Street Fairs and Liquiteria

One brisk Saturday afternoon in April, I stumbled out of the apartment to check out the Second Avenue Street Fair.  Unlike many bitter New Yorkers, I still find street fairs entertaining and fun.  Sure they’re all incredibly similar, but it’s still fun to stroll around with a friend while people-watching and soaking up the sun.  Unfortunately, the fairs also offer up sub-par greasy food, which I learned after I wasted $4 on an inedible snack.  Much to my disappointment I discovered that in New York, many food stands fry up a bunch of zeppoles at once and then serve cold, flavorless greaseballs to unsuspecting customers.  I have fond memories of eating piping hot dough sprinkled with powdered sugar at carnivals in my high school days on Long Island.  Either way, I’m better off.  There’s not a nutritionally redeeming quality of fried dough and it’s probably best to avoid it.

While wandering around that sunny Saturday I came upon a bustling storefront.  It appeared to be an organic vegan juice bar and a popular one at that.  I had lost my appetite due to the upsetting zeppole incident (ironic since I still hadn’t eaten), so I took note of the building and planned on going back.

Fast forward two and a half months later and I finally ventured back over the Second Avenue to try the juice.  Liquiteria, a juice bar that’s been around since 1996, has a long menu of juice combos and a serious following.  The cashier greeted most people on queue ahead of us by name, and a tabloid magazine clipping that displays Natalie Portman drinking the juice stands proudly on the counter.  A quick Google search now reveals Brooke Shields and Mary Louise Parker are also fond of the juice.  Not that the opinions of celebrities have really registered much in my decision making, but I still found the food-related tidbits interesting.

After a preparatory study of the juice bar on yelp.com, I decided to try out the Grasshopper.

Apples, pears, pineapple, wheatgrass, and mint.  I’ve never had wheatgrass before.  I have to say, I did not hate it.  In fact, the taste of this made-to-order squeezed juice was bewitching.  Fresh, vibrant, and unlike any other combination I’ve had before, the sweet elixir made my tastebuds dance.  There are other items on the menu that sound appealing, like the organic almond-cashew-peanut butter sandwich with fruit spread and sliced bananas on multi-grain bread, or perhaps another juice such as the Royal Flush with pineapple, pear, ginger and aloe vera.  I might be able to get some new smoothie ideas from this menu as well.  Whether I attempt to make some new concoction on my own or not, I’ll definitely be going back to Liquiteria for more.