While Sweetgreen is clearly a chain restaurant, it’s the sort of chain restaurant that we don’t mind reviewing because we admire its ethos, the general quality of the food, and honestly its overall vibe.
Their mission, they say, is “Building healthier communities by connecting people to real food.” You simply can’t find fault with that. And they continue: “Our core values guide our actions and we aim to empower our customers, team members and partners to be a positive force on the food system. That’s why we’re building a transparent supply network, why we cook from scratch, and why we’re building a community of people who believe in the power of real food.”
The three founders started Sweetgreen when they were at college, desperately searching for affordable, healthy dining options. “When we were in school, there were two choices: food that was slow, expensive, and fresh—or fast, cheap, and unhealthy,” they say online. “We saw an opportunity to create a business where quality was never sacrificed for convenience. On August 1st 2007, two months after graduating, we opened sweetgreen in Washington DC, and served our first customers with a vision to reimagine fast food.”
Since then, they’ve expanded all over the place, with many locations in Southern California including right here in Culver City. That was our destination on a frankly stressful Sunday afternoon, the air filled with smoke as the fires continued to ravage Los Angeles and cooking the last thing on our mind.
We needed something comforting, and so we sought solace in the Protein Plates section of Sweetgreen’s menu. We opted for the Hot Honey Chicken, described on the menu as, “Blackened chicken, warm roasted sweet potatoes, veg slaw, crispy onions, herbed quinoa, hot honey mustard sauce.”
The quinoa, as advertised, is flavored with delicious herbs and the nutty grain really comes to life. Quinoa is quite tasty anyway, but thanks to the herbs and other ingredients in this dish, it rises to a whole other level.
The sweet potatoes are roasted to perfection, with a fluffy interior and crisp skin. The veg slaw is creamy and slightly tart, which adds a new element, while the crispy onions add some much-needed crunch.
The blackened chicken is awesome; when it seems to be charred, it’s still juicy and tender when bitten. If we have any complaints it’s about the honey-mustard sauce, which feels like a lukewarm salad dressing. Thankfully, they put it on the side, and we could enjoy the rest pof the dish without it.
A success, all told.
Sweetgreen is located at 8840 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232. Call 310-660-7471 or visit sweetgreen.com.