The smoothie menu at Nutriblends is not for the indecisive.
At least 23 options exist at the moment, from a blend of peach, strawberry and mango know as “The Georgia” to the froth of lime, cashew, cream cheese and Graham cracker they call “Key Lime Pie.” There’s even a curious yet geographically topical item, “Lake Water,” compelled from carrots, spinach and pineapple.
“It’s growing,” Nutriblends manager Luis Sanchez said of the list. “We’ve added a bunch.”
Scanning through coconut, pear, cucumber, fig, peanut butter, ginger and dozens of other ingredients packaged under evocative names requires the kind of patience that outlasts anticipation. Smelling the fruits, caught up in the carnival of color, you want to hear the whir of steel blades.
No wonder patrons tend to settle on the one sitting at the top of the list.
Tropical Vacation is the little restaurant’s most popular smoothie, beating out The Georgia and Bangin’ Blueberry. Involving pineapple, banana and mango, the smoothie opens with a crisp, tart flush of fruit before drifting to earth, loafing on a creamy, almost nutty hammock.
Little hints of earth and soft pepper temper the burst of pineapple that reemerges on the finish.
According to Sanchez, the secret is in showing a little restraint.
“Some people might put in too much of one fruit, but pineapple will take over,” he said. “You have to find balance.”
If you must settle, this may be the best way. Eventually, however, the temptation to try something further down the list — The Down Under, perhaps, or the Strawberry Fig Newton — will be impossible to resist.
Smoothies probably started with simple fruit purees, common in several cultures. Our concept of the smoothie dates back to Orange Julius — once found in just about every aisle of the great American shopping mall — and The Smoothie King.
By the 1990s, the filling (and often healthy) drink threatened Starbuck’s in the ubiquity department.
Yet with proliferation came problems. Too many retailers cut corners, blending processed fruits into cloying formula. Nutriblends prefers the right approach.
Sanchez insists fresh ingredients are critical. His crew cuts fruit and vegetables at the start of each day.
“Everything every morning is fresh,” he said. “And that is what it is — that fresh product.”
So the fruits, nuts and other ingredients are always ready. Deciding on the combination that ends up in the blender and, finally, the cup — that may take some time.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
