Los Angeles - April 11, 2005

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

Gr/eats Opens

If only Giant Robot had been around when you were in high school.

No one would’ve dared call you Metal Mouth or Four Eyes if you’d been wearing an Obey Giant shirt and had had a Yoshitomo Nara postcard taped to your Trapper Keeper.

Ah, well. Can’t turn back time.

But you can be the first in your clique to check out Gr/eats. Situated just two doors down from Giant Robot 2 on Sawtelle, the new no-frills eatery serves pleasing basics (burgers, penne marinara, chicken salad), appealing veggie alternatives (tofu meatballs, vegetable paella), and a smattering of pan-ethnic specialties (salmon teriyaki, okra rolls with enoki mushrooms and avocado, fish tacos, spring rolls).

The alcohol-free beverage selection will remind you of your BYOB high school years, as will the decor: Long, plain tables; green, molded-plastic chairs; and walls peppered with pretty pictures make it look like the sweetest cafeteria in the world.

Nice to know that this time around, you’ll be sitting with the cool kids.

Gr/eats, 2050 Sawtelle Boulevard, between Mississippi and La Grange Avenues, West L.A. (310-478-3242 or gr-eats.com).