LA Restaurants With Light, Healthy Menus

With the growing desire to eat right, people are trading dinners out with preparing food at home. Restaurants all over LA miss you, so they've added lighter fare that makes it effortless to make the right choices. What are you waiting for? Come back out and play.

Fig & Olive

8490 Melrose Pl
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 360-9100
www.figandolive.com

Executive Chef Pascal Lorange shares his affinity for wholesome ingredients in a French Riviera-inspired menu that showcases LA's bounty. In partnership with five local family farms, a three-course Farmer's Tasting Menu is available. Locally-sourced produce is by far the most nutritionally beneficial and, at the peak of their flavors, that don't require much to enhance them.

"We want to showcase our style of cuisine served at Fig & Olive — simply prepared, flavorful and fresh ingredients with some of the best local farms," says Lorange. "By building relationships with neighboring farms, we are able to source the finest seasonal produce in Southern California. For example, we are sourcing fresh, bright basil and greens from Kenter Canyon Farms, ripe heirloom tomatoes from Country Fresh Herbs, and sweet Cavaillon melon from Weiser Family Farms."

Chi Lin

9201 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 278-2068
www.chi-lin-la.com

Light and healthy are not exactly the adjectives that come to mind when one thinks of Chinese food, unless of course, you go to the opulently-appointed Chi Lin on Sunset Boulevard. The Chi Slim menu offerings cater to the health-conscious eaters who get a hankering for Asian fare. You won't find MSG-laden, deep-fried fare in sight thanks to a collaboration with Chef Cecile Tang (JOSS Cuisine).

Fresh choices with fragrant ingredients like the Quail Consommé (an elixir of Goji berries, succulent longan fruits, quail eggs and ginseng) is sure to be just as delicious as it is good for you. Many of the items on the menu are vegan and gluten free.

Estérel

8555 Beverly Hills
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 358-3979
www.esterelrestaurant.com

At this Francophile destination, you can indulge in refined flavors without the guilt.
Estérel's De-Light menu is filled with balanced and satisfying three-course meals that come in at a dreamy 500 calories. Executive Chef Marius Blin's dishes offer a new spin on French Mediterranean cuisine that can be enjoyed in the sleek four-star Sofitel LA hotel.

Fall course items include the Castroville California artichoke and lobster salad, mache, apple cider dressing (141 calories), lavender honey-roasted duck breast, hazelnut date couscous, apple turnip puree (258 calories), seabass nicoise casserole, pesto sabayon (296 calories) and strawberry rhubarb crispy cobbler (143 calories). Who says you can't watch your waistline and eat dessert, too?

Tortilla Republic

616 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 657-9888
www.tortillarepublic.com

No matter what meal of the day you're hungry for, the stylishly-appointed Tortilla Republic has you covered with flavorful and healthy interpretations of classic Mexican dishes, including gluten-free and wheat-free options. For a textural explosion of snap and crisp, try the Tacos de Jicama, a dish that uses thinly sliced jicama "tortillas" filled with shrimp. All tacos can be ordered "Skinni Style;" go for the pulled Mary's chicken taco wrapped in butter lettuce.

Casa Vega

13301 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 788-4868
www.casavega.com

Anyone who has dined at this valley hideaway is no stranger to their generous portions, but some are not as acquainted with the vegetarian menu items, including the Spinach Enchiladas, a popular vegetarian dish that makes fresh spinach and tomatillos the star. The enchiladas come topped with a fresh salsa verde, made thick and creamy with avocados and a dollop of sour cream in the salsa. In addition, all dishes on the menu (including this one) can be made vegan with soy beef or vegetarian sauces and no cheese/dairy. Cut calories and portion sizes by splitting an entrée with your dining companion. And unlike many Mexican restaurants, lard has been completely done away with in the kitchen.

Katsuya

Multiple Locations
www.sbe.com

Sukini means skinny in Japanese, and it's also your passport to healthy choices when going out to eat. The Sukini Signatures Menu features five dishes high in protein, low in carbs with zero guilt. A nutritional team was brought in to put together this almost too-good-to-be-true menu creating a world where eating out doesn't have to count as a cheat meal. The signatures include options like the Tuna Salsa (seared tuna sashimi served with a "Japanese salsa" including fresh tomatoes, cilantro and avocado) and a more traditional Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno (fresh yellowtail, ponzu and jalapeno).

Joy Bitonio has the phrase "Joie de Vivre" tattooed on her shoulder, a reminder to enjoy life every single day. She has a voracious appetite for fun, adventure, food, good cocktails and works out like a madwoman to keep it all together. Check out her other articles on CBS L.A. She also covers fitness on Examiner. Follow her on Twitter.