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Central
Pennsylvanians are reaping the benefits of the expanded Avatar’s
Café & Juice Bar in the form of tasty and nourishing vegetarian
dishes that will prove to carnivores that sprouts are not what it’s
all about. Meat and potatoes need  never
be the same after a taste of Seitan-Tempeh Loaf ($11.25) in brown
gravy, where the whole wheat meat substitute seitan and the meat like
substance tempeh (made from fermented soy beans) combine with brown
rice, walnuts, spices, carrots, and other vegetables to form a
meatless meat loaf with lighter flavor and similar texture. It’s a
comforting dish just right for this time of year, perfectly
complemented by a very flavorful side of sliced, tarragon-perfumed
glazed maple sweet potatoes. This entrée (as all other dinner
entrées), is prefaced with warm rosemary baked rolls and a romaine
lettuce side salad (the best with lemon tahini dressing) —
satisfying even the hungriest diner.
As many vegetarian restaurants pull from Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisines, the same holds true for Avatar’s. Share the Mediterranean Sampler ($5.95) appetizer with your partner and be treated to a platter of miniature scoops of pita spreads — homemade orange and black bean hummus, baba ghannouj (that Greek spread of eggplant, zucchini, garlic, and olive oil), and taboulleh (Lebanese softened bulghur salad). All of this is rounded out by mini stuffed grape leaves.
Seasonal vegetables show up in other dinner entrées, too. They arrive skewered and slathered with Avatar’s own barbecue sauce atop a generous mound of couscous with currents and roasted pine nuts ($11.50). They are delicately steamed then spiced up with peanut sauce over organic brown rice in the Indonesian Gado Gado ($10.50), and, as Lite Fare, they are the feature with ginger almond rice pilaf and pita bread ($7.25). Other lighter choices include glistening sesame-dressed soba noodles (Japanese buckwheat noodles) with carrots, broccoli, and scallions ($5.75). Although the nature of soba noodles is that of not standing up as well as durum wheat semolina pasta, Avatar’s flavorful and quite spicy blend, accented with slivered deep green sea vegetables (once food regarded for kings and gods in Asian cultures) made this dish delightful. You can get the soba noodles for dinner as well as lunch, but sandwiches can only be had at lunchtime. Among a variety of healthy sandwiches are Grilled Tofu Reuben ($5.50), UnChicken Salad ($4.25), and Eggplant Parmesan ($5.75). Avatar’s soups are very popular and by no means meek, as demonstrated by their hearty, hot and spicy homemade meatless Chili ($2.50 a cup, $3.50 a bowl). You will find solace in the dining room’s clean, minimalist decor — from sponge-painted walls to a sky-painted ceiling — from comfy pillow-backed banquettes to the Lone Cypress mural. The calming atmosphere with light jazz music playing is broken up periodically by the whirl of a blender — but, after all, this is a juice bar. Up close, patrons crave the rousing whirl as the handful of stools at the juice bar are perpetually occupied. Which smoothie to try? Go for the Blue Dragon ($2.95) with blueberries, bananas, soy milk, and yogurt. Or, try the Big Sur Sun ($2.95) featuring fresh squeezed orange juice, banana, and papaya juice. Often no extra charge at juice bars, Avatar’s beverage enhancers are on hand for an extra dollar. If you want to promote digestion add Fresh Ginger, or boost your immune system with Echinacea, or reduce stress with the addition of Kava Kava. Just beware to stay away from the bee pollen as an energy booster if you are allergic to those little buzzers. You can get the Cloud Nine ($2.95), with bananas, strawberries, and chocolate soy milk, which at no added cost has the enhancer Spirulina, a derivative of blue-green algae with vitamins, proteins, and minerals. Smoothies aside, fresh juices abound — vegetable juice ($2.95), dubbed by one dining companion as a carrot in a cup; as well as other natural beverages — hot or ice Chai ($1.50), Green Tea with Lemon Grass ($1.00), and Ginger Brew ($1.75). After all of this conscientious consumption, dessert may seem justified. A couple of house-made vegan desserts are usually offered, and we tried the banana walnut cake that was baked less than three hours before our arrival. It was free of all dairy products and turned out heavenly — not sinful. If you have time, visit the also expanded Avatar’s Natural Grocery downstairs where you can pick up tofurkey, okara burgers, and a jar of lemon tahini salad dressing. (The dressing, unfortunately, isn’t Avatar’s own from the kitchen, as they only can only keep up with the supply needed for the restaurant.) Upon leaving, I was perplexed however, when I noticed a banner citing a local magazine’s Reader’s Poll award for the Best Vegetarian Restaurant prominently hanging across the street at another eatery that serves one vegetarian dish. We must work on getting the word out about Avatar’s Café and Juice Bar. But I do believe, like the Avatar’s Café move to the second floor, that Avatar’s popularity is only going to elevate as more and more people are drawn to a vegetarian and vegan way of life, be it compassion for animals, health, spiritual, or ecological reasons. (Just one thing, though, non-Styrofoam containers should be Avatar’s doggy bag of choice.)
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AVATAR’S CAFÉ Entrées -
$5.75 - $11.5 Location: Parking: Handicapped
Access: Exterior
Appearance: Initial
Interior: Reservations
Necessary: Preferred
Dining Attire: Wait (to be
seated): Wait (for
service): Lighting: Meal-time
Music: Dining Area
Appearance: Noise: Climate: Tables: Chairs: Booths: Table
setting: Your meal: Automatically
served: Cocktails: Soups: Salads: Main Course: Desserts: Coffees/Teas: Staff
Attitude: Staff
Appearance: Hospitality: Cleanliness: Wash Rooms: Crowd (Qty): Crowd
(attitude): Food
(portions): Overall
Service: Payment
Accepted: |
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Copyright
ScotGiambalvo.com. “MODE Weekly™”, and “MODEweekly.com™”
are trademarks of Scot Giambalvo. |
With
tofu always a fundamental element in vegetarian cooking, it is
prepared in many ways at Avatar’s, but almost no better way than
caramelized and golden with Indonesian fried brown rice in the spicy
Lite Fare dish, Nasi Goreng ($7.50). This is one of those dishes that
you just can’t tear yourself away from. Less exciting was the
marinated and seared tofu featured in the spinach and grilled
vegetable dinner entrée ($10.50); however, the grilled red pepper,
eggplant, zucchini, and portobello mushroom slices were done to
perfection and tasty with their marinade and sesame seeds.