Full o' Life

Apologies readers. At least initially, this time it was my fault (Alissa's fault) that this took too long. I've been sickly, and we've been busy at work... hence the hang up. We'll be better at lunching, we promise! Or we hope, anyhow.

So let me get real with you for a moment, Burbank- and the one random Russian and/or German person who hits up this blog on accident: I really will eat almost anything- but typically I don't. I eat greek yogurt for breakfast and a trader joes salad or some leftovers from dinner I'd made for lunch. If I eat out I usually eat some sort of healthy veggie or at wildest, a grilled chicken breast sandwich. These are the things my stomach tells me it wants. Usually a soda(without alcohol in it) or pile of fries happens in my life like- once a month. So I says to Cory- Cory, sometimes I'd just like to eat somewhere that fried food with piles of mysterious sauce is not the focus- where words like 'crazy' and 'heart attack' don't come into play. I realize that the humor/danger factor gets lost a bit, but not everyone in Burbank is just wondering about shacks and diners.


Basically this speech was all in preparation to break the news to him that this time we'd be going to Full of Life. A health food store with a restaurant tucked into it. Please use this moment to imagine the resulting groans from our friend Cory. Okay go: __________________. So yes. It sounded something like that. But we're basically at this point where we have to go along with one anothers' choices and essentially can tell one another to effing eat it. Hence our joyful journey to Full o' Life!



Full of life is a pleasant little health food store with lots of natural foods, healthy to-go items, homeopathic remedies and supplements and all that jazz. Family run & celebrating 50 years, apparently, it's 2/3 store and 1/3 restaurant. I've been shopping here for something a couple times before, but had never set out to eat from the restaurant. Cory and I walked in and eyed the fun-looking counter seating, but the place was packed (just before 2pm- so maybe don't go at that time) and we took what we could get. A romantic table for two by the window.


It's a pretty comfy atmosphere for a store, and you will surely be surrounded by wacky conversation from people who like friendly piles of sprouts instead of whatever this scary crap is that Cory keeps ordering. Instead of sports and cars, I overheard snarky talk about Scientology in one ear and something about an "elephant compound" in the other. The waitresses are all kind older ladies with senses of humor who would love to give you a taste of something if you are not sure about ordering it. Cory was already calming down, and as the menus- which boasted a vast array of healthy dishes were placed before us- I knew it was going to be alright.


The Basics:
Big ol' menu of health-mindful foods & beverages. Order something. Ask to sample something if you are not sure. There are soups, sandwiches, salads, casseroles, stir-fry dishes and more. There are specials too. Your sides are likely to be salad, chips, or carrot slices.


Alissa:
Having been 'vegan' and 'vegetarian' at points in my life, I have eaten lots of veggi-fied foods. I love healthy stuff- and was immediately eying the avocado/tomato/sprout/cheese sandwich until I remembered I could easily make this myself & frequently do. That's why I like it. Silly to order in a restaurant. So I looked for something that might exceed any of my vegetarian ambitions in the kitchen any time soon. I found the Grilled BBQ Tofu sandwich. I thought this sandwich was really nice. Straight up tofu can be a little too tofuey for me... you gotta sauce it and grill it sufficiently if it is going to pass for a protein on a sandwich. I feel this did the job well enough. The BBQ sauce was good and that is what mattered. The bun was also nice. I added mayo (one of my favorite bad-for-you things)- but as I suspected, it was one of those healthier ones. You can tell by tasting it and it not tasting like magic. Magic is what Best Foods mayo tastes like. This was certainly not that- but once on the sandwich it added the extra kick I knew I wanted. Aside the sandwich were large slices of carrot- like chips. It was such a lovely relief from fry-piles. I tried to order a green drink- some healthy concoction they have, but it never came. She tried to give me a sample when I ordered it and I said I didn't need one. I guess you should say yes to the sample- if you survive, they bring you a grownup size one. I decided that they knew better than I and skipped notifying them. I got a kombucha drink from their store when I left instead.


I liked my food and got a kick out of the folks around us and their conversations. I believe the man next to us went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and was describing the experience in minute and painful detail the whole time we ate. I was trying to figure out if the ladyperson was interested in what he was saying but I couldn't tell. I don't really think hearing someone talk about seeing things at the zoo is fun though, is it? Don't you go to the zoo or not go to the zoo depending on your interest in the zoo? Well I think I would take my food to go in the future in any case... the ladies who work there are certainly nice, but I don't see the dining experience as a must have.


Cory:
So Alissa's description of my reaction to the news that we'd be eating here wasn't quite as vocal & groany as she made it out to be. It was more eye rollingly acquiescent as I knew I didn't have a say in the matter. It's not that I necessarily have anything against healthy natural food stores, it's just that they're generally too gritty grainy granola hippy for my tastes. I rarely find anything enticing on their shelves & the people are, well...sometimes kinda Wal-Martish...but in a greener way. Plus the stores are always dismally decorated. Forgive me for wanting a little flair with my flax seed oil. Also, the thought of eating food inside a store that also sells all-natural bio-degradable gluten-free deodorant in compostable containers didn't exactly excite my taste buds...



HOWEVER...it seems that all my trepidation was uncalled for because this place was not nearly as horribly horrible as I assumed it would be. Yes, the walls were barren & the overall vibe was kinda funky (and not funky in a Bootsy Collins kinda way, but funky is a sorta weird way), but the people were nice & they didn't seem to have the holier-than-thou attitude so common amongst natural foodites. And, most importantly, the food was GOOD...and there was a ton to choose from.
I actually had a hard time deciding what to try and, after much hemming & hawing, I opted for the tuna melt. It came served on an English muffin (that didn't taste at all like cardboard) & topped with sesame seeds. They usually top it with sprouts as well, but I asked for mine on the side since I was a little wary of the potential warm stringiness of the sprout/tuna salad combo. All this was tucked neatly beside a pile of fresh carrot slices, which were a nice change from the usual soggy lackluster fries of Burbank. I salted them heavily (just to knock as much of the "healthy" out of them as I could) and wolfed them down first & foremost. Next came the tuna melt. It was a little olive-laden for me, but it was still pretty tasty. It was well-seasoned & the sesame seeds were a nice touch. Would I order it again? Probably not. It was good but not great and, with such a vast menu to choose from, I'd rather try something new next time. Yes, I said next time. I'd totally go back.




Good Bite? Or just totally bites?
A: Good bite. The food seems fresh and on the healthy side- so if you aren't trying super hard to have a heart attack, I would say this would be a good place to add into your take out rotation- and if you want to hear some wacky convo or plead for a green drink throughout your lunch- you should eat in. And tell me how it is?

C: Good bite. It's a nice change from the usual go-to lunches I have 'round these parts; and it made me feel better about skipping the gym that night...and the night after. Check it out next time you're in the mood for something not topped with pastrami & covered in chili.

Info:
2515 West Magnolia Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91050
(818) 845-8343
Open Mon-Thu 8am-8pm; Fri 8am-4pm; Sun 9:30am-6pm



**Our reports are based on one visit/meal- so we're far from experts on these joints! If you have advice or experiences you'd like to share, please feel free to enlighten us & our readers! Our goal is to give enough info that someone might feel okay trying somewhere new (or know to avoid it!). Thanks for reading :)