Vegetables

When Gjelina was in its construction phase, people would often ask me what the “concept” was for the new restaurant, which is a question I generally try to avoid. I would reply somewhat sheepishly that I wanted to focus primarily on small seasonal vegetable dishes, and more often than not people would look at me with a good-luck-with-that kind of expression and walk off.

Admittedly, paying top-dollar Los Angeles rents and selling eight-dollar vegetable sides did seem a little off. Our menu offerings are actually much wider ranging, but the reality is that our vegetable dishes attract people and serve as the centerpiece of the Gjelina dining experience. Our focus on vegetables made us a twice-a-week (or more) kind of establishment for many folks in our neighborhood, rather than a place you only go to occasionally for a celebratory steak or fish.