|
Mother Nature’s
Kitchens
By Katherine E. Hill
|
The Divided Sky
Freshies Restaurant & Bar
-
Lunch & dinner daily
-
3330
Lake Tahoe Blvd.
-
(530) 542-3630
Grass Roots Natural Foods
-
Open
daily
-
(530) 541-7788
Sprouts Natural Foods Café
Wide Awake Conscious Café
|
Eating organic food from produce
to meat and poultry is a choice many consumers make in an effort
to eat a more healthy diet free of chemicals.
Organic meat, poultry, eggs and
dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics
or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without the use of
conventional pesticides, fertilizers made from synthetic
ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing
radiation. The USDA certifies organic food products before it
can be labeled organic.
As the demand for organic foods
grows, so does the demand for restaurants offering organic items
on their menu. The South Lake Tahoe area has a number of local
restaurants offering organic, vegetarian and vegan fare.
The Aloha state has come to
Freshies Restaurant & Bar with a tiki bar welcoming patrons to
the restaurant with vegetarian and vegan items on their menu.
Fresh food and organic ingredients
can be found in many of the items with dishes ranging from
organic, free-range chicken to Temple of Tofu, Flatiron Steak,
Gazpacho, sushi, noodle bowls, a wide range of sandwiches,
salads and appetizers. All of which can be enjoyed in the
restaurant or on the rooftop deck with views of Lake Tahoe.
 “We have a Hawaiian-style
restaurant with world cuisine,” says Melodie Ulman, who runs
Freshies with her husband-chef Erik. “Everybody loves Hawaii and
we’re ocean people.”
Melodie says the Hawaiian-themed
food and décor is refreshing in Tahoe, with carved bears and
mountain décor prevalent throughout the region. “We thought
‘What a fun thing to offer in Tahoe.’ ”
“My husband is a genius with
food,” Melodie says of the innovative cuisine served at the
restaurant they opened more than seven years ago.
Melodie, a vegetarian herself,
says infusing organic ingredients in Freshies’ menu is part of
who they are.
“We are really globally minded. …
Everything is as organic as we can make it,” she says.
Using organic ingredients can be
challenging due to higher costs, especially in Tahoe, but she’s
says there are a lot of organic items they use throughout their
dishes – house made organic pasta along with potatoes, greens,
beans, rice, chicken, tofu, Tempeh, tomatoes and milk, among
others. They also offer a number of organic wines and beers,
along with organic teas.
And, many of the dishes can be
made vegetarian or vegan.
“It’s really important to
accommodate people’s diets,” says Melodie.
Freshies stresses an importance on
using the freshest ingredients and is mindful of
cross-contamination with separate grills for cooking its
vegetarian and vegan dishes.
A variety of vegetarian dishes, a
juice bar and cooks happy to accommodate vegans can be found at
Sprouts Natural Foods Café. Wholesome food made fresh is the
cornerstone of Sprouts.
Using organic ingredients when
available, the menu offers a variety of tastes for any appetite
with sandwiches, rice bowls, vegan soups, burritos and breakfast
served all day. A sample from the menu includes the Rice Bowl
Cadillac, Tempeh Burritos, Turkey Rice Bowl and vegetarian
lasagna, along with freshly squeezed juices and made-to-order
smoothies.
The newest addition to South Lake is Wide Awake Conscious Café,
offering an organic menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a
stylish and friendly atmosphere.
 Wide Awake offers an eclectic and
delectable menu from frittatas and crepes for breakfast to tapas
like the Stuffed Olives and Prawns Oregano on the lunch menu.
For dinner, they offer a selection of soups and more tapas
offerings including the Spinach with aioli and Grilled Organic
Rosemary Chicken Caesar. In fact, most of the menu is vegetarian
with vegan dishes denoted with a carrot symbol and a rooster
marking the dishes featuring organic, free-range chicken.
The café boasts an urban chic
décor with a bohemian twist in the colorful cushions and pillows
that cover the bench seating on one side of the café. Cozy
chairs next to the woodstove are a great place to enjoy a cup of
fresh drip coffee or an espresso drink. And, there are two
computer stations for those wanting to check their e-mail or
surf the net.
As the menu boasts, Wide Awake is
“filled to the brim with beautiful organic people, organic
passion, organic food, organic coffee, and organic tea.”
Live music, good food and a
friendly atmosphere welcome people to The Divided Sky, a
combination café/bar offering a number of organic items on the
menu.
While owner Brian Levy says he
doesn’t categorize The Divided Sky as an organic restaurant,
organic produce is a large part of the restaurant’s philosophy.
“We buy a lot of organic. … Maybe
a quarter of our stuff is organic,” Levy says. “We shop
organically because that’s what we believe in.”
With organic ingredients threaded
throughout the menu, The Divided Sky offers a number of organic
salads along with about a dozen sandwiches, appetizers, soups
and desserts, including the Mud Pie.
Two of the most popular sandwiches
are the Waterhouse and the Edinburgh, Levy says.
The Waterhouse features basil
pesto, sundried tomatoes and smoked salmon, while the Edinburg
is a vegetarian delight with basil pesto, portabella mushrooms,
garlic, sundried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
 Since opening The Divided Sky six
years ago, Levy says the restaurant is more like a community
center where people can get together.
“We opened it to fill a void in
Myers, but it functions as more of a community center,” he says.
“We opened in an effort to create
a place for people to go in Myers,” he says.
The Divided Sky features live
music once or twice a week on its stage, with a mix of local
bands and those from out of the area.
Located a few miles down Highway
89 south from the Lake, The Divided Sky is worth a try with a
small stage in the corner, a friendly, warm atmosphere and an
easy-going crowd.
If you’re looking to pick up a few
items to take with you, check out Grass Roots Natural Foods. The
market offers dairy-free products, chemical and additive-free
foods and eco-friendly options. Natural foods, organic fruits
and vegetables, bulk items and a wide variety of supplements can
be found in this market located at the
wye. The knowledgeable
staff can answer any questions and help you on your search.
Top |
