UNDERPRICED LUXURY: CAFE VIDA, CULVER CITY.

If you are looking for a place to find fresh food with amazing ingredients, large portions with a patio environment, Cafe Vida in Culver City is the latest form of underpriced luxury.

Café Vida Culver City, and its farm-fresh California-Latin cuisine menu bursting with inventive flavor combinations, has become a favorite on Restaurant Row for dinner, as well as breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. Now, endlessly creative Chef/Partner Francisco Cornejo is adding five delectable new items to the dinner menu, which can be paired with wine, beer, Soju cocktails or a delicious blended juice, shake, smoothie or house-made agave lemonade from the fresh juice bar.

ORGANIC KALE APPLE SALAD ($8) – Organic kale, quinoa, apples, roasted almonds, orange segments, parmesan cheese and cherry-lemon vinaigrette.

CHICKEN MANGO AND AVOCADO SALAD ($13.95) – Grilled herb chicken breast, sliced mango, jicama, avocado, roasted almonds, red onion, mint, flax seeds, chia seeds, organic greens and mango-chutney vinaigrette.

STRIPED SEA BASS WITH SHALLOT WINE SAUCE ($18.95) – Grilled striped sea bass with shallot white-wine sauce served with sautéed organic quinoa and spinach with poblano corn succotash.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS IN CHILE ROJO ($17.95) – All-natural short ribs braised in a smoky tomatillo sauce served with golden Yukon mashed potatoes and poblano corn succotash.

Café Vida Culver City was built from the ground up and designed by Phillip Spencer Design. Spencer chose soothing nature hues juxtaposed with quartz and exposed wood grain, topped off by a double-height atrium. “I was inspired by the colors and moods of the rainforest,” Spencer said. “Key elements include striated woods that compliment walls the color of moss and lichen. I wanted the interior to create a sense of the vibrancy of life through organic color and texture.”

The three partners in the Café Vida Collection opened the first Café Vida in the Palisades Village in May, 2002 and a second location inside the Spectrum Club in El Segundo soon thereafter. Partners Luis Castaneda, a former ad exec from Mexico City, Marcelo Marolla, a lifelong athlete and restaurant-industry veteran from Argentina, and Francisco Cornejo, a 20-year professional chef and caterer from Jalisco, Mexico, all share a passion for healthy living, creativity and good food.

Cafe Vida insists upon hormone-and-antibiotic-free chicken and meat; zero trans-fat oils; no processed foods; top-of-the-line filtration for water and drinks; organic coffee and espresso drinks, and real maple syrup.

Daily specialties include low-fat, organic and vegan options, and catering and online ordering for take-out are available. “Food not only provides nutrition but it helps bring people together,” Castaneda said, “it’s all about enjoying life.”