POINT LOMA, SOLANA BEACH, ENCINITAS, and CARLSBAD.  Naked food is good food.  Specifically, Naked Café offers satisfying dishes built from natural, whole foods.  Beans, greens, and rice play a large role in the bowls, plates, and wraps, while fresh herbs, spices, salsas, and sauces produce robust flavors.  The vegan options are excellent.

My favorite item on the menu is the “OM.”  The product of an enlightened yogi, perhaps?  Lotus root, corn, celery, carrots and shitake mushrooms are sautéed to perfection, then laid enticingly over brown rice and black beans. A whole grain tortilla and fresh salsa come on the side.  I like to mix everything up together and pile it onto my tortilla.  This dish is filling, but not heavy.  Perfect.

While writing this post, I realized I didn’t know anything about one of OM’s ingredients, the lotus root.  I have learned that the lotus root is an aquatic tuber that offers a strong nutritional punch with nutrients like Vitamin C, copper, and iron.  For more information and facts on the lotus root check out:

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/lotus-root.html

Next, the Green Transcendence Wrap.  With a name like that, how could it not be good for you?  Your spinach tortilla holds tofu, siracha, basil, onions, tomato, and fresh spinach.  The tofu in this wrap may catch your eye, but it is the siracha, basil, and onions that will make your taste buds dance.  The dish comes with two sides: (1) organic quinoa and  (2) organic baby greens.  The quinoa is light and fluffy with a tangy dressing.  I could eat a whole plate of it.  And the greens do not disappoint.

And what would lunch be without a sweet ending? Cool and refreshing, the Banana Blackberry Smoothie is an excellent choice.

Naked Café has four locations.  The restaurant in Solana Beach is tucked away next to the grass park overlooking the ocean.  It is a beautiful spot to walk around with your smoothie.  The Point Loma and Encinitas locations are ensconced in strip malls.  It is a testament to the quality of the food that people drive into these vicious parking lots.  As for Carlsbad, it is next on my list!

Finally, keep your eye on the clock.  Naked Café closes at 2:30pm, because it is focused on the breakfast and lunch crowd.

Point Loma

3555 Rosecrans St #109

San Diego, CA 92110

619.226.7866

Solana Beach

106 S. Sierra Ave.

Solana Beach, CA 92075

858.259.7866

Encinitas

288-C N. El Camino Real

Encinitas, CA 92024

760.635.7866

Carlsbad

300 Carlsbad Village Dr.

Suite 107A

Carlsbad, CA 92008

760.720.7866

The post Naked Cafe: Vegan Friendly appeared first on The Fussy Fork.

LA JOLLA/UTC and ENCINITAS.   The vegan movement in San Diego is building momentum.  Menus are dedicating more space to vegan options, the farmers markets are flourishing, and bold establishments are opening with exclusively vegan fare.  On June 21, 2013, another key player opened its doors in San Diego.  Nekter Juice Bar has taken over a charming cottage in the heart of La Jolla, offering a full menu of vegan juices, smoothies, and snacks.

Steve and Alexis Schulze founded Nekter in 2010 and opened the first location in Costa Mesa.  Then, explosive growth.  Eleven locations sprouted from Orange County to Los Angeles.  Now, the San Diego grand opening.  Next, more cities in California, Arizona, and Texas.  Vegan wildfire!

Juices:

On opening day, I tried “The Cure,” made from beet, broccoli, kale, parsley, celery, grapes, and apple.  The beets produce a vibrant pink color.  Even better, the beets, grapes, and apple sweeten up the hard-core healthy green goodness.

Smoothies:

So obviously I’m hooked – a few days later, I’m back at Nekter.  (I don’t live anywhere near La Jolla, but this doesn’t seem to matter.)  This time around, I ordered the Tropical Cooler—a puree of spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, coconut water, and coconut butter.  Yes, coconut butter.  Is there anything more delicious?  And the combination of coconut and pineapple is well established magic, decidedly tropical.  I couldn’t even taste the spinach or kale, although the bold green color of the smoothie assured me that they were in there!

Bowls:

Nekter provides a selection of vegan bowls—most are acai based.  However, I decided to try the Pitaya Bowl made from a blend of pitaya, banana, pineapple, coconut butter, and coconut water and topped with hempseed granola, raw coconut flakes, and bananas.  For more information on pitaya, see my post on Lotus Café.  And if you are looking for a more comprehensive run down, click on the link below:

http://pitayaplus.com/what-is-pitaya-plus/

The bowl was big and delicious.  The bright, pink pitaya tasted sweet and smooth.  The hemp granola gave texture to the bowl, and the bananas sweeten things up even more.  Shredded coconut on top?  Yes, please.  (Are you getting the tropical vibe yet?)

Nekter simplifies everything for the customer.  Three separate menus for juices, smoothies, and bowls are posted on the wall for easy reading.  There is also a refrigerated section where you can pick up snacks, pre-bottled juices, and even cocktail mixers!

Nekter also dedicates space to its first ever Nekter Cleanse Bar.  A cleanse specialist will be available to answer questions.  And in July, I’m going to tackle one of Nekter’s cleanses.   I will document my experience on The Fussy Fork, so be sure to check back soon!

Nekter’s indoor and outdoor patio seating areas create a fun, casual atmosphere.  It’s the perfect place to sip on a juice after a workout, escape from the office for a restorative smoothie, or sit with a book and a snack.  As an added bonus, Nekter provides free WiFi!

834 Kline St

La Jolla, CA 92037

800.385.1650

The post Nekter Juice Bar: 100% Vegan appeared first on The Fussy Fork.

ENCINITAS.  At the Lotus Café and Juice Bar, my only problem is narrowing down the options and making a decision.  The menu offers a variety of vegan dishes and classifies each dish as (1) vegan “as is;” (2) easily modified to vegan (i.e., replacing dairy cheese with vegan cheese), or (3) vegan but for the honey.

What’s the deal with honey, you ask?  Honey is a hot topic in the vegan world.  Some feel strongly that true vegans do not consume honey, whereas others invite honey into the vegan tent because honey is not meat, fish, dairy, or eggs.   For each side of the great honey debate:

Honey is vegan: http://www.satyamag.com/sept05/greger.html

Honey is NOT vegan: http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

On my most recent trip to Lotus Café, I tried the Indian Curry Bowl.  I enjoyed fresh steamed vegetables mixed in a curry sauce, served over organic brown rice with organic, whole wheat chapati—Indian unleavened flatbread—on the side.  The vegetables tasted fresh, and the dressing is well seasoned but not too spicy.  I also loved scooping the vegetables and rice onto the warm chapati!

Next up was the Nirvana Burrito.  (I had a wing man, or so I tell people.)  A generous portion of sautéed vegetables, pinto beans, and organic rice are wrapped in chapati, then covered with ranchero sauce, vegan cheese, and guacamole.  This hefty burrito holds its own against even the “California” burritos littered about San Diego.  But at the same time, it does not hit your stomach like a brick.  Plus, you get a side salad of crisp green lettuce and sprouts, with fun vegan dressings like tofu dill or tahini.

As the name Lotus Café and Juice Bar suggests, this establishment boasts an array of juices, smoothies, and shakes.

With such creative options, it’s easy to order something special!  First, I sampled the Priya Pitaya Smoothie, which blends organic pitaya, pineapple, banana, and papaya juice.

Pitaya?  Exactly, I had no idea.  But after some research, I learned pitaya is a pink skinned fruit that comes from a cactus plant and has a mild flavor like a melon or kiwi.  The global marketing machine touts this fruit as the next “superfood,” due to its high levels of Vitamin C and phytoalbumin, an antioxidant believed to prevent the formation of free radicals.  Based on the meteoric rise of acai, I predict a pitaya invasion.

The smoothie was tropical, mild, and delicious.  I would definitely recommend trying this smoothie!  And if you love things that are bright pink, then this drink is probably mandatory.

Me, I love anything with coconut.  The Coc-Aloha is a smoothie with pineapple, banana, and pineapple-coconut juice.  The mixing of the coconut and pineapple flavors conjures the presence of a pina colada.  It’s creamy and fruity without being overly sweet.

Lotus also offers an ever changing, delicious selection of baked goods.  Vegan desserts are clearly marked.  I tried a vegan and gluten free cupcake featuring the irresistible combination of dense, moist chocolate cake with thick peanut butter icing.  Again, I swear I had a wing man.

The pictures on this post are from the Hillcrest location.  The earth tones of the walls, the wooden booths, the artwork, and the music all help create a relaxing atmosphere.  There is also an outdoor covered patio that allows diners to enjoy their food outside.

UPDATE: As of August 6, 2013, the Cafe Lotus and Juice Bar’s Hillcrest location has CLOSED.

765 S Coast Highway 101

Encinitas, CA 92024

760.479.1977

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