What to Eat B'ham: Week of 4/1/18

Hi all! Welcome to my (hopefully) weekly post about where to eat around the Magic City!

It's currently Passover, and I'm dreaming about all the carb-y goodness that I can't eat at the moment, so maybe writing about it will help distract me... but also probably not, but it's worth a shot right?


I'm gonna start this whole food blogging thing off with something #supertrendy for all you insta foodies out there. Yep, I'm talking about açaí bowls. They're tasty, they're healthy(ish), and they make for a damn good photo.

CityBowls

Apparently, the Pantone color of the year hits it right on the head with this one. Sporting a bright purple truck, the people over at City Bowls are serving up some of the best frozen treats right now in the Magic City. With things ranging from their always beautiful bowls to pressed juices and smoothies, this tiny truck has already has already made a decent splash around town. If you might be color blind, you can always spot the truck by looking for the looong line of dedicated fans that trail behind. Seriously. It took 30 minutes for me to even order when I went. 

What's the big deal with açaí anyway?

So açaí is a fruit grown in the rainforests in South America. They are coined a "super fruit" and it is claimed that these berries are beneficial for a whole slew of conditions ranging from arthritis, to weight loss, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), "detoxification," and even erectile dysfunction (according to an article from the Mayo Clinic). Hm.

So the real scoop, however, is that these berries have a ton of fiber, "good" fats, and anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are molecules that inhibit the formation of free radicals during an oxidation reaction. This is good for the body and I'm gonna leave it at that, since this isn't an organic chem class.

The verdict?

So after waiting in line for a half hour, and what felt like an eternity later, we finally got our bowlz 

Pictured above, the Bham Bowl (left), made with pitaya and not açaí, and OG Bowl (right). We had ordered the smaller of the two sizes, and these bowls could probably still fit a softball inside with room to spare. Massive. It's not worth it to get the larger size unless you quite literally just ran a marathon. 

Toppings wise, these things had anything you could ever want. Nutella, peanut butter, berries galore, and delicious granola.

Base wise, the açaí (right) definitely had more flavor. But I'm a sucker for a good picture and loved the pitaya for its vibrancy. However, its flavor was lacking- moreover kind of just sweet and not distinct at all. I was left wanting something more complex. At least the berries were good.

In the future, I also caution against the bowls with the crazy toppings. The obscene amount of Nutella and peanut butter, albeit delicious on their own, took away from the flavor of the fruit and the base. The açaí base is definitely the way to go. The truck also has a mystery green base, but a girl can only pretend to be so healthy. 

Fullness Factor?

I got my bowl with a scoop of protein and it left me full for about 4/4.5 hours. Definitely a meal. And it's fairly healthy if you avoid the crazier toppings (even if you love Nutella dammit). 

Brick and Mortar

So City Bowls is finally getting a brick and mortar shop, which will be located at Patchwork Farms in Vestavia Hills (which after a quick google search was found to be across the street from LifeTime fitness). They were initially aiming for an early February opening, but it seems as if that window has closed. They don't have a definite launch date yet, but I'm sure news will be coming in the next few days.

#CB120

City Bowls does a (not so) secret give away on a few days a week on their Instagram account. Any time they post a photo with the hashtag #CB120, social media followers have 120 seconds to like the picture and comment #CB120. This enters them for a giveaway for a free bowl. Count me in. 

Do it for the insta

City Bowls has a marvelous instagram that highlights all the magnificence that is their açaí bowls and details where their iconic purple truck will be throughout the week.  

They can also be found on Facebook. 

Options for those on a budget?

So keep in mind that these things are basically a meal. However, they run anywhere from $7- $10.25 plus tip on the truck, which isn't so budget friendly for a graduate student such as myself. 

Here's how to make an açaí bowl yourself (sorry City Bowls):

Base

• 1 packet frozen açaí (yeah I know, also not super cheap, but hey it's a super fruit that can't be shipped fresh due to its shelf life. Sorry bud)
• 1/4 c almond milk (or whatever milk you like)
• 1/2 banana

 Toppings

• Berries/fruit of your choice
• Other half of banana
• Roasted almond slivers
• Shredded coconut
• Honey
• Granola of choice

Steps:

1. Blend base ingredients until smooth in a blender. Should be slightly thicker than a smoothie
2. Pour into bowl
3. Top with toppings- be sure not to drop them from a height so that they stay afloat
4. Snap some pics because you just made a work of art
5. Nomz