Refreshing & Healthy
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 10:54AM 
Liquid Energy is serving a fresh and healthy alternative
By Vanessa Oswald
Buffalo may be best known for chicken wings, beef on weck, Sahlen’s hot dogs, Polish sausage and pierogi but for those looking for a fresh and healthy alternative, we’ve got that covered too. Meet Liquid Energy Juice Bar and Café, an independent local effort capitalizing on a growing healthy trend in natural foods that has become quite popular around the country.
This quaint café uses only all natural and organic products to serve up breakfast and lunch meals, along with delicious juices and smoothie drinks. Customers have the choice of raw juices, elixirs, tropical smoothies, “lite” fruit smoothies, “power” smoothies and wheat grass shots on the drink menu.
All the “power” smoothies contain protein and these delectable concoctions can also serve as meal replacements that are just as filling and nutritious as a whole meal. Each drink on the menu also has a fun and unique name to describe the drink somehow, used to explain what the drink’s benefits are or what type of person might like to have that specific drink or just to put a clever spin on the regular juice drink and smoothie names.
For example, The Brazilian Thunder “power” smoothie contains acai, spirulina, blueberries, banana, raspberries, protein and soy milk. Acai is known as a “super food” with one of the highest anti-oxidant counts. The Acai Berry can help with the anti-aging process, preventing disease and weight loss. Katie Bzibziak, 24, purchased an elixir drink, a juiced drink containing grapefruit, orange juice and lemon. Grapefruit is known as a fruit that assists in weight loss.
“It’s delicious,” said Bzibziak. “It tastes like I stuck a straw in a grapefruit.”
As far as the service goes, Cavanaugh says the juice bar and café can get busy during the week with all the customers that venture in to grab a quick snack, especially after a yoga class at Evolation Yoga, which is connected to the juice bar’s second location at the newly opened Remington Lofts in North Tonawanda.
“We get a variety of people because there’s a bunch of businesses in the Remington Rand building,” said Matt Cavanaugh, 20, from Buffalo who has worked at the juice bar for just over a year. “We also get tenants who bring their kids.”
The renovation of the Remington Lofts includes lofts, a hair salon, the yoga studio, and coming soon is the addition of a restaurant. The original Liquid Energy is located in the Cathedral Building at 298 Main Street in Buffalo, while their newest location within the Remington Lofts is at 184 Sweeney Street in North Tonawanda, right along the Erie Canal.
“You have to wait a bit while he makes your drink, but it’s cool to watch him while he makes it,” said Kristen Soos, who ordered a Bahama Mama, which contains strawberries, bananas, yogurt, orange, pineapple juice and coconut, with extra raspberries. “You can see that you’re getting the freshest ingredients.”
Some drinks take longer to make than others, depending on how many ingredients are used in the drink and what process, whether it’s using the juicer or blender.
Each person who orders has the option of adding supplements to their smoothies to give it the extra boost, whether it’s for more energy, immunity, muscle repair or brain function. Some of the offered supplements are Vitamin-C, Echinacea, Vitamin shot, B-12 shot, D-3 shot, Gingko, Ginseng, Glutamine, joint shot, Acai, Spirulina, flax oil, protein and extra berries.
Another common component used in several of the drinks is wheat grass, which is full of beneficial vitamins, minerals, enzymes and chlorophyll. There are numerous reasons why wheat grass is good to consume on a regular basis, since it cleans your bloodstream, burns fat, boosts your immune system, aids in digestion, cleanses skin, reduces premature aging and gives you more energy.
Liquid Energy also has a food selection, which includes healthy wraps, “hot” wraps, salads, rice bowls, pita-dip and quesadillas made with all allergy friendly ingredients, which ranges from $6 to $8. The juice drinks and smoothies range from $4 to 6$ and the “power” smoothie (meal replacements) range from $6 to $8.!
