Strong Hearts Cafe offers awesome vegan cuisine,

[Guest guest]

New York anyone?

Jamesville-DeWitt freshman Brianna Suslovic, (right) wrote the following review

of Strong Hearts Cafe, a vegan restaurant, for Voices.

When I tell people that I'm a vegetarian, I get some pretty amusing responses:

 

" How do you survive?!? "

 

" Are you that thing where you don't eat meat? "

 

" I tried that, but it was too hard. "

 

" Oh, yeah. My cousin's wife's nephew twice-removed is a vegetarian! "

 

Despite these comments, my faith in vegetarianism is growing, thanks to a new

vegan cafe, Strong Hearts.

 

Strong Hearts Cafe

What: A vegan restaurant

Where: 719 E. Genesee Street, Syracuse.

More information: Web site, MySpaceLocated on East Genesee Street in Syracuse,

it is a small eatery inside a former office building. It's easy to miss, but

this little place attracts plenty of customers from many different backgrounds.

Walking into this restaurant, I was immediately overcome with delectable smells

and funky music. The walls are covered with works, for sale, from various local

artists. The decor is simple, but chic. The one-room cafe has a detailed high

ceiling, simple chandeliers, and hardwood floors to remind customers of its

history. A menu written on the wall grabs customers' attention in a playful

manner.

 

I walked in and ordered, then sat at one of the wooden tables. Taking a glance

around, I could see that Strong Hearts Cafe has attracted an extensive clientele

of college students, animal rights activists, environmentalists and downtown

commuters.

 

The room is calm, filled with music and chatter. The cafe serves only vegan

food, meaning that there are absolutely no animal products used. Along with

this, they use fair trade and organic products.

 

Getting something to go? Pack it up in a biodegradable, compostable container.

Strong Hearts is not only a great place to eat, but also a socially conscious

establishment.

 

My meal was served. I had ordered the " Egg Trick Muffin, " a vegan spinoff of a

popular fast food breakfast sandwich. It was fantastic! Along with this " vegan

version, " there are twists on many other meals: pancakes, BLTs, sausage, soup,

even cupcakes!

 

Despite the belief that vegetarians live off of salad, the menu has a variety of

breakfast items (served all day!), sandwiches, soups and sides, not to mention

the cafe's legendary milkshakes.

 

Made from soy ice cream, they come in a wide variety of flavors, ranging from

vanilla to pina colada! All milkshakes are named after social activists like

Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman, and Che Guevara, and they are literally the best

shakes I've had in my entire life.

 

The other food is savory as well, and with most of the cuisine, it's impossible

to tell that the food is vegan.

 

At Strong Hearts, there is a personal feel to your service. You're treated as

though employees are genuinely happy to serve you. The owners will get to know

you on a first-name basis and you feel comfortable.

 

So the next time you're in the East Genesee Street area, stop in. Sit down and

enjoy some vegan pancakes or maybe a delicious milkshake named after your

favorite social activist.

 

You'll be missing out on some awesome vegan cuisine if you don't.