11 Jan Take a Break from Shopping and Enjoy Lunch at Bourbon Steak LA

Spend a day shopping and you can work up a good appetite. But you do not need to fill up with junk food or other typical mall food when a nice civilized lunch is available. The Americana at Brand in Glendale is not your typical mall. Open air, it is more like a little village filled with retail stores and restaurants. One of the restaurants is Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, located on the corner of Colorado Avenue and Brand Boulevard. An American steakhouse, there are five Bourbon Steak restaurants around the country. As much sustenance as you might think you need while shopping, a steakhouse might seem like too much: big portions and heavy dishes. But not to worry. Bourbon Steak LA has launched lunch service, featuring lighter fare. Chef Kyle Johnson has created a menu using quality ingredients that is on the healthier side. There are a number of options available a la carte but they also offer a three-course pre-fixe lunch menu for $28. The three-course menu will change regularly, offering different themes, such as Mediterranean, Little Italian, Moroccan, Jewish Deli. We sat down for a media preview to check out the lunch options. We started with the appetizers. Great to share, the selections range from ceviche to spring rolls. Duck Spring Rolls with cilantro and mint, wrapped in lettuce and served with a ginger chili dipping sauce Hummus with Everything (za’atar and pine nuts) and pita Trio of Ceviche – chef’s selection The next round was salads. These are very flavorful, healthy options for lunch. Beets and Burrata with watercress, farro, quinoa, wild rice and saba Chines Chicken Salad with charred lime, sesame, almonds and crispy wontons Chopped Tuna Nicoise with potato, olive, haricot vert, tomato, anchovy Chilled Crab Soba with asparagus, carrots, tomato, peanuts and Thai chili For a more filling lunch, try one of the sandwiches (BBQ bacon cheeseburger, turkey burger or chicken). Or try the steak frites, afterall Bourbon Steak is a steakhouse. There is also a vegetarian pasta option made with house-made cavatelli, roasted cauliflower, baby carrots and black truffle. If you plan to walk around the mall after lunch to work off the meal, then first enjoy a dessert. I was a big fan of the chocolate peanut butter mousse that comes in a glass jar but the lemon olive oil cake was also lovely. Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina The Americana at Brand 237 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale