I am loving this overcast slightly chilly weather! After SoCal reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit last week, and we spent Labor Day long weekend in Vegas last weekend where it heated to 106, this temp in the 70s is luxurious. It also made for the perfect running weather yesterday at lunch. We hit a 3-miler, which was great, because it earned me a guilt-free trip to True Food Kitchen for dinner.

A coworker had seen Dr. Andrew Weil’s (of the anti-inflammatory foods concept) restaurant venture on the news and knowing that Mr. W and I are health-foodies, given us the heads up. I looked up the Yelp reviews and was determined to go. This new branch at the open-air Fashion Island is only a month old, and reviewed at 4 and 5 stars, with a couple of fast-food hicks complaining about its portion size and what-not in barely coherent sentences giving it 1-2 stars (which reviews I disregarded). Knowing that Ann loves a certain Charlie Palmer restaurant/bar attached to Bloomingdale’s, I asked her if she’d like to meet for happy hour drinks at Charlie Palmer and then try out True Food Kitchen for dinner afterwards. Turned out True Food Kitchen doesn’t take reservations for groups under 8 people, and walk-ins have very long waits after 5:30 pm, and Ann had some logistics obstacles that made her unavailable that early, so I thought we resolved everything by arranging to have Ann meet us at Charlie Palmer AFTER Mr. W and I ate first at True Food Kitchen. Ann loves the food at Charlie Palmer and would like to eat there anyhow.

Mr. W and I got to True Food Kitchen right before 5:30p, and as promised by the hostess on the phone, we were seated right away. We walked by the fresh-smelling bar loaded with whole ginger, fruits, kale, and went to the patio seating in the nice sunny (but not hot!) evening, right up against the living plant wall. We had a hard time deciding what to order; the menu looked incredible. The waitress informed us that all ingredients are fresh, healthy and organic whenever possible, purchased from local farmers markets. The restaurant even purifies its own still and sparkling water! We started with a ginger margarita (made with fresh ginger they juice at the bar and limes, not mixers) for hubby, and an antioxidant fresh juice called the Medicine Man (Olivello Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Cranberry Juice, Black Tea, Soda Water & Muddled Blueberries, $6) for me. Hubby is now ruined as to all other drinks, he told me. This was my first experience with olivello juice, made from a highly nutritive sea berry, and it was delicious! Next we shared an herb hummus appetizer ($8). Coarsely ground and flavorful, which we enjoyed, tasting like a less-processed version of other hummus we’d had. Their house-made pita bread was fresh and soft. For entrees, he ordered the Omega-3 Spaghetti Puttanesca (cooked Ahi Tuna, Organic Tomatoes, Capers, Olives, Parmesan, $16) and I ordered the Roasted Garlic, Wild Mushroom & Tuscan Kale Pizza ($11). He was amazed at how flavorful his pasta was, and surprised at the unexpected perfect integration of fish in lieu of less healthy meatballs. As for my pizza, I think my eyes rolled back into my head and stayed there for a few minutes. It was THE most savory pizza I’d ever had, and I couldn’t believe it was healthy, the dough made of organic flour, spelt and flax seed.

I’d never thought of kale as a pizza topping, and it added terrific texture without robbing any of the taste from the wild ‘shrooms. Spinach couldn’t do that. People who complained about portion size, by the way, must be used to supersizing their burger meals and eating entire large fast food pizzas on their own. The sizes here were great, I had to take half of the 8-slice personal pizza home. (And I have it right here for lunch today, I can’t wait!) Dinner turned out so much better than our expectations that we gave dessert a try. I was curious about the lemon olive oil cake with Greek yogurt and strawberries, so I ordered it.

Couldn’t taste the olive oil, but it kept the lemon cake moist and saturated-fat-free. The yogurt wasn’t overly tart like I’d expected, but offset the cake and organic strawberries perfectly. The sauce isn’t syrup, but frothed strawberry puree. Light and delicious. Hubby ordered a flourless chocolate cake (78% cocoa, I think they wrote on the menu), which was topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, garnished with a generous sprinkling of cocoa nibs. The flourless cake was sitting in a small pool of caramel sauce. I thought it was great, the cake melted in my mouth, but hubby thought it was too sweet, not being a dessert fan. He WAS, however, extremely impressed with his organic coffee, which he had black, and it was rich and flavorful with no acidic aftertaste. Total damage given 2 drinks, 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, 1 coffee: $74 including tax. Not bad!! The stuff was healthy fine dining in a casual clean and trendy environment. Where else can we find all this? The waitress was terrific, too. She was young (they all were), but very competent and knew the food and concept. She was also prompt, attentive, the food arrived dizzyingly fast, and I saw that she’d thoughtfully written on my leftover pizza box “Wild mushroom pizza, 9/8.” How many times have we dug thru our fridge and pulled out mystery boxes and said, “What the heck is in HERE? How long’s it been there? Why’s it so furry?”

Our outdoor dining seat faced Bloomingdale’s across the parking lot, so even though I couldn’t see Charlie Palmer restaurant from where we were, I knew it would be a short walk. I texted Ann as we were finishing dessert that we were nearly done and would be on our way to meet her soon. She texted back that she was leaving her house to Charlie Palmer. I confirmed with her that yes, Charlie Palmer is attached to Bloomie’s, and she soon texted that she was already there, and Mr. W and I started walking. We soon realized we were looking at a Bloomingdale’s Home Store and not the department store, so we entered the mall and checked the directory. A helpful concierge at this rich mall came by and asked if he could help us find our destination. I explained what were were looking for, and he seemed confused for a moment, then pointed us out the two glass doors on the other side, told us to go around the corner, and that the restaurant would be there by Bloomingdale’s department store, but that it was called 59th & Lex Cafe, not Charlie Palmer. I thanked him and walked off with hubby, saying, “Oh, I wonder why Ann’s always called it Charlie Palmer.” Maybe that’s the old name? Maybe the bar has a separate name from the restaurant, like Downtown Disney’s Catal and Uva Bar? We soon walked to Bloomie’s, and then around it, and then hit a parking lot. We went around to another side again. I was confused and called Ann.
“We’re lost, is there a separate story?” I asked her.
“What? Where are you?” she asked. I could hear other patrons happily buzzing in the background.
“We’re right in front of Bloomingdale’s, but we’ve walked around twice and can’t find it. We’re looking at a Yard House.”
“… Are you sure you’re at South Coast Plaza?”
!!! “…no…”
As Ann laughed at me, I wailed to Mr. W, “We’re at the wrong mall!!” These darn outdoor rich people’s malls have always been interchangeable to me. As he was feeling icky from a long weekend of bad eating in Vegas, he asked me to tell Ann we’re sorry we missed her, and that’s how we stood up my friend, Ann, who I now owe at least 2 drinks to for being a putz. I’m sorry, Ann!!