The Healthy Hedon

Favorite Bites: Sour Cherry Mint Chocolate Tea, Dusty Rose (Tofu entree)
Food: (poor) 1 2 3 4 5 (excellent)
Service: (poor) 1 2 3 4 5 (excellent)
Appearance: (poor) 1 2 3 4 5 (excellent)

NOTE: This restaurant has closed.

The Healthy Hedon is just that: healthy food that is hedonistic. They offer elegantly prepared food, beautifully presented on very colorful pottery, with the most unique and delicious flavor combinations. It is a bit pricey, but worth it for the occasional treat. The menu is 95% vegan (the other 5% being the fact that they "LOVE cheese") and changes seasonally. They also offer weekly specials. As of the spring of 2007 they are opening a new grab-n-go lunchbox outside, which features sandwiches, salads, soups, desserts, coffee, and assorted goodies.

When I am in the mood for indulgence, this is where I go. It is truely "an experience in Vegetarian decadance," especially the chocolate tea ritual. My favorite is the Sour Cherry Mint Chocolate Tea: you are brought a large cup filled with mint leaves, a pot of steaming coconut water (with small bits of coconut), a shot of sour cherry juice, cherries, a side of coconut whipped cream, and chocolate truffles. Since I prefer not to lose any of the chocolate, I pour the coconut water over the mint leaves, let them steep for a minute, then remove them and add the truffles. After they have melted, you add the cherry juice, cherries, and top it off with the whipped cream. The presentation is fabulous, the process of putting it together is fun, and the end result is divinely amazing. Plus, it is all vegan! The only other chocolate tea I have tried was the Cocunt Curry, which was also very good. The curry powder that is used is very mild; the addition of that and a side of coconut cream flavors very well with the chocolate. A note of caution: the chocolate teas are very rich and the portions are large, so I would suggest either sharing it or just do not plan on getting a dessert! I've only managed to do this once and tried a chocolate mousse dessert served over vegan doughnuts with whipped cream. It was good, but a little too rich and the alcohol infusion (it was either wine or port, I forget) was a little much for my tastes.

The food is very filling and very spicy, with obvious Korean and Jamaican influences. If you like really really spicy, Catch a Fyah is the way to go: Jamaican Jerk Wings are grilled and served with Mango Mint puree, a sweet Jerk sauce, and a slice of grilled pineapple. The meal is accompanied by grilled bread and a marinated salad, which is good for spice wimps such as myself. The Dusty Rose and Loretta Simone are more at my spice level. The Dusty Rose is grilled tofu infused with lemongrass and scallion, served with a Spicy Rose sauce and accompanied by a marinated salad and grilled bread. There is just a hint of rose in the sauce, which was nice as it did not overpower the other flavors. The Loretta Simone is smokey grilled B-B-Q "Pork" served skewered with toasted sesame seeds and Wasabi cream and also comes with a marinated side salad. I am personally not a fan of wasabi, but the person I was with is and thought that there was a very nice flavor balance, as it was not a very strong wasabi. I have tried a few other entrees that are not on their current menu: The Sundial, which consisted of bean thread noodles served on top of citrus greens with hot pepper grilled shitakes and "beef," marinated cukes and tomatoes, root veggies, herbs, spiced peanuts, and served with lemon grass peanut sauce, was very good although a bit messy to eat. The 3 Some was also very good and came with three different hummus selections: lemon thyme, thai peanut and smoked red pepper. It was served with root veggies, marinated cukes and tomatoes, grilled eggplant, and grilled bread. The colors of the veggies are very vibrant, from the red of the beets, the orange of the carrots, to the white of the jicima. Everything was very fresh and tasted great. The only dish that I have had from one of their prior menus that I did not like at all was the Shrimptease. The texture for me was just too similar to real shrimp, which I have had exactly one time in my life and did not like either. The grilled pineapple salsa it came with had a nice flavor, but I will likely avoid any of their cold fake meats fashioned after shrimp.

I have been for brunch twice and walked out very full both times. There are hot entrees, fresh fruit, and homemade vegan waffles. They also serve fresh orange juice, mimosas, and Fair-Trade Organic coffees. From their entrees, I have enjoyed a mildly spicy potato, sweet potato, mushroom, and onion dish. The mildly spicy "Chicken" had me coming back for seconds and thirds. And I was surprised by their polenta, as this is tricky to get right, but theirs was very flavorful and not at all mushy. The fruit was very fresh and at just the right ripeness. It was hard to believe that the waffles were vegan. While they were a little on the dry side because of the cinammon that was sprinkled on top, they were quite fluffy and tasted really good with the syrup.

The staff are friendly and helpful. I've never felt rushed, everyone always seems happy, and they seem to really enjoy working there. The atmosphere itself is also very comfortable and relaxing. The space is colorful, from the colors of the walls to the beautiful fabrics, eye-catching paper lanterns, and local artwork adorning the walls. I especially love the dyed sliced geodes that hang from the top windows. There is also a chalk board in the restroom with colored chalks for those artistically inclined. To quote a friend the space is a "rainbow of visual and taste sensation."