Robeks is Smooth at Making Great-Tasting, Healthy Fare

Have you ever tried wheatgrass? The juice is a vividly dark, rich green. It’s both quite striking and intimidating in its appearance.

I’ll never forget the first time I “bravely” tried it.

I was with my one buddy and we were at a health food restaurant on the east side of town. We decided to be brave and give wheatgrass a literal “shot,” which is how it is usually served.

My friend quickly downed his shot and flatly said, “It’s like licking the blade of a lawnmower.”

He dramatized the taste quite a bit. It really isn’t that bad. In fact, I really like the stuff. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when I paid a visit to at 18025 Royalton Road and saw they now had that green concoction on their menu. It was offered in a 1-ounce and 2-ounce serving. Of course, I went with the larger of the two. Ah, very tasty!

There are plenty of healthy items to pick on the menu. Other than the wheatgrass, none of it screams attention to itself as something that may be better for you than it actually tastes. Trust me, everything I had was very, very yummy, including the wheatgrass.

I have to rave over their fruit smoothies, easily the best in the area. I’ve often made their delicious smoothies my lunch and have already filled several of their buy 10-and-get-one-free smoothie cards. (They also have a card for the wheatgrass. Nice!)

This time out I tried the Hummingbird, which is guava juice, mangos, strawberries, bananas, orange sherbet and ice. Doesn’t that sound great? It is so refreshing.

Cranberry Quest is another flavor I love. It’s a mix of cranberry juice, blueberries, strawberries, raspberry sherbet, non-fat yogurt and ice.

I’ll admit that this visit will be the first time that I’ve tried their food. I just love their smoothies so much that I’ve never ventured past them.

I tried one of Robeks' new sandwiches, the New York Noho. This roast beef sandwich includes cucumber, red onions, roma tomatoes, avocado, romaine lettuce, montery jack cheese and cream cheese with Grey Poupon Bistro sauce. The cucumber gave it a nice crunch and I found the cream cheese to be a delightful addition. My only complaint is it could have used a little more beef, but I am a meat lover.

If you’re looking for the veggie version, sans the beef, just order the New York Soho. I’m told that they can also make these as a wrap. I’ll try it that way next time.

I also tried a salad. The Asian Chicken sounded so good when I read the ingredients. White chicken is tossed with jicama, Mandarin oranges, carrots, red onions, red peppers all served on romaine lettuce with sesame ginger dressing. Oh, I so love  ginger and this dressing gave the salad a nice kick. The Asian Chicken salad was tops and was even better than my sandwich. I will definitely get this again.

It may be healthy eats, but you don’t have to skip dessert here. Besides the wonderful smoothies, Robeks offers Power Cookies! I tried the oatmeal raisin and really enjoyed it. It was soft and chewy. Other flavors include lemon poppyseed, chocolate chip and peanut butter. They also have Power Muffins.

The one place Robeks falls short is in seating. There isn’t much of it at this location. There were two tables and a row of seats by the window. I'd toss in at least one more table. There's room.

If for nothing else, be sure to stop at Robeks and try one of their wonderful fruit smoothies. If you’re feeling brave, pair it with a shot of wheatgrass. It really doesn’t taste like you’re licking the blade of a lawnmower. It just looks like it. (Wink!)

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