LA) that was a good as any beef burger — and I am a confirmed paleo.

Ysabel and Laurel Hardware in WeHo, Executive Chef Allison Trent creates both savory and fruit salads art pieces.  A veggie salad, fresh berry dessert with assorted Hand-Rolled Pastries makes a light meal any time of the day.  Arefreshing pinot grigio from their well-stocked bar to make it the perfect festive meal.

 

Ysabel, 945 N. Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA,  please visit //www.ysabel.la/ or call 323-366-2940.

At Fogo de Chão the expansive, festive  seasonal Market Table —   about 12 by 18 feet –hold a multitude of vegetarian platters, including seasonal dishes, others back by popular demand.  The Citrus Salad alone is so popular that the platter, made fresh each round, kept emptying.  Ruby red grapefruit , oranges, tangerines and blood oranges are finished off with a drizzle of agave syrup and sprigs of fresh mint.

The Blackberry Arugula Salad features fresh blackberries and spring onions topped with goat cheese, crispy prosciutto and served with a blackberry balsamic vinaigrette.

 

Baskets of Brazilian yucca-flour cheese puffs, pão de queijo, put mini-popovers in mind with their paper-crisp exterior and spongy interior remain just as addictive.

 

For more menu information on the Fogo de Chão Beverly Hills, please visit //www.fogo.com.

Corn with a swirl of sumac oil and a black bean falafel floating on it, remains the star of the show at Upper West Restaurant. A steady parade of waiters march out of the upscale tavern’s kitchen with what has become a signature item.  Diners not only rave about it as “straightforward and honest,” but won’t allow Chef Nick Shipp to take it off the menu.  As Chef Nick tells the story, “When we opened we had a lot of requests for soup. Yellow corn is one of my favorites because of the texture, the mouth feel, the sweetness and the versatility of it.

Chef Nick laughs when asked about making homey vegetables so popular. “I approach things with a certain simplicity, and good flavor is key. And if it’s healthy, too, then that’s great. “

Upper West Restaurant, 3321 W. Pico Blvd. (33^rd Street), Santa Monica, CA.  (310) 586-1111, www.theupperwest.com.

And speaking of stellar, unusual ways of using corn, Petite Taqueria ‘s Corn Pancakes with candied corn, mascarpone, agave piloncillo butter are  more than a meal in themselves.

 

Petite Taqueria / Ainoko 755 N. La Cienega, West Hollywood, (310) 855.7223.