Where I’m Eating: Bon Vivant Café

[ 0 ] April 2, 2015 | Collaborative Post

A gem in the Del Ray area, Bon Vivant Café and farmer’s market (www.bvfarmfood.com) provides delicious and healthy food in a cozy, family- friendly space. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offering an array of sandwiches, soups, salads, smoothies, beer and wine. It is Bon Vivant’s mission to cook healthy, locally grown and raised food. The dishes are done in a simple home cooked style.

Meatballs @ Bon Vivant Café

Healthy fats such as coconut oil, butter from grass-fed cows, olive oil and avocado are used to delicious effect. Only free- pastured, antibiotic & steroid free, grass-fed meats are used. Honey and Agave Nectar are used for sweeteners as sugar has been banned from the kitchen. There are dishes to appeal to vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, and paleo diets. The farmer’s market offers local all natural meats, cheeses, preserves and more.

My favorite dishes include the Kale and chickpea soup, a vegan soup that has wonderful flavor and luxurious body thanks to pureed chickpeas and coconut oil. Salmon tartar is a wonderfully harmonious dish, the richness of the salmon against mild arugula and the light acidity of lemon dressing is perfectly balanced. The tarragon chicken salad is the best chicken salad I have ever tasted. The sandwich is incredibly delicious, mixing subtly sweet notes from cranberries with savory tarragon. The texture is perfect, smooth without being heavy. The parfait was surprisingly delicious, a deconstructed grain and dairy free key lime pie, a crust of cashews and dates with a mousse of avocados, coconut oil, key lime juice, honey and salt, sprinkled with chocolate shavings.

Will I return? For this fresh flavor, my answer is absolutely yes.