Juice It offers 15 juice combinations, ranging from the
"Sweet Sensation," comprising simply fresh apple and
strawberry, to the "Mixed Mania," made of carrot, apple,
celery, wheat grass, parsley and beet. You can also create your
own juice flavor by choosing from a dozen different veggies.
While the proprietor readied the fruits and vegetables, a stack
of well-thumbed books resting on the counter offered a quick
lesson in the benefits of wheat grass and juice fasting.
I ordered the ABC juice. Containing apple, beet, and carrot,
this deep garnet liquid made eating healthy almost hallucinogenic.
I watched the proprietor create the juice in front of my eyes
(which is a big part of the fun at Juice It), and saw the apple
slices and beets go into the juicer, but couldn't really detect
their flavors, which were dominated by carrot. It felt something
akin to drinking a healthy salad.
My husband tried the Tropical Delight juice, a frothy, sweet,
smooth mix of pineapple, orange, and banana.
Because all juices are made fresh, the finished product is
closer to room temperature than the juice you pour out of the
carton at home. This made the flavor stronger and more pleasant.
The Juice It menu also lists a multitude of smoothies.
Again, you can create your own by choosing from several
different fruits, including peach, raspberry, blueberry,
strawberry, and banana.
Smoothies have been described as fast food done the nutritious
way. This isn't always the case (smoothies are often made with ice
cream, milk or yogurt). But the countless concoctions created at
Juice It are made without dairy products, syrups, artificial
ingredients, or preservatives, ensuring a healthy alternative for
lunch or a snack.
We tried the Berry Tropical smoothie, a blend of raspberry,
strawberry, orange, mango sorbet, and banana. The mix of tangy and
sweet tasted like dessert through a straw.
Juice It offers more than just juice and smoothies. Soup,
salad, and a sandwich selection round out the menu.
Patrons can build their own salad, selecting from a long list
of toppings, which include carrots, tomato, sprouts, beets, red
onion, cucumber, sunflower seeds and mozzarella cheese. Dressings
are homemade, and include a French dressing (a handed-down family
recipe), balsamic vinaigrette and green goddess soy dressing, made
of peas, mint, basil, garlic, lemon juice, and soy milk.
I chose the salad crowned The Works, covered with all of the
available toppings.
The crisp greens held a generous heap of each ingredient. All
of the toppings added interest to the salad, but particularly
pleasing were the julienned slices of beet, which added a rich,
sweet layer.
Juice It recently added a lone sandwich to its menu, and plans
to add a handful more by summer.
The avocado, tomato, and sprout sandwich was served on spelt
bread from Great Harvest. It was a treat to see the sandwich
created behind the counter with whole, fresh avocado and tomatoes.
None of that dried-out, pre-sliced nonsense you see at many
sandwich counters.
The honey in the spelt bread lent a sweet taste to the
sandwich, complementing the generous layers of mashed avocado,
tomato and sprouts. Finishing the sandwich was a dollop of
flavorful vegan mayonnaise made of tofu, apple cider vinegar,
olive oil, salt and dijon.
Juice It would make a great spot for a quick breakfast, as
well. For 50 cents, you can order toast with your juice or
smoothie, topped with butter, peanut butter, strawberry jam, or
cinnamon and sugar. Almond butter can be chosen for just a few
cents more.
A happy hour special from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday offers 50 cents off any 16-ounce drink and 50 cents off
wheat grass shots.
You can also conveniently call an order in ahead of time and
pick it up to go.
