Greenleaf Introduces Wine and Beer Paired with Salad Program

With meetings, social activities and a never-ending to-do list to fit in, many of us don't make time for lunch and so it often consists of scarfing down a sandwich in the car on the way from point A to point B. Wouldn’t it be a nice change of pace to experience a sit-down lunch, especially if that involved a gourmet salad paired with a refreshing glass of wine?

The masterminds behind Century City’s Greenleaf are on the exact same page. The beloved chopshop on Century Park East known for serving custom-made sandwiches, salads and hot entrees sourced from locally grown ingredients, has officially launched an all-day beer and wine program in an attempt to provide a healthy “business lunch.”

“I think a lot of people treat lunch as kind of a necessary evil almost sometimes. They’re in, they’re out, they’re running around and try to just throw it in the day wherever it can fit and part of what we do is just bring elements to the menu that allow for a little bit more of a casual relaxed experience,” says Greenleaf owner Jonathan Rollo.

In order to craft the perfect wine pairings, Rollo personally visited every vineyard he has partnered with and hand-selected Greenleaf’s collection of wines, aiming to keep the customer price points below $10 a glass (the majority are $6-$7). More than 90 percent of the bottles are from California suppliers, with an emphasis placed on securing organic and biodynamic products.

“I tried to get as many organic wines as possible,” explains Rollo. “My two favorites come from Alma Rosa, which is just up in Santa Barbara. They do a really excellent Pino Gris and an awesome Chardonnay that has been very popular.”

In order to ensure the organic wines stay as fresh as possible, Greenleaf keeps its inventory low, which, according to Rollo can result in the restaurant occasionally running out. “That’s the tradeoff we have to make,” explains Rollo, who prides himself on keeping the freshest ingredients stocked in the restaurant, making no exception for wines.

In addition to wine, a diverse all day beer menu is now available at Greenleaf. The menu includes selections from local breweries such as Stone from Escondido, as well as healthier options such as the Green Lakes Organic Pale Ale. Glasses are $3 or $4 each.

The program officially launched Monday and, according to Rollo, has been receiving a very positive reaction. “Even those on the clock have been very excited,” jokes Rollo. “We’re not condoning drinking on the clock but there are a lot of tourists in the area, people here with friends from out of town, and people that are not on the clock that are part of our lunch crowd.”

All day drinks have also been popular among companies that are entertaining clients, says Rollo. “There’s a lot of casual lunches where people are meeting for the first time and they don’t want a super snotty sit-down restaurant with table linens and wait staff. Greenleaf is a happy medium.” In addition, the lunch crowd brings in a lot of agents and financial advisers. “I have had the occasional financial adviser come around and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, the stock market just crashed. Can I have a bottle of wine?’ " jokes Rollo.

In order to promote the program and to celebrate May being National Salad Month, Greenleaf is offering complimentary tastes from the new beer and wine menu with the purchase of a salad of $10 or more (while supplies last). Winemakers themselves will be popping by both the Century City and Beverly Hills location on Thursday to pour samples of wine and to teach customers about specific wine pairings.

“It’s all about education and introducing this to our consumer,” says Rollo. “It’s not just, here have a glass of wine. It’s more of this is why we made this decision. This is why the wines are paired with the salads. It’s introducing the customers to the winemakers and showing them why we pick the products that we do. This is what Greenleaf is.”

The Century City Greenleaf is at 1888 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Phone: 424-239-8700, Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.