Through searching for different veg-friendly restaurants across north east Ohio I landed upon The Root Café in Lakewood, Ohio. It’s about a 35-40 minute drive from me since it’s located on the West Side of Cleveland but it is worth the trek every time. I’ve been there so far twice this summer and I love it. The wifi password is vegetable. That should say it all right there.
A month ago or so I visited this cute little coffee shop/vegan and gluten-free café with my aunt and brother (both of which could care less about anything raw, organic and vegan but loved it). I got the “winter wrap” sandwich but on mixed greens instead of bread. It was the most perfect entree for me.
Avocado. Kale. Sweet Potatoes. My dreams come true. A chipotle aioli on the side and their soup of the day which happened to be my favorite as well, split pea (which was also vegan).
It came with this delicious little muffin that tasted like a good wheat bran but not completely sure what was in it. Delicious, regardless!
The Root also does this event called “Raw Food Night” every Thursday from 5 to 9pm. I knew I had to try it out at least once this summer (and hands down guaranteed I’ll be back again). I drove up this past week without knowing what the menu was (they usually post it on their Facebook page).
When I arrived they were still finishing writing the menu on the chalkboard behind their coffee bar. I saw “pesto pasta” ($14) and knew it would be my first pick. Since it was “raw food” and all, the pasta was zucchini shaved into noodle forms. I’ve tried zucchini noodles once before in Chicago and when combined with the right sauces, they’re 100% better than any regular wheat noodle. The pasta came out on a huge plate covered in this raw cheeze pesto type sauce with broccoli. I died. I could have shoveled the whole plate into my mouth in .5 seconds that’s how good it was. The dish also came with complimentary spirulina water and I bought the “dirty chai” made with almond milk and maple syrup ($5).
I was so tempted to have the raw desserts which included ice cream tarts and an orange cheesecake but at $8 a piece, I decided I’d better save up for my next visit.
Surprisingly, the café was filled with many people sitting alone, enjoying their meals and coffees, reading or enjoying the nice night outside. Discovering places like this is one of my favorite things to do. Although it may seem like a huge hike to get there, going to the same restaurants gets annoying after a while and I’d much rather drive a little further to get REAL homemade and organic goodness.
-Addie
