By Teri Roughen

Lemonade. Just the word conjures up sunshine, picnics, memories of childhood, and the wonderfully simple things in life.

Lemonade the restaurant recently opened in Manhattan Beach with much anticipation from those of us who used to drive to Venice for our Lemonade fix.

So, what can you expect when you get there? Well, for starters the white and yellow, bright, fresh décor hits you like a splash of cold water and is refreshing and airy. It’s clean, simple, and to the point.

Grab a tray and get in line. Oh yeah, it’s cafeteria style. This is a cafeteria like no other, plumped and perfected like a shiny, well, lemon!  

Standing in line, tray in hand, it’s a bit easy to get overwhelmed, but luckily there is someone on the other side of the counter ready and waiting to help you.

I stood in line recently behind a girl of about 10, her eyes as big as saucers and I watched as she peered through the glass discovering and pointing at all of the delights. I found myself doing the same thing and I was eager to try everything I saw.

My best advice is look first, start out with a couple of items, share the “portions,” ask for suggestions, and know you’ll be back again.

The beauty of Lemonade is that you can choose just a salad, or an entire meal that includes braised meats, mac ‘n’ cheese, soup and salad, bread, and of course, dessert!

Keeping it simple, they’ve posted an allergen key in plain view and items are labeled accordingly. Another consideration is their catering menu, which comes via a very user-friendly order form with boxes to check. It’s a perfect solution for our busy lives when we want to serve the closest thing to a home-cooked meal.

I have yet to try everything, but the fun part is going back and discovering something new. I’m partial to the super flavorful red miso beef short ribs, the mac ‘n’ cheese, the avocado and cherry tomato salad (yum), but I would go back for any one of the braised meats (served with greens and rice), especially since I just don’t cook like that at home and when I’m craving a proper hot meal of comfort food, they’re perfect.

The end of the line is like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Their selection of refreshing and lovely lemonades includes blueberry mint, peach ginger, cucumber mint, blood orange, watermelon rosemary, ginger guava, Arnold Palmer, and of course old-fashioned pink or yellow. All are delightfully delicious!

If I owned a restaurant, I’d want it to be called Lemonade. I just love the concept. Their mission is to bring the best seasonal Southern California comfort food and serve it in a modern cafeteria setting.

It was founded four years ago by Alan and Heidi Jackson out of a kitchen catering business they owned. Then about three years ago they teamed up with local Manhattan Beach resident Ian Olsen who had his eye on the perfect location to open Lemonade in his hometown.

 “Our brand is all about its sunny disposition,” Ian told me. “So opening a Lemonade in one of the best beach towns on the left coast was a no brainer.”

The latest Lemonade to open is in the LAX terminal 5. It’s just the kind of place an airport needs; fresh, delicious food served simply and timely. I wish I’d thought of it, but I’m very happy someone did!

Lemonade is located in the Metlox Plaza at 451 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Call (310) 545-5777 or go to lemonadela.com.

Teri Roughen blogs at beachcitylifestyle.com.

It’s a cliché, but we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t lived it. West Coast weather plus girls’ day out plus lunchtime equals a bowl of greens on a sunny patio. With its patches of sea grass and slatted wooden steps, the outdoor dining area at the Beverly Boulevard location of Lemonade looks like a windswept cottage in Southampton.

Photograph by Lisa Romerein

Thanks to heat lamps, generous seating, and the scent of lavender, it’s as comfortable as it is pretty. As for those greens: Customers line up cafeteria style before just-made dishes displayed behind glass, including hearty sandwiches and stews. But the salads here are standouts, prepared with fresh ingredients in intriguing combinations. Roasted cauliflower, for example, gets a crunchy kick from curried almonds; mint and goat cheese transform ho-hum zucchini. Three couscous preparations—one with peanut dressing—made us rethink the humble grain. » 9001 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-247-2500.

Lemonade: Well, naturally, the humbly multiplying chain café called Lemonade serves damn good lemonade. We like that all the varied flavors are lined up just so at the end of its "cafeteria line" by the register—it taunts, What color do you want? The three-dollar flavors include: hibiscus, watermelon rosemary, blueberry mint, blood-orange, peach ginger, kiwi strawberry, and even Arnold Palmer—but after the arduous task of tasting all these 'ades, the one that titillated our tongue most was the cucumber mint.

$1 cupcakes at Lemonade in Los Angeles

I stayed in downtown Los Angeles last week and found a food court where I stumbled across lunch spot Lemonade. I was intrigued by their flavored lemonades and pleased to find they also sell cupcakes for $1 each. I tried each of their six flavors, and a honeydew lemonade, and was pleased with all of them! They were moist and good-sized and tasty; the frosting was rich but not too sweet and not heavy in my stomach. I especially liked the lemon curd. The mocha cupcake was good too, with a pretty strong flavor. Sorry the photos aren't better, I was in a bit of a hurry. They have multiple locations in Los Angeles (downtown, where I was, in a food court, as well as Beverly Boulevard, Venice, MOCA and USC).

I also liked seeing cupcakes at a non-bakery, amidst other types of food, and these would work very well as a post-lunch snack.

Anna Paquin is all smiles as she leaves Lemonade restaurant on Thursday in Venice, Calif.

The 27-year-old True Blood actress, who grabbed lunch with fiance and co-star Stephen Moyer, was cracking up as she looked at something on her cell phone on the way out.

Stephen recently told People that he misses working with Anna on the show! “We haven’t been working together that much this year and I kind of miss that,” he said. “We met doing something that we love and that’s what we do.”

by Lesley Balla

Los Angeles feels like ground zero for health fast-casual restaurant concepts. There are many--M Café, Tender Greens and Veggie Grill, to name a few--but one that is multiplying at a pretty fast clip is Lemonade.

After opening and selling The Farm of Beverly Hills and running a successful catering business, chef Alan Jackson opened the first two Lemonades in the same week, at 5th and Flower downtown, and on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, in 2007. Now there are seven locations--Pasadena is the most recent opening--with more planned for next year at LAX, Manhattan Beach and the San Fernando Valley.

"I just felt like there was something missing in the marketplace," says Jackson. "A healthy, flavorful alternative to fast food. A place where diners can choose and alter their own meal."

And it really is a choose-your-own-adventure for lunch. At all of the locations, there are at least 20 different prepared salads, plus eight pot roasts—everything from lemongrass chicken to barbecued brisket—soups, and of course lemonade, six different flavors daily (blood orange is my new favorite). And don't forget the cookies, cupcakes and brownies; it's almost impossible to do so.

The salads, of course, are some of the most popular items, and the menu changes frequently based on seasonality and whims of the cooks. Jackson says they have more than 125 recipes so far, and many will be featured in the forthcoming Lemonade cookbook, which he's working on with local writer Joann Cianciulli. "Every day someone asks me for a recipe," he says. "Now they'll be able to have them all in one place."

But you can get one now. By far one the most popular fall salads is the spaghetti squash and farro with pomegranate vinaigrette. "I love it for its simplicity," says Jackson. "It's just slightly sweet, with a good salty balance. People flip out when we take it off the menu."

Brittany Snow recently stepped out for lunch at LA eatery, Lemonade. The refreshing restaurant offers a massive assortment of lemonades and delicious dishes. B Snow isn't the only celeb that is crushing on Lemonade... Paris Hilton, Anna Paquin and Lauren Conrad have also stopped by recently for a bite to eat. I'm loving Brittany's summer chic ensemble. The "Harry's Law" actress gave her girly floral dress a stylish edge by throwing on a comfy pair of brown boots and layering on a denim jacket.

Posted on July 4, 2011 by loveroflosangeles

Amazing diversity is what makes Los Angeles one of the best destinations in the United States.  For locals it means the ability to hop in the car in your own familiar neighborhood, drive a few miles, and then step out into a completely different world from the one you call home.  For travelers, it means the ability to customize your travel experience in Los Angeles based on your interests, or maybe even your bucket list.  One very unique destination within the city of Los Angeles is West Hollywood.

While you will find an astounding number of delectable eateries in WeHo, no visit would be complete without a visit to Lemonade. With a menu featuring ingredients such as champagne vinaigrette, black kale, lemongrass and saffron creme fraiche, you will be wishing there were four meals a day just so that you can have the opportunity to try it all. The $4.25 price tag on most menu items only makes it that much harder to resist.  Pineapple Coriander Lemonade.  Seriously?  Yup.

By Keith Mulvihill

Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a few blocks in from the beach in Venice, Calif., is hardly off the radar and has long drawn people from outside the neighborhood. But the street’s spark never seems to dim; instead, it jumps around, alighting on one new spot after another. And, despite some tough times, the past year or so has brought a fresh crop of worth-a-visit places.

“The street always seems to be evolving,” said Alex Troup, a British expat who moved to Venice six years ago.

The line at nearby Lemonade (310-452-6200; lemonadela.com), which opened last summer, is more fun. The cafe, a punchy take on a grade-school cafeteria, is awash in cheerful shades of green and yellow. Grab a tray and choose from an array of salads, like watermelon radish, ahi tuna, snap pea and sesame vinaigrette ($4), or try one of the pot roasts ($9) simmering in colorful cast-iron cookware. Wash it down with ginger peach lemonade ($2.70).

by Monika Woolsey

If you're female, and you've been trying to become pregnant, chances are you've been told you need to get enough folate. If you have polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, folate is especially essential, as it helps to reduce inflammation, the core issue of your diagnosis. All well and good, except that if you're also a female in a hurry, commuting long distances and/or working long hours, leisurely trips to the farmer's market and/or complicated dinners are likely out of the question. If I just described your barrier to eating better, your best strategy may be to patronize restaurants who do most of the work for you.

Lemonade sits at the top of that list.  This restaurant's menu provides a wide selection of fresh menu items with ingredients we all know are healthy, but often don't bring home to cook.  Take leafy greens, a great source of folate.  At the Lemonade salad bar, you have your choice of black kale/shiitaki mushroom/lemongrass/kumquat vinaigrette, broccoli/ricotta/champagne vinaigrette, bok choy/thai rice, scallions/red jalapeno/pad thai, cauliflower/golden raisins/almonds/curry, beets/pickled onion/hazelnut vinaigrette, orechiette/asparagus/perlini mozzarella/sorrel vinaigrette, and broccolini/yellow beets/feta/hungarian paprika. Move on to the soups, and anything with beans or lentils will fit the bill.

Be sure to order a double portion so you can take the rest home for dinner if you anticipate that you're not going to feel like cooking.

It doesn't really matter if you don't have time to shop or cook high-folate foods yourself. It matters that you eat them! If you're running short on time, be sure to capitalize on the creative and tasty ways Chef Alan Jackson has devised to insure that getting enough folate doesn't have to be your fertility problem.

Lemonade Restaurant is located at 9001 Beverly Blvd. in Beverly Hills, as well as 5 other Los Angeles locations: Downtown, Brentwood, MOCA, and USC.  Look for Lemonade soon in Pasadena and LAX as well.

by Andi Matheny

'Lemonade. Lemonade like your Grandma made - you KNOW you want some!'

That sing-song refrain shouted by a spring training vendor from years past popped into our head after we popped into Lemonade on a spur of the moment visit a few weeks ago. Lemonade sounds like it should be a blast from the past - conjuring memories of the drink Grandma served in cold pitchers with slices of lemon, chugged down on a hot summer's day. But this Venice-located cafeteria (with three other Los Angeles locations) isn't a quaint, nostalgic Granny-inspired diner. It's sleekly adorned with clean lines and shiny stainless steel and lots of minimalist-inspired tables and chairs. And the menu isn't along the lines of creamed chipped beef or guess-the-meat surprise but food-forward combinations like Quinoa, Cucumber, Radish with Ginger Orange Vinaigrette; Chicken Breast and Butternut Squash with grapes and oregano; Seared Ahi Tuna with Whole Citrus Ponzu.

The throwback surprise of Lemonade are the prices - the first two dishes mentioned are on the Marketplace list - one item is $4, two are $7.50 and a third add-on brings the total to $10.50. Any fish or fowl dish - like the Seared Ahi - is $5. Not bad prices for fresh, inventive dishes with high-quality ingredients. There are also the 'Semi Traditional Sandwiches' - including turkey, with pickled onions, avocado, and aioli, or grilled ham with Manchego cheese and quince on rosemary bread. And like any cafeteria worth its salt, it does have varieties of hot meat under the category 'Pot Roast,' but ordinary chicken, lamb and short ribs are bumped up several notches with ingredients like red miso, artichokes, and figs. The sandwiches and pot roast items can be had for a very reasonable $9.

As sleek as this modern-inspired eatery is, the dessert line-up is packed with nostalgia - with a twist. There are rows of brownies and dessert bars as big as roof shingles that are the final temptation before check-out. But there's no such thing as just a brownie - Lemonade's are loaded with cherries or a layer of dark chocolate and cream cheese (the Black Bottom Cream Cheese.) Their version of the Rice Krispies treats have thick slabs of peanut butter and milk chocolate. They have old-fashioned Caramel Butterscotch pudding, and new-fangled Chocolate Pot de Creme (fancier name for pudding.) The lemon meringue tart is a generous size, with a big mound of toasted meringue.

And our choice? The nuclear-sized Caramel Fleur de Sel Macaroon - a take-off on the usually petite macaron - a thick layer of creamy chocolate ganache sandwiched by two crispy meringue discs. The cadence we made leaving the Abbot Kinney store was along the lines of 'Crunch. Moan. Crunch. Moan.' That got a smile from a stranger. And we smiled back and said, 'You KNOW you want some...'

To chef Alan Jackson, lemonade isn't just about sunny days and sidewalk stands. Lemonade, the name of his growing chain of casual cafés, means soul-satisfying food. A fourth location at MOCA opens this Wednesday at MOCA downtown.

At all the locations, including the largest on Abbot Kinney, diners create full meals from almost 20 different mix-and-match salads made from local, seasonal ingredients, plus red velvet cupcakes and lemonade spiked with watermelon or lime and mint.

But among all those cool and refreshing options you'll find crocks simmering with at least 10 kinds of pot roast, stews and braises daily--everything from classic beef pot roast with horseradish to turkey with cranberries and sage gravy, or Provençal-style vegetables with romesco.

Each is served with a choice of orzo pilaf or green salad ($9); others make great sandwiches, like the red miso short rib panini with marinated red onions and mizuna lettuce ($9).

Jackson uses the sous vide method at Lemonade, but you don't need to vacuum-pack anything to get the full, caramelized flavors. Here's his recipe for a robust lamb tagine with dates and almonds. Just throw the ingredients on the stove and go--no Moroccan clay pot necessary. Serve the leftovers like they do at Lemonade, pressed on chewy ciabatta with feta cheese. (Original Article)

Photo: Aaron Farnsworth

Los Angeles has a long-standing rep for elevating lunching to an art form. School lunching, however, isn't quite so glamorous. Now, when it comes to the food you get at school, well--that's another story. But the concept of cafeteria-style lunching with LA-style panache is what's on tap at Lemonade// http://lemonadela.com///, a local eatery with outposts in West Hollywood, Venice, Downtown, and a fourth launching soon at MOCA.

Much like in your high school cafeteria of once upon a time, chaos reigns supreme. At the Beverly Boulevard location where we recently had lunch, there is a period of adjustment to the lay of the land and how things work, much like learning how to get from 3rd Period US History to 4th Period Algebra without having to stop at your locker or run into those clique-y girls you can't stand.

The restaurant is organized in stations: There's the cold salad and sides area, a cold sandwich spot, a hot lunch station, the bakery, beverages, and the register. Where to begin, how to equip yourself, and where to go is a little tough to figure out at first.

The trays are hidden on a low perch by the front door. If you start at the sides and salads (and you'll want to spend some time here because with the nearly 2 dozen choices whose descriptions are printed on tiny cards placed in front of their long, narrow serving dishes behind the requisite panel of glass you're going to have to study for this midterm side-dish selection) you'll be lined up out the door. But if you make your way to the hot dish and sandwich areas to contemplate the main event, you run the risk of being shunned--you know, like if you try to join that table of cool kids over there and try to get in on the conversation.

Now, instead of the usual tater tots and oily pizza, however, Lemonade's dishes are the real deal. Simmering inside an impressive and colorful array of Le Creuset Dutch Ovens in this 'Pot Roast' section are the slow-cooked hot dishes that cravings are made of; BBQ brisket, mac and cheese, short ribs, and the like are there to be your main course, or be paired with other ingredients and turned into a hot sandwich.

'But if it's cold sandwiches you crave, a case is filled with choices.'

Choices, choices, choices abound here. No matter what you get here or in the hot section, be it a serving of seared Ahi Tuna, a Chicken Apple Salad sandwich, or a hot turkey with dried cranberry sandwich, you have the choice of pairing it with a simple salad of greens dressed in lemon vinaigrette, or by adding on sides. Again--choices! Luckily, they encourage doing halfsies on a portion of your side-dish, so you can get more tastes for your lunch money. In fact, you can just make a meal out of sides, too, by putting together plates of however many scoops of sides your stomach and budget will allow.

Take your tray next to the bakery-beverage-register station. They have all sorts of tempting sweets in the cases, from macaroons the size of your hand to handy $1 mini-cupcakes. And you're in a place called Lemonade, so for crying out loud, get some! In addition to the regular stuff they've got freshly made flavors like Blueberry Mint or Watermelon Rosemary.

Our lunch adventure, once we figured out how to navigate the lunchroom, got us a tray filled with a BBQ Brisket sandwich (amazing brisket with sweet, tangy sauce and tender meat on a bit too big of a ciabatta roll; the cheddar cheese didn't quite melt, and the green tomatoes on the menu were red tomatoes in the sammy) and a split side of Israeli Couscous and a Sweet Potato salad (both sides were quite tasty, although the couscous was a little oily). The Watermelon Rosemary lemonade was a highlight, and for our dining companion, the mac and cheese hit the spot, as did the Blueberry Mint lemonade. Dessert was a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate macaroon split between the two of us with enough to take home as leftovers. Although the prices seem steep ($11 for a sandwich + side combo, $2.75 for the beverage, $4 for the macaroon) you've got the bounty of choice and what really amounts to some generous portions. You'll find your bill uncomfortably high if you mix and match a bit too ambitiously. Take it easy... lunch happens every day!

Keep your eye on Lemonade's Twitter // http://twitter.com/#!/lemonadela// for news about their upcoming launch at MOCA and daily specials.

Crib sheet: The Lemonade Menu //. (Original Article)

Photo: (Lindsay William-Ross/LAist)

Lemonade on Beverly looks like a beach cottage in the Hamptons, but the crowd is definitely LA. Comfortable and pretty, it's just the spot for a lunch with the girls when you're in town, or after a long morning of looking at real estate! Located at 9001 Beverly Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90048.