VEGGING: Pure Fare

 

LOCATION: 119 South 21st St. (between Walnut and Sansom) or 1609 South St.

CUISINE: Impossibly healthy breakfast, lunch and snack foods.

MENU: At first glance, I really didn’t think Pure Fare was going to be my style. I am not exactly the most nutrition-focused herbivore out there and Pure Fare is definitely one of the healthiest restaurants around. To my surprise, they actually make some pretty good grub. Despite my complete lack of interest in the tedious listings of nutritional information that accompanied each menu option, I acknowledge the benefit for super health conscious diners. Overall, I was very impressed by their ability to make food I would normally avoid taste pretty damn good.

The first thing I zeroed in on was the black bean hummus sandwich which was chock full of veggies and various spices, with a thin spread of hummus and gluten-free bread, which was simultaneously light and fluffy and very filling all at once. I bravely ordered the raw brussels sprout salad and was shocked by the fact that they actually managed to make brussels sprouts taste good. The texture of thinly shaved sprouts meshed perfectly with the combination of cashews, carrots, oranges and spicy mustard dressing. I decided to try out the kale salad and was blown away once again. The attention to detail is damn near ridiculous, as was the optimum balance of ingredients — raisins, onions, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes and a mild tahini dressing — resulting in a perfect blend of sweet veggie perfection. I’m definitely not one to rave about salads, but if that’s your thing, Pure Fare is definitely a place you want to check out. My favorite part of the visit was dessert. I got the sweet potato brownie, which was nothing short of a chocolate overload, and a banana cookie that was, and I don’t use this term lightly, bananalicious.

VIBE: I checked out Pure Fare’s Walnut St. location and it has a very mellowed out, down home, farmers market feel. The entire back wall of the restaurant is made up of supermarket style displays of every sandwich, salad, and pre-made meal that they offer and they have two separate serving counters, one offering hot foods and the other serving fancy juices and coffees. They have so many options it’s hard to choose, luckily the staff is extremely helpful, polite and willing to point you in the right direction. With its big communal table, vintage décor and laid back atmosphere, you really can’t help feeling right at home and I guarantee you will leave feeling happy and healthy. As their humble sign boasts, the whole experience really is “100% good.”

PRICE: Entrees, sandwiches and salads are all about $9. Snacks, smoothies, juices and coffee ranges from $3 to $5.

WEBSITE: WWW.PUREFARE.COM

RATING: 8/10