by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Some places have it all- great service, excellent atmosphere, to-die-for food and beautifully plated meals. Present Moment in St. Augustine is one such place, and it is not the place to come for a quick bite. You’ll wait a little longer for your juice and everything else, because they make everything right there, right then. Service is attentive and slow, but this is all part of the atmosphere. They take the time they need to make it perfect and fresh.
Up on the walls are vibrant oils of what look like modern sand-paintings. There’s a Japanese print in one corner. Blue and green stained glass is hung over the big picture windows, adding to the laid-back perfection of the atmosphere. The walls are painted in earth-tones, a great backdrop for the large scale paintings.
The eatery advocates the Raw Food Movement. Though there are Raw Foodists who advocate eating raw meat, Present Moment promotes Raw Veganism. This means you won’t be eating any raw meat when you go there. Instead, the place is 100% Vegan. Even if you’re a dedicated carnivore, the food at Present Moment will win you over with its vivacious flavors. They start with organic ingredients, and nothing is cooked. When you eat their “breads” or crackers, even those aren’t cooked, but dehydrated with heat. I think that’s cheating, personally, but it’s an accepted notion of the Raw Food Movement. As long as nothing is heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s still considered raw.
Traditionalists will be a little freaked by the menu, since many items won’t be familiar to them. My answer to that: just let go of your preconceived notions and TRY something. You just might like it. Get your meat-eating friends to order the Sunlight Burger, which is nothing like a burger, though it does have the same hearty and satisfying heft as a burger. You’ve got to eat it with a knife and fork instead of with your hands, but it’s one of my favorite items on their menu.
All of the water served at Present Moment is filtered and each pitcher is served with a lemon and a cucumber slice. This imparts their water with subtle flavor, making it some of the best water I’ve ever had. It’s extremely refreshing! Before you dig into your meal, take a look at the juice bar menu. These all-organic juices might be one reason to come back to the place. If you’re a little hesitant about all these fruit and veggie juice combos, try The Gleam, which is simply carrot and apple juice (I like mine with a little ginger added to it). Or you can try the Time to Shine, a combo of carrot, orange and ginger.
Most of the people seated around me were obvious regulars. The customers are friendly and willing to talk. Before I ended my meal, the woman sitting next to me at the bar had offered a taste of her hummus. I gave her a taste of my Sunlight Burger, which was an item she hadn’t tried before.
One of the most popular dishes on the menu is the Tacos of Life. Two Romaine shells are home to pine-nut chili and walnut puree, fresh salsa, guacamole with coconut sour cream and a jalapeño vinaigrette. I watched this attractive dish go out to a number of different tables as I sat at the bar, drinking my carrot apple juice with a touch of ginger. Presentation is key here. Not only are the dishes tasty, but they’re placed on the plate with delicate care.
The prettiest and most colorful salad pick is the amazing Oceania Sea Vegetables salad. Set on a base of creamy coconut noodles (which in taste and texture are a bit like sweet strips of egg white), shaved red cabbage and arame seaweed top this tasty wonder. Arame, in case you’re wondering, is kelp often used in Japanese cuisine. Their crispy and mild arame is slightly spicy and a little sweet, because it’s marinated with sweet peppers.
Sushi lovers should take a taste of their Vegetable Sushi Maki Roll. Instead of processed white rice, they use a combination of parsnip and cauliflower. I don’t even like cauliflower, and I loved the stuff. It’s rolled in nori seaweed and then filled with avocado, carrot, cucumber and yellow pepper. Served up with a kind of soy-type dipping and sauce and a creamy wasabi, it’s an incredible veggie roll. I could have done with a little more kick to the wasabi, but it was well flavored and well balanced even without that extra kick.
For dessert, I was torn between the pecan apple cobbler, the blueberry parfait and the chocolate marble torte with drunken bananas. I nixed the cobbler, because in pictures cobbler rarely looks as pretty as it tastes. Then it was between the blueberry and the chocolate bananas. I haven’t had anything blueberry in a while, so I went with the blueberry parfait. I’m going to recommend the chocolate marble tort with drunken bananas though, just based upon the fact that they use organic bananas. Since I’ve experienced the goodness of organic bananas, they’ve ruined me for regular, pesticide filled bananas. The lovely blueberry parfait, though, made up for any banana longings I may have had.
If you want to make some of the same tasty dishes at home, stop by their market next door, where they sell the raw materials and tools to make your own Tacos of Life. Everything is organic, of course. While I was at the market they were playing a video about the horrific life of cows and chickens prior to their being slaughtered. The Café though, was blissfully free of anti-carnivore propaganda. I’d have to say the food itself was the best argument against a life of wanton meat eating.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
