Menu Changes

WeHo Tender Greens’ Housemade Energy Bars

Photo: Howard Wise

With a commitment to sustainable ingredients from small farms, a super-chill setting, and heavy community involvement, Tender Greens has always seemed to be about slowing down our hectic urban lives. Now the farm-friendly crew is putting some get-up-and-go in our steps with the introduction of its own line of house-made energy bars called GoBars, available now at the West Hollywood locale and possibly on their way to Tender Greens in Culver City and San Diego.

Every time we put down the fried goods and reach for an energy bar, one of our Yoga-enriched pals tells us how many preservatives and how much sugar comes in our commercial choices. That appears to be the influence to live above for T.G. WeHo chef Fermin Arias, GoBars’ creator.

Arias makes these treats free of preservatives, powders, and artificial flavors, with a promised surplus of protein, complex carbs, and fiber. Arias should know what spurs good energy as he himself, as well as Green Tenders’ partners, engages in active SoCal sports like surfing, running and biking.

According to Arias, “There are three basic tenets we wanted to achieve in the creation of the GoBars: First, the bars must taste good and have a clean finish; second, we can only use ingredients I can pronounce; and third, they have to help me power through my workouts.”

The three flavors currently available sound tasty, though we’re yet to sample the goods: Tropical fruit, blueberry and white chocolate, and chocolate espresso bean. Arias makes the bars out of a base of organic rolled oats, puffed rice, toasted nuts, flax seed, almond butter and dates, before adding dried fruit to create the sweet flavors.

As for economy, the bars weigh 3 oz., dwarfing the Luna Bar, but coming in only slightly bigger than a Cliff Bar or PowerBar. They are the same size of the Whole Foods’ ProBars, but are priced at a steep $3 per bar. The bars provide only around 250 calories. In comparison, the ProBar has 400, The Cliff 250, and PowerBar just 230.

While we can’t wait to try anything that combines natural ingredients with dessert-like flavors, here’s hoping GoBars stick to the ribs past the point that we paddle out.

WeHo Tender Greens’ Housemade Energy Bars