Dining in OC is one of the best parts about living here. There are endless choices of restaurants from all over the world with menus that are sure to satisfy everyone. So, why is it that whenever I go out to eat with my friends or family I can never decide where to go that will make everyone happy?
Disclaimer: I received one or more of the following items for free for the purpose of a review. I was not obligated to give this restaurant a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are of my own. – See more at: https://www.eatdrinkoc.com/restaurant-review/#sthash.gnuCKldG.dpuf
Disclaimer: I received one or more of the following items for free for the purpose of a review. I was not obligated to give this restaurant a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are of my own. – See more at: https://www.eatdrinkoc.com/restaurant-review/#sthash.gnuCKldG.dpuf
Well, I can tell you that I officially no longer have that problem. I recently dined at “Tender Greens” in the Irvine Spectrum and I was amazed at how large their menu was. I am a meat eater through and through and while I love a good hearty salad I also love meat and chicken. This place did not disappoint. From the moment you walk inside you will be delighted by the freshness this restaurant exudes. The first thing I noticed when I entered was how unbelievably clean it was. The layout of the restaurant is very open and airy and because of this there is a lot of natural light coming into the restaurant.
The wood-walled paneling and rustic glow really gives guests a feel for the ambiance this restaurant has. The decor is really fun too. It’s sleek, modern, and casual with a lot of conversational light fixtures and paintings. For guests who like to dine al fresco there is a large outside patio that is completely covered so there is a lot of shade to protect you from the sun.
Tender greens is what you call a fast-casual restaurant. However, I would classify it as slow food done fast. Entrees are chef inspired, farmers market dishes at an affordable price. You order at the counter and they bring your food to you. It is quick and efficient and I never witnessed anyone having to wait for very long. I dined with my husband on this occassion so we both placed our orders and then moved down the counter to order our drinks and our dessert. What I love about this place is that you can see everything that is being prepared along the way. All the salads are hand tossed, and all of the ingredients are are right in front of you.
For our drinks we chose the Watermelon Agua Fresca, Green Tea, and a Natural Root Beer. I am madly in love with the Watermelon Fresca and it is now my all time favorite beverage. It was sweet and refreshing and I probably could have drank like 3 more glasses. The root beer was also delicious and light. It had a very unique flavor and was not full of syrup like regular root beer is.
I ordered the fried Chicken entree and the Roasted Roma Tomato Soup. This was the best fried chicken I have ever had. If you look up the word tender in the dictionary here is what you will find: Tend-der (adjective): softordelicateinsubstance;nothardortough. My chicken was exactly that. It was moist and not the least bit greasy. I enjoyed the subtle hint of buttermilk , Rosemary and Thyme. The potatoes were pillowy and soft and the Crostini was a welcome addition to my butter lettuce salad. The dressing on my salad was not too heavy and all the flavors really came together nicely.
My soup was also quite tasty. You can see the basil oil and the cibbatta croutons. This soup really warmed me up. Even the bowl it was served it was appealing.
My husband ordered the Seafood Soup of the day, the Backyard Marinated Steak and the Kale and Salami Salad. Everything in this salad was full of flavor. The fingerling potatoes were buttery and tender and the chickpeas were flash fried and had a nice, light crunch. Best of all was the Balistreri salami. It was thick and hearty as was the kale. My husband said the garlic vinaigrette was tangy and not too strong. With such a thick leafy green you really need to coat this salad.
His steak was cooked to medium and came out in thin slices with a nice selection of grilled vegetables.
Check out the chunks of fish in this soup!
Of course no good meal goes unfinished without dessert so we each chose a dessert from one of the many delectable choices. There is an in house pastry chef that makes all the desserts. I chose the Citrus Olive Cake (not pictured here) which I highly recommend and my husband chose the Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Bar, also highly recommended. I had a taste of his and it was like the worlds best Reese’s peanut butter cup.
Below are some of the other desserts I photographed. You can really see the attention to detail the pastry chef has.
We had a wonderful experience and cannot wait to bring our friends who are visiting from out of town here next week. I think they will be just as impressed as we were.
Here are a few things about Irvine’s Tender Greens you might not know:
The artwork inside this location was created by “123 Klan” and was created to capture the feel of the community.
The eco-friendly design consists mostly of reclaimed, recycled and environmentally friendly materials.
Most of their produce comes fresh picked daily from Scarborough Farms in Oxnard, an investor in Tender Greens, who provides the restaurants with fresh-picked produce daily in reusable eco-friendly containers.
The Head Chef is Michael Caissie. You can read his full profile here
Here is the Full Menu for Tender Greens Irvine Spectrum. You can also find them on Facebook and on Twitter
Disclaimer: I received one or more of the following items for free for the purpose of a review. I was not obligated to give this restaurant a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are of my own.
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