Los Angeles is home to a variety of upscale restaurants. Fast food restaurants are kid-friendly AND abundant, however finding healthy options can be a challenge. Look no further… Spire Works Modern Döner is located in Westwood Village. This is also a great place to walk around, as it is a charming neighborhood and home to students from UCLA. As we all know children can be extremely picky when it comes to eating. Well Spire Works is a perfect choice for family dining…since there is a Kid’s Bowl option with a customizable “kid-sized” bowl that is also perfect for “big kids” making mindful decisions and wanting to order smaller portions.

Although I was unsure what döner meant, my dining companion was excited to recount his experience with the phenomenon of döner Kabobs in Paris. Apparently it’s all the rage in Europe. Döner means meat grilled on a stick…or as Spire works puts it – “vertically spit roasted meat.” Spire Works offers a choice of beef, chicken or vegetarian.

Basically, the customer creates his or her own meal by selecting from numerous healthy ingredients. Sandwiches and bowls containing rice or salad with your choice of protein are all excellent choices. Homemade bread also comes as a side with the bowl. You can choose a base of all rice (wild or not) or half salad/half rice.

Spire Works Modern Döner Westwood Village; courtesy of ETG

It is an exceptional deal, full of delicious flavor. My dining companion has a limited palate, so he decided to build his own bowl with only a handful of ingedients. He chose chicken as his protein with wild rice. Next he added the pickled red peppers and arugula along with Barbeque sauce drizzled over the chicken. Lastly he topped it off with sesame and sunflower seeds.

I wanted to try one of the top sellers, so I chose the Bangkok with half wild rice and half salad. It came with a curry Thai sauce, pickled peppers, and I decided to add some kale slaw. It was topped with crunchy coconut flakes. We ended up sharing both which were quite tasty.  Another wonderful addition to the meal (for Mom and Dad) was an alcoholic root beer and a delicious syrah wine by Rim Rock Jelly Roll which I was told was only available at this restaurant.

Be sure to pop in to create your own bowl or plate. Spire Works, 1061 Broxton Avenue
, Westwood Village, CA 90024; (424) 220 – 6299; http://www.spireworks.com/