Thursday, November 18, 2010

Prasino

I've been to Prasino a handful of time now and I absolutely love it.  The name of the cafe is the Greek word for "green" which is at the heart of the cafe's mission - "to provide healthy food at an affordable price in a modern, environmentally conscious setting."

The commitment to sustainability goes beyond just the food; it is incorporated in Prasino's design. The light fixtures are crafted from recycled wine bottles and cardboard boxes. The tabletops incorporate wood rescued from the demolition of Sportsman's Park Race Track and floors are reclaimed oak planks salvaged from a barn. Even the cafe's location near the commuter train  line and bus line gives patrons the option of reducing their carbon footprint.
The Prasino philosophy is to supporting local growers, artisanal food producers, and organic agriculture whenever possible.
They offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options in their menu, which makes them all-around accessible to everyone's food needs and tastes.

They have two locations.  The first is in LaGrange, IL.  That location is the only one I've been to so far as I have not had enough time to visit their newest, second location in St.Charles, IL.

I strongly recommend heading over to one of these two fabulous restaurants.  The food is fresh and full of flavor, the smoothies are delicious and healthy, the atmosphere is chic and inviting.

Here's a peak at some of the menu items we've tried:

 Cucumber Avocado smoothie- this was delicious in every sense of the word.  I wanted to order more to go for when I left...
 Prasino Blend-Avocado, pear, apple, lemon, non-fat
yogurt, agave nectar (I had mine with out the agave nectar, but it was still really sweet, I don't like super sweet drinks, but the rest of my table loved it!)
 Raspberry decaf iced tea
  This was how they brought you your water.  I wanted to steal the pitcher!!!

Smoked Sockeye Salmon - Spinach, apples, pecans, red onions,
bleu cheese and raspberry vinaigrette
 Niman Ranch® Beef Burger - Bibb lettuce, tomato, onion,
brioche bun with a side of wedge potatoes- Chipotle aioli, Prasino spice- this was what my yiayia ordered.  She loves her burgers.  But it was absolutely divine! Perfectly cooked, juicy, full of flavor!
 Grilled Chicken Caprese - Tomato, bibb lettuce, buffalo mozarella,
tomato basil focaccia, balsamic aioli, although my mother substituted multigrain bread.  The chicken was very juicy and the buffalo mozzarella was delicious
I also ordered it at one point, but on the foccacia and I added avocado.  That day, the salad of the day was a tomato cucumber salad.  It had a pretty strong olive flavor, which I didn't care for, so my bf ate it  :)


Southwest Black Bean Burger - Mashed avocado, pepper jack
cheese, multigrain bun, cilantro poblano cream.  I got the avocago cream on the side so I could dip my fries into it as well.  Yummmm 
 This was a special that night.  A tomato vodka penne with chicken.  Delicious and not heavy at all!


FINALLY, DESSERT!!!
 Chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache fillings, caramel sauce, vanilla bean ice cream and fresh fruit....   YUUUUUUMMMMM.
This was absolutely decadent!  I'm so glad I have someone to share it with! 
 Strawberry cheesecake, this was so light and airy, so tart and sweet.  It was the perfect fruity finish.
 ALL DONE!!!!
 I definitely recommend heading out to one of these locations, asap!  They are absolutely fantastic, everything about them makes me happy.  I can't wait to go back again!!!

2 comments:

Ivy said...

What a great idea. Are they Greek? Everything sounds wonderful.

NikiTheo said...

Haha, of course they are Greek! :)