A Lansdale cafe that doesn't cook Cynthia J. McGroarty
Eating at a raw-food restaurant requires a serious attitude
adjustment. Don't expect any wafting aromas, steaming plates from the
kitchen or hovering servers asking, "Would you like me to heat that
up?" On the other hand, you will never burn your tongue. At Arnold's Way Vegetarian Raw Cafe, a little eatery tucked off West
Main Street in Lansdale, kitchen aromas don't seem to matter to the
small, but steady, clientele. "One hundred percent raw," Anne Austin Fishman said one
recent afternoon about the diet she adopted to help her regain her
health after chemotherapy for stomach cancer. Fishman, 59, of Lansdale, has been eating at Arnold's Way, named
after proprietor Arnold Kauffman, since the restaurant opened in May.
Raw foods have taken some getting used to, she said, but the benefits
have been worth it. Kauffman, 55, who moved the cafe to Lansdale after 10 years in
Manayunk, makes friends easily with his customers. Many first try his
eatery on a lark and come back with a more philosophical commitment to
the food, he said. "This is the most awesome place," said Bernadette Derstien,
35, who has been frequenting Arnold's Way for the banana whip, a frozen
drink made from bananas and other fruits. Derstien, also of Lansdale, said she isn't a total convert to raw
food, but "I'm starting to switch over." "There are some things I don't like, but some things I really
like a lot." Kauffman's menu is made up of vegetable and fruit dishes, with a few
seeds and grains added to the mix. There are soups, salads and wraps, as
well as pizza, veggie burgers, and something called Monti's Steak, made
with mushrooms, carrots, and flax and sunflower seeds. The gazpacho - a blend of celery, tomatoes, olives, zucchini and
peppers - is spiced with a touch of ginger. Unlike traditional chunky
varieties, the soup is pureed and the flavor less assertive and more
earthy. The crunchy salads are served without dressing and feature finely cut
vegetables and fruit not always found in a salad bowl, including beets,
zucchini, broccoli and apples. Traditionalists can find salads made with
romaine, tomatoes, carrots and avocado. To wash it all down, there is just-made, bright-orange carrot juice,
which can be mixed with other vegetable or fruit juices, and shots of
wheat-grass juice, Kauffman says, to detoxify and energize the body. Sugar and dairy products are off-limits, but a sweet tooth can be
sated with a fruit whip or smoothie or a slice of frozen-fruit pie. |
Arnold's Way
Vegetarian Raw Cafe
Cuisine type Hours Attire Specialties |