Playa Vista has slowly been expanding their footprint and presence on the westside. They've been building condo upon condo in the area, and now with a whole lot of new residents, they decided to provide some amenities. A Whole Foods market has rolled in, as well as a movie theatre, and restaurants are also beginning to open, including one of the newest spots, Urban Plates.

I met a friend at Urban Plates before checking out a movie in the Playa Vista development. Urban Plates has 4 other locations around Southern CA including Irvine, San Diego, Carlsbad and Dublin. They tout, "food that tastes good, is good and feels good." They're trying to bring healthy food to people at a good price.

Urban Plates looks and feels like Lemonade, but they offer a little more. People couldn't be friendlier when you walk-in, wanting you to understand how the system works and personally walking you through it. It's basically a glorified cafeteria, complete with tray that you move down a line of nicely prepared foods.

There's sandwiches and salads, soups and pizzas, braises and stews, plates and family sized meals. Yup, it's pretty much got something for everyone.

I liked the Plate option where you could pick your protein from chicken, albacore, grilled steak, oven baked salmon and turkey meatloaf. Can't decide? They'll give you a sample to seal the deal. Then you can choose 2 hot or cold sides for a total of $11. Not a bad deal, and I'll say that the food was well done. There were good flavors and things weren't overdressed or oiled.

You don't have to stay super healthy if you want to indulge in something a little naughtier. They have a nice range of sweet options from beautifully stacked cakes, huge cookies, brownies, tarts and pies. You can also wash it all down with a hand crafted beer, bottle of wine, tea or lemonade.