You've gotta love a place that's not only named after an herb (Tiato is a Vietnamese herb in the mint family) but surrounded by a garden filled with herbs and citrus used in its dishes. You've also gotta love a place that comes from a family known for a revered garlic noodle recipe that's revealed only to family members (and made famous at the Crustacean restaurants in San Francisco and Beverly Hills). But you've REALLY gotta love a place that manages to take a vegetable that's fun to grow but not to eat (I'm talking about you, Brussels sprouts) and turns it into a wonderful chopped salad-type side dish by roasting it and adding roasted kale, dates, almonds and garlic in a lime wasabi sauce. I'm going to work on getting the recipe to share here for those growing kale and Brussels sprouts but in the meantime I am happy to introduce you to the House of An's Tiato Kitchen Bar Garden in Santa Monica, which offers breakfast and lunch in both a sit-down cafe and a grab-and-go market.

And, for those who want help with part or all of their Thanksgiving dinner (and want it to be fresh, healthy and organic), An Catering is offering a Thanksgiving dinner (pictured above) available to go from both Tiato and AnQi, their bistro in Costa Mesa and available for pick up the day of or day before Thanksgiving. The menu includes organic, free-range turkey that's been brined in citrus and herbs for 48 hours, a choice of stuffing (turkey-apple sausage and leak; mama's sticky rice with Shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage and chestnuts; and a gluten-free version with caramelized onions and herbs), and a long list of side dishes that include cranberry-orange chutney; haricot vert with water chestnuts and ginger in a butter sauce; smashed yams with rosemary garlic; and, yes, "An's famous" garlic noodles. For more information or to order, visit Tiato Thanksgiving.