YEE: Get Fresh With Your Food At Green Tomato Grill

Another successful event organized by Ryan C!
I brought my Unilocal virgin girlfriend along to join in with me. I ended up getting the Chipotle Grilled Shrimp Flatbread, which was AMAZING! Shrimp pieces sandwiched between oozing cheese and chipotle sauce. I gobbled that thing up in no time. My girlfriend got one of the stews and also ended up loving it. Then the crispy chick peas, chili lime popcorn and delicious fried green tomatoes came out. I normally hate chick peas but these were so good. The popcorn could have used more chili and lime, but that’s just me. And the fried green tomatoes were my favorite. It came with a delightful sauce. It was the perfect meal.
We both had an amazing time and scored some free Unilocal gloves! The staff was also very kind. We came kind of early but those arriving late were standing in line. One of the staff members was handing people in line popcorn while they were waiting. Food also came out fast and everything was made perfectly. I just wish this place was a little closer to home, I’d be coming in often.

Another fabulous evening where I got to check out a new place, sample their noms, and get some very rad Unilocal gloves! Speaking of, the crispy chick peas were AMAZING! The rest of the food way pretty good too, but those chick peas were stand-​out!
Another great evening Ryan C! Thanks as always!!!

Yippee! I had this place bookmarked for months and so when they had an event here I left my sick child and tired husband to get me some Green Tomato Grill!
I tried the steak flatbread, fried green tomatoes, fried chickpeas, adobo popcorn and ginger mint lemonade.
Everything was amazing!
The green sauce that comes with the steak flatbread was sooooo good! Makes me drool just thinking about it! The fried green tomatoes were some of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life! They didn’t even need the dipping sauce, but it made it even better!
The prices are very reasonable (the flatbread is about $ 8 and the small side of fried green tomatoes was $ 2 (for 8 pieces).
There was a bit of a wait, but they brought out the popcorn for us to munch on while we waited.
The service was top notch! Every staff person that helped me was super nice!
Ryan was sweet as usual Thanks Ryan for organizing this event!
I wish they had one in Irvine! I will need to make excuses to drive all the way to Orange to get food here!

This was another excellently run event! The food was excellent, and I really liked being here.
The chilli lime popcorn was ok, it was a subtle flavour. The fried green tomatoes were pretty good. I was also brave enough to try making my own dish. I don’t remember the exact combination for hte rice but I think it was cilantro rice with avacados, corn, carrots and something else. It was really very good. Sometimes I try making my own stuff and I fail, but it was good this time. I also liked the water that we got for checking in.
All together, an excellent event!

This was my first Unilocal event and hopefully not my last. My husband (Ernesto G) has been trying to drag me to these events for years, but I’ve always been skeptical — I mean free food and drinks with no strings attached? I’m glad I finally caved in since the food was amazing and the Unilocal ambassadors were swell.
Who knew healthy food could taste so good? I felt a bit guilty that i enjoyed the chicken flat bread melt and fried chick peas so much, but then again it’s good for me right? I didn’t get the usual food coma sluggishness I do after eating a greasy burger yet I was just as satisfied. I will definitely be coming back again soon!

Another Ryan home run. No, not Ryan Howard, Ryan C. This YEE was out of the park.
Here’s what we tried:
Chili-​lime popcorn — We got a bag of this while we were waiting in line, which was nice because I was really hungry. Nicely seasoned and not too oily. They even gave us a bag later to take home.
Fried green tomatoes — Certainly not the fried tomatoes that my Dad makes. These are deep-​fried and panko-​crusted. I think the dipping sauce was the Mediterranean sauce, which has cilantro, lemon juice, and what tasted like Indian spices. Not what I would expect, but good with the tomatoes.
Mediterranean Chicken Bowl — I substituted fried tofu for the chicken. Apparently you can do that for any entrée. This was hearty, and I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure what was «Mediterranean» about it. The sauce was the same as the dipping sauce for the tomatoes, and it was certainly flavorful, but you should probably ask for a taste before you order it.
Chili Verde Steak Bowl — Subtract steak, add tofu. This was great, especially the fresh avocado and the tasty chili verde sauce. We ate regular-​sized entrees which filled us up. You had better be really hungry if you order the large.
Lemonade — Mine was flavored with jalapeño, hers was with cucumber, ginger, and mint. Both were very refreshing, and I’m glad that Ryan recommended them. The jalapeño was not overpowering (and I can’t remember the other ingredient).
Nordaq FRESH Water — This is a sparkling, filtered water that is a signature item on the menu. It was fine, if a little gimmicky. I think that they have a still version as well.
Their beer and wine selections are unimpressive. I hope that they expand them.
That’s my kind of YEE! I hadn’t even heard of GTG before we RSVP’ed but now I can see why this place is so popular. We shall return. I’ll bet that they have expansion plans. Come to Costa Mesa!

Great event, great food, great staff! I liked the idea of getting some popcorn to munch on till the real food comes in, same with the Chick peas, they were awesome! I loved the Fried green tomatoes, with the portion was bigger, but then I would be full and didn’t even start eating yet! The Mediterranean bowl was delicious, reminded me of a fajita somehow. Talked to the owners a bit, they came up with this concept and they don’t even have prior restaurant experience. I guess it takes an outsider to nail it in the head, because it all came out top notch. They have real chefs who put together the food, and you can tell that right away. The food was really great for a fast place like this, and using organic, natural, gluten free for most of their products is the worst thing that ever happened to me, now I don’t have an excuse to not eat healthy when I’m a rush again! Perfect for lunch and perfect for dinner too, top it off with a gluten free beer (if you really have to have gluten free beer LOL!)

My dream come true — finally, a healthy Unilocal Elite food event!!! :) Don’t get me wrong — I also love the more indulgent events, but having a YEE at a healthy restaurant was truly refreshing — literally!!! :)
GTG treated us Unilocalers, plus our +1’s to free drinks (the non-​alcoholic kind, but they actually do sell alcohol here!), free appetizers, free fancy water and free entrees of our choice! And can I just say… they sure know how to treat a gal! ;) Service was on point all night long and the cashier w/​glasses was especially helpful in answering any questions about the menu!
The cucumber ginger mint lemonade was super light, not too sweet, and not overly sour! Just a regular size was plenty enough to quench my thirst! Oh, and the appetizers were outstanding! I was really surprised, considering I saw the menu beforehand and didn’t know if green tomatoes would be any good. After all, I pretty much hated tomatoes up until my late teens… but oh man, the fried green tomatoes blew me away!!! They really made eating vegetables look good and remind me of my fried zucchini! Plus, they came served with their signature GTG sauce, which is a combination of their Mediterranean and Carolina BBQ sauce — the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and a bit of spicy!
I was also pretty apprehensive about the fried chickpeas, but they were surprisingly good. On their own, they weren’t the greatest, but once I caught on and used a spoon to scoop up handles of them at a time… I was sold! They had quite a potato texture to them, which reminded me of French fries dressed with sea salt and herbs. I also really fell in love with their signature popcorn (which btw, they gave us extra of while we were waiting in line to order), which was topped with lime juice and adobo! Kinda had a spicy kick to it! Ha, it was actually so good and light that I wanted to take some home, but… I refrained, haha.
In terms of entrees, the Thai peanut shrimp was pretty good, but I liked the chili verde steak bowl much better! Apparently, that’s their number one seller :) Think southwestern bowl — rice, steak, corn, peppers, onions, avocado, etc. Mmm, good stuff!
The fancy water they provided us with was also really unique — came in both sparkling and flat! One of the servers told us it’s supposed to enhance our palettes, so that food tastes more flavorful! Shocking enough, it really does!!! The difference between drinking it and not drinking it was pretty was massive. I liked the fact that it was poured and bottled in house! Oooh, so eco-​friendly and healthy! My naturopath would approve.
Great place! I love how allergy friendly they are here, considering they have menus where you can specify your allergies upfront and customize your bowls, wraps, flatbread sandwiches, etc. They especially have quite a few gluten free options, including a gluten free beer! They also sell «Sensitive Sweets» for dessert, which I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to try this time, but I will on my next visit! Service was on point, food was even better. I also noticed that they have a Happy Hour here from 3−6pm everyday, so maybe I’ll check that out as well! Oh, oh… and they gave us a reusable tote bag, which was amazing!
Thanks so much, Ryan C. for a super healthy night of fun! Anddd… thanks for the fingerless gloves! Now the weather is cooling down, these are perfect for Unilocalin’ while keeping warm! My week was definitely made better, simply by enjoying some free eats and hanging out with my Unilocal peeps! See y’all again real soon!

First time going to a YEE event as a brand new elite member, and I am definitely glad I went. This stuff is legit.
Thankful for the staff that put it together aka Ryan C. and especially thankful for the participation of the staff at Green Tomato Grill. The food & service was fantastic. Excited to see this restaurant own it up in Orange.

Thank you Ryan C. and the staff of Green Tomato Grill who have put this Orange fast casual restaurant on the radar when I’m looking for healthy and quick eats! I have been wanting to try this place since it opened and it’s great that we were given a YEE to get the opportunity.
David S. and I arrived around 7:20pm and there was a line at the door and no seats — all the Unilocalers looked like they were enjoying their food! We waited in line and — here’s a testament to great customer service — a couple that didn’t realize they had walked into a full on Unilocal event were given the opportunity to return on a different day & have their meal comped because of the inconvenience of the long wait. What a great memorable way to ensure someone’s first experience is their best!
I opted for the Chicken Caesar Wrap and David got the Greek Chicken Flatbread Melt. There are lots of sandwiches, wraps, and melts to choose from, as well as salads. We also go some signature lemonades — I really enjoyed their Cucumber Ginger Mint Lemonade.
Staff came by with Chili Verde popcorn, crispy chickpeas (delicious), and the fantastic fried green tomatoes with GTG dipping sauce — I don’t even like tomatoes but cover them in panko crumbs and deep-​fry them and it’s a winner!
Overall a really great event — and I got some Unilocal gloves for checking in! Just in time for the chilly months ahead. Thanks again for Unilocal for always providing us with stellar opportunities to try out our local business.
Until next time!

Unilocal events are always a hit! They never fail!
Thank you Green Tomato Grill for having us taste your food. Will definitely be back in the near future! Thanks Ryan for hosting this event. Keep it up, you’re doing great.

Awesome possum but Ryan’s got the Midas touch when it comes to events. I don’t think I could ever be disappointed.
Green Tomato Grill is a big favorite of mine. Kyle and his team do a great job with their wraps, flat breads, and sandwiches and elite Unilocalers were fortunate enough to sample some appetizers and get a meal of their choice.
Our table consisted of Jenny L. and Michael P. and even though we ordered separately, we all got the same thing — the salsa verde steak flat bread wrap which was awesome. I was hungry. I ate it all.
At the event, I scored some free Unilocal gloves for the upcoming Fall season and took home some adobo popcorn which is just amazingly awesome but I wish I could have taken an order of fried green tomatoes as well but alas you know I’ll be back.

Yet another amazing Elite event, courtesy of Green Tomato Grill and our wonderful CM Ryan C.
GTG hit all the marks: fast, fresh, accommodates many diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-​free, even nut-​free!), and is fairly healthy, too! Service was friendly and very helpful, especially when we had a last minute change of heart on what to order. The nice employee informed us that we could sub in/​out any protein so any item could be made vegetarian — woo hoo! And duh to us for not getting the concept initially since it’s pretty clear if you actually use their dry erase ordering boards.
I went with the salsa verde bowl with tofu instead of steak and my partner in crime Joe L. went with the Mediterranean bowl with tofu instead of meat.
We sat down with our fancy lemonades and were brought sparkling water, popcorn, fried green tomatoes, and fried chickpeas. Goodness overload! All three of these apps were great: popcorn was perfectly seasoned and not oily, the green tomatoes were savory morsels of deliciousness, and the chickpeas were unlike any I’ve ever eaten before.
My bowl was so flavorful and well balanced that I couldn’t stop eating it! And yes, this bowl is easily a two-​mealer for me. But I guess that’s why pants have buttons. ;) I did manage to bring home some of it and was pleasantly surprised by yet another great thing about GTG: their packaging. The bowls are made of cardboard, and they will provide you with a plastic lid if you have leftovers or are taking it to go. And they use biodegradable cups for their cold drinks. Your apps come in cute, short brown bags. Three cheers for minimal and environmentally-​friendly packaging!
This event was fabulous, delicious, and fun. Without it, I might never have experienced GTG — but now it’s on my list of go-​to places. Hey, it might even be perfect for take out for our next microbrewery tour of OC!

Thank you Green Tomato Grill & Ryan C. for hosting such a great event with delicious food!
I have never heard of this place before until coming to this event and boy was I impressed with the food here! GTG proves that healthy food can also taste amazing.
*Fried chickpeas were so good! Rather than being crunch it kind of melted in your mouth.
*Popcorn was chili lime flavored and I loved it. It reminds me of chips but in a healthier alternative.
*Fried green tomatoes. My favorite! The sauce complemented it so well and for a split second, I almost forgot I was eating tomatoes ;)
*Steak melt was on point and packed with flavor. The salsa verde really sealed the deal as I put on a heaping amount in every bite.
*Verde Steak bowl was ok. It wasn’t as flavorful but I liked all the ingredients inside. I love how avocado is included with no extra cost.
This event has introduced me to a yummy & healthy option when it comes to eating!

First things first… DELICIOUS.
This event was awesome! Thank you Ryan and thank you to Kyle and everyone else who made this dinner superb!
The samples they provided… were really good.
The Popped Corn (which I didnt get much of, because my boyfriend reallllllly loved it) lol had amazing flavor. The Fried Green Tomatoes (which I was lucky enough to get allllll of) were great. It was like they had a cajun type flavor… SO GOOD! The Crispy Chick Peas, that I could not imagine how they would turn out — were one of my favorite things. They were so different and had such amazing flavor… just… YES. Thats all I can say about the three appetizers they graciously let us sample… YES.
We both ordered the #4 Grill Bowl… BBQ Crispy Tofu Bowl, but changed the Tofu, to Chicken. There was so much flavor, and I was truly so full and was not able to completely finish my meal.
Everyone was so incredibly friendly here. The girl who took our order was great, Kyle was the one who served us and he was so nice… I will definitely be back here — and thank you for letting me be a part of this awesome event :)

Well finally some folks with a brain stem had the sense to bring a southern concept of sort to Southern CA and implement it with many clever twists.
Yes, Green Tomato Grill, you’ve done just that!
I wonder where my next UYE in December might be, for Brinner?!
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Ryan, this was a great choice & idea for an Elite Event but with a twist, come and stay as long as you like, eat & go, visit, no frills, very chill and just good old mid week relief of the blues for MP & fellow Unilocalers.
I was absolutely impressed with this place, concept and eye for clever detail.
Now add sitting at the same table with the adorable Jenny L, the charming & lovely Suki B enjoying the same thing that we ALL three had ordered separately and, then to be joined by Kyle Markt (you are ‘da man sir!), the Head Chef for Green Tomato Grill and you have a very nice hour & a half of social interaction.
Nice to see you Vy & David S, I hope we have more time to chat next time; Joe & your lovely wife Sandya, again, I’m glad you two were there, yes Joe, still wedding planning-​you silly man!
The point is, I’ve been updating my will, Advanced Directive & my 5 Wishes this week and so has Marty, it’s been very emotional too, with the trusts in play and, with my Mom now doing well after surgery for the removal of a benign tumor on one of her kidneys, well, I forgot about all of that for the 1 & ½ I was with you all, I mean that.
Plus, I was on call and had to head to St Mary’s after the event to see a colleague to assist with a patient (well, good times only last so long!)
People may say things about Unilocal that aren’t very nice, including the people, events & the like, but what those individuals fail to see is that we are a special breed of individuals who have each other’s backs and offer up friendships & acquaintances that last a lifetime.
Also, our CM’S work very hard at putting even the smallest events together with the biggest of hearts & eyes to details, kudos to you Ryan, great job once again!
Now, if you will excuse me I feel this scene is appropriate as I almost had this happen when pulling into the parking lot:

another awesome Unilocal event!
wonderfully organized; it was never too busy and never too empty. the line moved at breakneck speed ;) and the lovely girl that took our order took all the time in the world with us too (sorry for being so difficult!)
check-​in for free fingerless gloves! so you can keep warm in the winter and still Unilocal at the same time. omg. so awesome. I can’t wait til it gets cold so I can start using these: D
thank you thank you thank you! to Green Tomato Grill for your awesome hospitality and your even awesomer food. your chili verde is TO DIE for. I could have dreams about your fried green tomatoes. & holy smokes, the best chick peas ever?
I CANNOT wait! until the next one! thanks Ryan C. :)