Green Day Café

Hello my fine blogosphere friends!

Green Day Café?  I think that they should rename themselves "A Most Marvelous Day Everyday Café".

Tiffany and I began our day (Sunday) with our weekly shopping trip to Hoover's Essential Market.  They're not open on Saturdays and we like to visit them early when the aisles are quiet.  We needed some healthy essentials like organic kale, organic collard greens, vegan cheese, and sliced deli Wham (meatless ham).  The Seed was in need of her favorite Happy Hips canned dog food.  

It was Tiffany's suggestion to try this place in Winter Park, Florida which we regularly pass by.  It's called Green Day Café and has an clean, fresh and inviting look about the building.  We kept saying to ourselves in passing, "Let's check this place out some day, okay?"  Well, today was this long awaited day.  Both Tiffany and I only regret that we hadn't tried it earlier.

Green Day Café - a Winter Park, FL restaurant gem.

We arrived when they first opened and we were the only patrons.  From one aspect, this is nice.  We were able to ask lots of questions of the friendly staff.  On the other hand, it truly saddens me that a place as nice as this isn't jammed packed full of patrons with a line waiting going out the doors.  Although probably not the nicest store front location in Winter Park, I am still bummed by the sight of an empty restaurant gem.

Green Day Café facing towards front.

Let me be honest here, my friends.  "Health" just doesn't sell well in Orlando, Florida.  I am sad to report that the words "tofu", "vegetarian", "vegan" and "healthy" just do not reverberate here in the South.  In the heart of Central Florida, we'd rather plow away a pristine sub-tropic parcel of land and build a fried chicken franchise, greasy hamburger joint, a corner drug store or used car lot instead of allowing a business that promotes health or environmental sustenance.  "You can pry our greasy chicken drumstick and fat-laden hamburger from our cardiac-arrested dead hands!"

But ~ amongst the foreclosed, tacky, and franchise-laden parcels sits a true gem... The Green Day Café!  Wonderful menu selection, tasty food, great prices, fast healthy choices, and eco-friendly materials.  From the "plastic" utensils made of a sugar to the "plastic" cups made from corn, the place is amazing!  Upon entering for the first time, I could not help but notice the recycled natural wood floors!  Beautiful!  You get an immediate appreciation, sense and feel that the designers of this restaurant did a most excellent job minimizing their green foot-print.

Green Day Café facing towards rear.

The menu?  What you would expect from a minimally environment invasive establishment:  wraps, rice bowls, and soups.  The menu choices eliminate the need for commercial ovens and energy robbing grills/griddles.  And as an added bonus, it equates to fresh choices.

Once again Tiffany and I ordered different items and shared.  Tiffany ordered the Sunset Veggie wrap (Spring mix, cucumber, dried cranberry, walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, tomato, and raspberry vinaigrette) with side of Broccoli Crunch (broccoli coleslaw with dried cranberries and sunflower seed).  She added a small cup of Creamy Barley & Vegetable soup.

Sunset Veggie wrap, Broccoli Crunch, Creamy Barley & Vegetable soup, and Mushroom & Brie soup.

Me?  I ordered the Mushroom and Brie Rice Bowl (brown rice, vegetarian black beans, fresh cooked chicken, our famous mushroom and brie soup, diced purple onions), substituting hummus for chicken.  I added a small cup of Mushroom & Brie soup.

Mushroom and Brie Rice Bowl, hummus substituted for chicken.

You get your biodegradable drink cups, go into the dining area, serve your own drink, find a table and wait for their environmentally friendly paging system to call your order number.  Within a matter of minutes, the pager went off.  From the front counter we heard the young lady scream, "Order #1.  Your meal is ready!"

Wow!  The pictures simply aren't fair.  Although everything looks delicious and tasty, trust me, the pictures don't do justice.  Everything tasted fresher and nicer than it looks (if this is possible).  Yes!  Tiffany and I found yet another killer of a restaurant to patronize.

I sit here hours later writing this blog and still have a sense of the flavors and deliciousness of our meal.

Any regrets?  Yes, one actually.  That it's a rather new restaurant and the franchise simply hasn't had a chance to blossom yet.  I honestly expect that someday you too will have a Green Day Café near you!

Hi-dee hi-dee kudos-to-establishments-who-aim-to-reduce-their-environmental-footprint-ho my friend!