Home > Des Moines Restaurants > Editorial Review > Editorial Juice Review: Fresh Cafe & Market

By Cara Hall/Juice staff writer
April 16, 2008

EXPERIENCE

The menu at Fresh Cafe & Market touts a commitment to organic, local and synthetic-free foods, and is filled with healthy wraps, smoothies and juices. Owner Kerri Rush, 35, says cups and flatware are made of a corn-based substance that biodegrades after 30 days in the trash.

ON THE MENU

The food menu is short - a handful of sandwiches and daily soup and salad specials. There's also a case of baked goods, yogurt, fruit, Lara bars and other healthy snacks. The drinks are really the stars. The cafe blends fresh fruit and vegetable juices in a juicer for $4.50. A shot of wheatgrass juice with a fruit chaser is $2.50. Smoothies (with added natural energy boosters for about $1) are also available for $4.50.

WHAT WE ORDERED

Curious about wheatgrass, my dining partner and I each ordered a shot. It tasted like grass, which is not particularly good, but only for a few seconds. The appeal is in the energy boost it gives, and I felt great the next morning. We also got to sample a Green Goddess juice they had pre-mixed with a handful of fruits and vegetables. The bright green drink, a special, costs $6.75. I liked the sweet-savory combination, and would order it again.

The sandwiches we ordered, two veggie wraps, tasted more like health food. I'd slap on a little more hummus and a little less raw broccoli if I was behind the counter. My dining partner's marinated tortellini salad was better.

GOOD IF YOU WANT...

Real, healthy food and an energy boost from a rare restaurant that's committed to buying local and organic.