Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Kombucha Workshop

Kombucha Workshop 
Friday, March 30th at 7:00 PM
Cost is $5.00


Cardiobarre (next to Trader Joes)
2975 "B" Cochran St., Simi Valley 93065


RSVP here

SCOBYs (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) will be available to purchase to get you started making your very own Kombucha fermented tea.  There are so many benefits to drinking this delicious probiotic beverage including:  improving digestion, detoxification, preventing arthritis, etc...  Check out this great blog that gives some more insight.  

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Third Thursday Review- PizzaSalad

Pizza for paleos possible? Perhaps!  Certainly, salads satisfy, say the seven samplers!

Okay, now that I have had my fun:

Never has a restaurant name been more descriptive of what you will find on the menu than PizzaSalad, a truly organic pizza and salad (see?) cafe on a main drag in Thousand Oaks.  Since 2008, this family owned business has focused on USDA certified organic ingredients and environmentally friendly practices, as well as sourcing regional family farms when possible.

To say that our group was excited to try an organic pizza would be a slight understatement.  Our first impressions of the storefront were not incredibly favorable, however.  It was a little challenging to find on the first go 'round without a GPS as it is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall on the curve of the street.  Once there, parking is not immediately obvious if there are more than 2 cars out front, but can be found across the parking lot or up behind the restaurant.  There is ample outdoor seating, but without heaters, the evening was just too cold for our group to use the space.  Instead, we pulled a couple of the slightly sticky tables together in the limited indoor area. 

Ordering is done deli style at the counter and then the food is brought out when ready by the friendly staff.  The choices of what to get are endless!  There are several pizzas and salads on the menu as well as the option to create your own of both.  Crusts were whole wheat, (3 sizes), or Gluten Free, (2 sizes) and ranged in price from $9-$23.  We ordered the personal sized Katzi, Meatlover's and Stani Pizzas on the Gluten Free Crust and the Rahi and Riza pizzas on the Whole Wheat crust.  Our average price was $12.  The salads averaged $7.50 but we only tried two: the All Green and the Tsooka.  (Check out the menu for details on each of these items.)

Once again, the food was received with mixed reviews.  Some of us loved the sauce and the thin, crisp GF crust, while others preferred the WW and the veggie toppings.  Some were impressed with the flavors of both the pizza and the salads, while others felt they needed the burst of flavor from a shake of the Parmesan cheese and the red pepper flakes provided on the tables.  We all agreed that the ranch dressing was not memorable but the sweet balsamic dressing was a treat.  Most of us also agreed that this place was worth a return visit.

Bottom Line:
It is pizza people!  If you aren't up for making it at home, PizzaSalad is a great alternative to those unmentionable places that serve something they call pizza.  You can feel confident that you will be getting a tasty, fresh and fairly nutrient dense meal and it won't break the bank.  $$

We gave PizzaSalad 4 forks.
phot0 credit:http://www.gourmetsettings.com/gourmetsettings/content/25-004-4_full.jpg