Restaurant: Earth Friends Café, New Albany, Indiana
Psst.
To all my readers who live in or around or might be traveling through the New Albany, Indiana/Louisville, Kentucky area. I have a little-known secret for you that I’m just dying to share. Why? Because it’s worthy of sharing. And if you’re coming into the New Albany area via Louisville…it’s even worth braving the bridge traffic for. I promise.
The day: Every Saturday.
The motivation: Breakfast.
The place: Earth Friends Café.
Did you get that? Did you write it down in black Sharpie and paste it to the dashboard of your car so you remember? If not. Do it now. I’ll wait.
…
Okay…good.
Now you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, a couple weeks back I ventured into Earth Friends Café for lunch with my roommate. What I found was a great little place with wooden tables, colorful little vases, posters and fliers for local causes, amazing coffee, great food, fantastic service, great people, and a calm, laid-back café atmosphere. It was my first time in there and the staff made me feel like a regular. That doesn’t happen at your chain restaurants. Hell, that doesn’t happen at most local haunts either.
But that’s what separates Earth Friends Café from other places in the area. New Albany, Indiana has a hidden gem here. I call it a hidden gem simply because it is tucked away behind the main drag of Grant Line Road. Blink and you’ll miss it. So, look for the signs and follow them there.
With such a great experience the day I was in there for lunch, I was very excited to venture that way for breakfast. And it was the morning of one of my races, which was happening later that evening under the moonlight in Indianapolis. So I needed something that would give me energy…but still fit into my sometimes very restrictive diet.
Stacie, the owner of this café, makes Belgian waffles every morning. And they come in a variety of different flavors, so you need to be sure to inquire what kind is being served that day. The waffles are vegan. And…she keeps Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free flour on hand at all times…so making me a gluten-free waffle just meant waiting a little longer for my food. I was more than happy to wait. While I did, I was able to sip on my peppermint mocha, made with almond milk (another great reason to stop in…especially if you can be sensitive to soy and can’t have dairy milk (the dairy they have, however, is organic!)…because you get the option of almond milk or coconut milk) and served at the perfect temperature.
The breakfast menu is simple. Oatmeal, yogurts, fruits, Belgian waffles (vegan), Tofu Scramble Chili Tacos (vegan), a Ham and Cheddar Panini, a Banini (Banana, local honey, peanut butter, and organic chocolate on wheat bread), and more. Something for everyone. That’s what I love about this place. It’s not a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, but it offers those options. If you are a carnivore and must have your meat…they have something for you. If you have a gluten-allergy…they have something for you. If you are a vegan/vegetarian…they have something for you. When you can span the entire food spectrum on a one-page menu…you are doing something brilliant.
The morning I was there…it was the last day they were offering the Pumpkin with Sugared Pecans Belgian Waffle ($6.95). That sounded brilliant, so that’s what I ordered…done gluten-free of course. My roommate flipped a coin, trying to decide between the ham and cheddar panini and the tofu scramble chili tacos…and the tacos won.
We relaxed, chatted, and enjoyed the soundtrack of the morning provided by Adele’s “21” album over the speaker system. It was the perfect morning. And when the food arrived, I was ready to dig in and enjoy. The tacos my roommate got looked so delicious. And my waffle was fluffy and smelled incredible!
My roomate was eager to give the Tofu Scramble Chili Tacos ($7.95) a try. She’s a carnivore usually when we go out, but this morning, she was really feeling the tofu (thanks coin toss!). And she took a bite of the tacos and loved them. These were served up with a side of nacho chips and salsa (she raved about the salsa, so I tried it. It had a nice heat behind it, but a cooling flavor of lime to follow it up. YUM). And she also got a choice of fruit or yogurt with it. She went for the organic strawberry yogurt. And yes…she ate it all down to the very last bite.
And what about my waffle?
I immediately drizzled a bit of the maple syrup over it, grabbed my fork and dug in. That waffle should have come with a choir because it was the gospel. Honestly. If heaven could be served on a plate with a side of maple syrup, it would look and taste like this. This was my first real (not frozen) gluten-free waffle since I had to change up my diet. And this was the way to start back. The pumpkin flavor was perfect for the season, but what made this waffle crazy-delicious was the fact that the sugared pecans were baked into the batter. Not thrown on top as a garnish. No. The sugared pecans were an ingredient and therefore incorporated. Which meant that every bite, you got a bit of their sweet and crunchy presence. And pairing it with the pumpkin flavor made the entire waffle (and yes…I ate the entire plate-size thing on my own!) was a just enough to fill me up before my long day ahead of me and my run that night. I was full when I left, but not to the point of discomfort. These waffles are fluffy, but light. And they will definitely satisfy.
Alright, my friends…the secret is out. And this is one of those secrets that are meant to be shared. This area has been lacking this kind of a place for years now. We finally have it. And it is one of the friendliest, one of the best places around. If you want a bit of variety on food choices (vegan, vegetarian, meat, organic, local, etc), some great drinks (coffee, tea, espresso…and so many flavors, most also in sugar-free), and some amazing service…seek out Earth Friends Café.
Be it a stop in for a caffeine fix, some breakfast, some lunch, or both…I promise…you’ll want to share too. So tell your friends. Bring your friends. But go and enjoy! You’re in for a treat.
The Celiathlete 