Healthful dining at heart of Greens and Proteins
Greens and Proteins, 8975 S. Eastern Ave., is the kind of restaurant where you can order fast food that actually makes you feel good about eating fast food, co-owner Jeff Kovatch says .
The restaurant, next to a busy gym, offers a menu filled with comfort food including burgers, fries, pizzas and shakes. Jicima fries, ostrich burgers and vegan pizzas, that is.
If that isn't healthful enough for you, they also offer a "build-your-own-meal" option that is less than 500 calories. It includes a protein, such as salmon or filet mignon, vegetables and a sauce. There are smoothies and fresh juices, too.
Greens and Proteins opened in January. Kovatch and his partners already had a successful restaurant, Republic Kitchen and Bar, that featured a healthful menu for people who followed the HCG diet, which calls for low-calorie meals made up of certain combinations of proteins and vegetables.
It was so successful, Kovatch says, that he and his partners were inspired to open a healthful kitchen specializing in low-fat, low-calorie foods.
The dining room, which seats about 50, was designed to feel like a place you might find in Southern California, Kovatch says.
Reservations are not required. Greens and Proteins is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Specialties: The Greek Pizza, a pita topped with hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, basil and crumbled feta cheese, $8.99; vegan pizza with vegan cheese, red sauce, tomato slices, spinach, red onion, artichokes, mixed bell peppers, black olives on a lavash, $11.99; bison cheese steak with red onions, peppers and low-fat mozzarella, $10.99; the Green Shake with soy or almond milk, banana, mango, almonds, avocado, green apples, orange, lime, spinach and kale, $7.50
Small plates: tofu fries breaded and baked with a Russian dipping sauce, $5.99; grilled Buffalo chicken breast strips, $7.99; crab and avocado lettuce cups, $9.99
Soups and salads: tortilla soup and seven vegetable broccoli cheese soup, each $4.99; summer berry spinach salad, $6.99 for a small, $12.99 for a large; Skinny Chef salad, small $6.99, large $12.99
Entrees: Turkey BLT with avocado, $9.99; California grilled chicken sandwich, $10.99; grilled vegetable sandwich with beans, squash, zucchini, roasted peppers, pine nuts, cilantro, pesto, $9.99
Information: 541-7800
By SONYA PADGETT
