The Love Tree Cafe

The Love Tree Cafe was a little difficult to find but was worth the search and it is so adorable! The huge tree in front of the small building was definitely a sight to see and I definitely recommend anyone to take a trip to the restaurant just to see the fascinating tree. I did some research and found out that this tree is a palm tree growing out of an oak tree. Pretty fascinating if you ask me! I wanted to put a picture up but I didn't have my camera with me at the time and wasn't expecting to need it. Clearly I was wrong so here is a link to a picture of the tree so you can take a look!

It was a nice small place which was good for me because a low-key experience was just what I was looking for. The menu offered a variety of different foods vegetarian and non-vegetarian that were perfect for lunchtime. I thought it was nice that they had some non-vegetarian options because as I have said before I have to drag my friends to these type of places!

The service was great. They took care of me right away and it didn't take very long to get my meal.I wanted to get something different but I couldn't resist the veggie pizza. It turned out to be a good safe choice and it was nice and filling because I wasn't starving. I still like The Manatee Cafe pizza the best but it was a close competition. The couple that was there had ordered burritos and they looked great but I am not a huge burrito fan so I am glad I went with my gut feeling. For all you burrito fans out there, you will have to try the burrito out and let me know how it is!

One thing that really made my experience "WORTH-while" was the prices! The prices were definitely inexpensive in comparison to the other healthy restaurants I have visited. The Love Tree Cafe is a nice place to go for a good healthy meal in downtown St. Augustine.

Address:

6 Cordova

St. Augustine, FL 32084

Pros: Vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available, helpful servers, small and comfortable atmosphere, location, inexpensive

Cons: small, a little bit harder to find than others, no website

Switching it Up

So instead of focussing on a restaurant today I wanted to focus on a place to get your own organic food! For all of you chefs out there I suggest you take a look at the recipes on Whole Food's Whole Story blog. There are tons of blogs out there with great recipes. I suggest you stop by any of the local organic food markets. For this post I am going to focus on Diane's Natural Foods in the Hobby Lobby Parking lot off of 312 and US-1 in St. Augustine.

I was waiting for my friends to meet me at the bagel shop in that parking lot and just had to go in and check it out. It is pretty big and has a variety of different products from vitamins and herbs to food to books to toiletries...I could go on. The store presentation is nothing out of the ordinary but it was clean and organized so I couldn't really complain. No one really greeted me but they seemed to be very helpful to the customers who were asking them questions so I am sure I could have approached them if I needed anything.

I looked on their website and found out that they have three locations in Northeast Florida so you can always check out the Anastasia Island and Palm Coast locations and let me know how you feel about them! If you need the addresses they are listed on the site! Their website could definitely use some work but it did have the basics on the homepage.

I bought some local honey and it tastes great in my tea. To me there is nothing better than some local honey! Being from Connecticut I am used to Vermont honey so my standards were high but it tastes good to me. When I checked out the cashier was nice and friendly to me so that made up for not getting greeted or assisted earlier in my visit.

Overall there was a wide variety of products, the quality seemed to be high, the prices seemed to be reasonable for an organic food store to me, and the service was decent. They must be doing something right because on their website it states, "We have been voted St. Augustine’s Best Health Food Store 11 years running and take pride in our high level of customer satisfaction and outstanding service." This is a great place for an organic shopper to go for a one stop shop!

The Present Moments Cafe

My meal was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I just had to get that out there before I went any further!

Nurse Holly Hagler at Flagler College had told me she was a big fan on this restaurant so I figured it would be a great place to check out. Plus it is only about a three-minute drive from Flagler College! Right when I walked through the door I immediately fell in love with The Present Moments Cafe. The walls were all earth tones, peaceful but at the same time upbeat music was playing on through the computer off of Pandora Radio and I was greeted with a warm smile. The song playing when I first walked in was "A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keMeDEYx1Jw

There was a section with different sized tables and a bar area. I walked up and grabbed a takeout menu while the server was writing out the specials of the night on the chalkboard. Dinner had just started a few minutes before at 5:00.

I asked the woman what the Philly Sushi Roll was and she told me it was a roll with all different vegetables (carrots, avacado and onions to name a few) with their special organic cream cheese. I was a little wary to order it but I ended up going for it. It was an appetizer portion so it came with five rolls and I also ordered a side salad.

While I was waiting for my take-out order I really got to take in the atmosphere. I looked at the artwork on the walls, studied the menu some more, and checked out their organic market section which was in a little hallway. For a while I just sat at the bar and listened to the music.

At one point a woman sitting a few seats down ordered "Rooted in Courage" from the organic juice bar. It was made of a carrot, beet, and some ginger. She seemed to be a regular at the cafe and might even been one of the owners or an employee . She told me how great the juice was and even let me try some with a spoon! It was so fun to try something new and to have someone be so friendly. I was a little scared to try it but it turned out being pretty good! There was no sugar in it either so I was impressed. While this woman was talking to the server, the server said something that I found to be very memorable. She said she felt like she didn't just work at a restaurant, she felt like she was part of something. I thought that was very important and that it is great to have people working there who truly enjoy their job.

My total came up to $10.40 with tax which was not bad at all in my opinion. Some of the items on the menu are a little pricy but that comes with organic food. The food looked great, I could see it right away through the eco-friendly container. The food tasted even better than it looked. I couldn't get enough of the sushi! It was so refreshing and every bite was crisp and flavorful. To my surprise I actually enjoyed the organic salad dressing this time.

Next time I really want to try the Herbed Nut Loaf & White Truffle Cream Pasta which is $15. It is described on the menu as "A hearty nut loaf topped with marinara sauce and a side of our Alfredo tossed pasta. Served w/ a house salad." The food was delicious, the service was great, and I could tell they were committed to the environment and green living.

Address:

224 W. King St.

St. Augustine, FL 32084

Hours:
Mon-Thurs
7 am - 9 pm

Fri-Sat

7 am - 9:30 pm

Website:
http://www.thepresentmomentcafe.com/

Pros: A large menu variety, breakfast served all day, healthy, many vegan options, friendly and helpful servers, atmosphere, market area, conscience of the environment, open late

Cons: Some items are on the pricey side, not open on Sundays, meals have a long prep-time

For other reviews check out Trip Advisor!

The Manatee Cafe

Yesterday I asked all of my friends if they wanted to go to the Manatee Cafe. The usual crowd that loves it there were all busy so I moved onto my friends who don't touch organic food hoping I could convince one of them to join me. My friend Alicia said I really don't want to go there it's all healthy food with tons of vegetables so I told her how much I love it. As she knows, I am not a huge fan of vegetables and eat my share of junk food but I still crave the organic pizza all the time. Thankfully she had nothing to do yesterday afternoon so she came along. I even paid for her meal in exchange for coming along to a restaurant she wasn't interested in going to at all.

On the window there was a sign saying "Voted Best Healthy Eating Restaurant 2002-2003, 2003-2004". Also on the door it showed that the Manatee Cafe was the Best of St. Augustine first place winner for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Pretty impressive if you ask me! So we headed in and a waiter seated us at a booth next to two other groups of people. The atmosphere was very relaxed and everyone seemed to be enjoying their lunches. It isn't the prettiest building I have ever seen but the manatees painted on the walls are a nice touch.

We drank our water and tried to decide what to get! I have to admit, I have only eaten a few dishes from The Manatee Cafe because once I find something I love I am afraid to stray away. I ordered the pizza which is described on the menu as: "pita flat with tomato and veggies baked with choice of feta, cheddar or soy cheese, served with salad." It is my absolute favorite! I have also tried the stir-fry which is made with tofu, it is very tasty and filling but the pizza always comes out on top. Alicia was afraid to try anything too risky so she ordered an appetizer of blue chips and hummus. We were afraid that this wasn't going to fill her or that the hummus wasn't going to taste good but she approved of the hummus and couldn't even finish her chips.

The three salad dressings they offer are vinaigrette, basil and nutritional yeast. I always just tell my waiter to pick the most popular one and I always get the basil dressing. I think it tastes a little too "spice-y" for my liking but it isn't horrible. My roommate who loves cooking with spices thinks it is fantastic so I bring my leftover dressing home for her.

The menu does not only consist of chips, stir-fry, and pizza of course. It is broken down into sections: Appetizers, hot dishes, salads, sandwiches (with quite a long list), desserts, breakfast, and drinks (non-alcoholic). I have never tried the breakfast but am very eager to, it is served all day so I really don't know what is stopping me! Have any of you tried the breakfast? I would love to hear how it is!

Address:
525 S.R. 16 #106
Westgate Plaza
St. Augustine, FL

Hours:
Mon.-Sat. 8:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.
Sun. 8:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

Website:
http://www.manateecafe.com/

Pros: Menu variety, breakfast served all day, healthy, considerate servers, they do offer one chicken meal

Cons: A little bit pricey, not open for dinnertime, some meals have a long prep-time

Let the Healthy Eating Begin!

Welcome to my blog!

As a Flagler College student from Connecticut I was unsure of where to go for a healthy meal in St. Augustine! I have found a few places I would love to share with you and I am very excited to explore some more options. The main reason I chose to make a blog on this topic was that when I searched on the Internet for organic and healthy restaurants in St. Augustine I didn't find what I was looking for.

My goal is to give you as much information about each restaraunt I go to as I can, share my reccommendations at each, tell you what I like the most about each one, and to give you a feel of the whole dining experience at each restaurant! I will also make sure to check out the organic food markets in town so that you can get as much information as possible on eating healthy in St. Augustine!

Let me know if you have any suggestions or places you have been wanting to check out but haven't gotten a chance to stop in! I hope this blog helps you in your dining choices!

Let the healthy eating begin!!

Picture Source: www.stockphoto.com

Contact Information: JGubbins@flagler.edu