Beets and farro salad

Question of the day: Where can we find good vegetarian food near Metro?

One possible answer is LYFE Kitchen in Culver City. (If you have other suggestions, please email us at sourcemetro@gmail.com.)

Admittedly, LYFE is a 15-minute walk from the Culver City Expo Station but hey, walking is healthy. And it’s easy to grab Metro Local 33 bus down Venice Boulevard from the Expo Line Culver City Station to the Cardiff Avenue stop. A short walk and you’re there.

What we find on Culver and Washington avenues is a strip of restaurants too delicious to ignore. Among them is LYFE Kitchen, the latest in a chain of vegetarian fast food restaurants that are becoming the darlings of Millennials, as well as Boomers concerned about the health of their aging bodies. In fact, Advertising Age reports that McDonald’s — a Boomers fav — doesn’t even rank in the top 10 fast food favorites of Millennials, as many as 80 million people, ages 18 to 32.

Ad Age also says that particularly with food, Millennials are trending toward fresh and organic and value companies that are proactive with sustainable farming practices and are environmentally conscious. That might spell vegetarian or meatless, which is what the fast-food industry — and LYFE — seem to be responding to.

On its website LYFE elaborates: “Great food can do amazing things. It can make you feel better. It can support local farms. Promote sustainability. Reward environmentally sound businesses. Give back to the community. And, best of all, it will make you savor every single bite.”

Kabocha squash risotto

LYFE certainly reflects those tastes, as does nearby Tender Greens at 9523 Culver Blvd. Two dishes tasted and enjoyed at LYFE are Kabocha Squash Risotto and the Beets and Farro salad. But the menu includes grilled barramundi white fish with soba noodles, a few Gardein (plant-based chicken or beef substitute) dishes and a classic burger of 100 percent grass-fed beef.

These entrees run in the $9 to $13 range. Add a drink and you can probably count on $15. But seated on the patio on a balmy summer day, the price seems worth it … even though just across the street is Honey’s Kettle yummy greasy fried chicken with biscuits and honey (9537 Culver Blvd. 90232). Being a vegetarian can have its challenges.

Send your suggestions for good vegetarian near Metro (put Dine & Ride in the subject field) to sourcemetro@gmail.com and we’ll post them and put them on our Ride & Dine map.

LYFE Kitchen, 9540 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232