the washington post.
friday, february 21, 2020eZ10
Vitality Bowls
Te n years ago, Ta ra Gilad’s
daughter was born with severe
food allergies. soon after, Gilad
and her husband realized there
were few acceptable dining op-
tions in their California commu-
nity: “We looked at each other
and said, ‘A lot of the restaurants
in our area aren’t safe for people
with allergies,’ and we also didn’t
have a lot of heathy options —
and definitely none that offered
superfoods.”
so they launched their ownsuperfood cafe. Vitality Bowls
has nearly 80 locations across t he
country, including one in Arling-
ton. All the shop’s offerings are
made to order in a kitchen de-
signed to avoid cross-contamina-
tion, and they contain no ice,
frozen yogurt, artificial preserva-
tives, trans fats or other fillers.
The bowls are built around
one of four superfruits: acai (a
dark purple palm berry), pitaya
(also known as dragonfruit),
graviola (a heart-shaped, sweet
tropical fruit) or acerola (a tartfruit rich in vitamin C). The
superfood bowl ($12.99) blends
all four, creating a thick, creamy,
purple-ish base topped with
crunchy granola, banana, blue-
berries, goji berries, organic ca-
cao nibs and honey. That’s a lot of
ingredients, but each adds a
distinct flavor — and helps prove
that superfoods can, indeed,
ta ste super.
1515 Wilson Blvd., Arlington.sweet leaf
Arita Matini couldn’t find any-thing to eat. Around a decade ago,
driving back and forth between
Marymount University and her
home in McLean, she regularly
despaired over a lack of fast,
healthy options. “so we just decid-
ed, let’s do something ourselves,”
she says. In 2009, Matini and her
brother, Andre Matini, opened
sweet Leaf, a community cafe that
now has seven locations through-
out northern Virginia and the
D istrict.
In addition to breakfast all
see fast-casual on 11On the Town
BY ANGELA HAUPTIf you’re the type to judge a
restaurant by its name, spots
such as sweet Leaf and Vitality
Bowls don’t leave much to the
imagination: They practically
scream healthy.
Both are among a growing
crop of fast-casual restaurants in
the Washington area that spe-
cialize in bowls — aesthetically
pleasing, nutrient-heavy dishes
built around a base of whole
grains or superfruits. Most of the
time, these start plant-based and
can easily be modified to adhere
to such popular eating styles as
Whole30 or gluten-free diets.
And they taste great.
Here are five spots to grab a
quick, healthful bowl f or lunch or
dinner.flower child
“Peace in,” Flower Child’s f ront
doors announce, a welcome mes-
sage that hints at the chill vibes
inside: The restaurant is bright,
airy and colorful, with funky
murals and inspiring messages
such as “Good goes around”
splashed across the walls. At its
four area locations, everything is
made from scratch using local
ingredients.
“our motto is healthy food for
a happy world, and that’s what
we strive to create,” says Jessica
Mulroy, regional manager of res-
taurant operations. The menu
includes soups, salads, bowls and
the kind of sides that double as
worthy entrees; all can be modi-
fied to adhere to, for example,
vegan, gluten-free, keto or
Whole30 diets.
The Mother earth bowl
($9.95) is a hearty, well-crafted
mix of ancient grains, sweet po-
tato, portobello mushroom, avo-
cado, cucumber, pistachio pesto,
charred onion, leafy greens, red
pepper miso vinaigrette and
hemp seed. (Protein such as tofu
or salmon can be added to any
bowl.) Mulroy says she can’t re-
sist the Glow Bowl ($9.95): spicy
sweet potato noodles, bok choy,
zucchini, onion, jalapeño, shiita-
ke mushroom, coconut milk and
sunflower butter. “It’s reminis-
cent o f pad thai,” s he says. “ It g ets
me every time.”
Combine either bowl with
the yuzu Brussels sprouts, m ade
with charred onion, savoy cab-
bage and golden miso. And top
it all off with homemade rose
petal lemonade or kombucha
on tap. Flower Child also serves
wine, seasonal sangria and lo-
cal beer.
Multiple locations in the Dis-
trict, Virginia and Maryland.5 spots to get a fast, healthful — and tasty — lunch
Vitality Bowls
an array of superfood options at Vitality Bowls, which has a location in arlington. the shop’s offerings are made to order in a kitchen
designed to avoid cross-contamination.amy Cai
flower child, above, has locations in the District, Virginia and Maryland. Its menu
can be modified for diets including vegan and Whole30. siblings arita and andre
Matini opened sweet leaf in the D.c. area, which makes the harvest bowl, right. sweet leafUPLOADED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws