Loving Café plates all-vegan meals ( Cincinnati )

[Guest guest]

This spring, a group of health-oriented foodies realized their dream of bringing

affordable, healthy, vegan cuisine to the region when they opened the Loving

Café in Pleasant Ridge.

 

 

They did very little advertising, relying on their neighbors and word of mouth

to attract customers. The café's growing reputation among area farmer's market

patrons put it on my radar, so a friend and I decided to give it a whirl.

 

Anyone with dietary health concerns should be delighted with this place, which

serves 100 percent plant-based food. The café's mission statement promises " an

earth friendly dining experience that contributes a high standard of personal,

community and planetary health. "

Its front room has two tables by a window along the sidewalk and a couple of

others along a wall opposite the service counter, and there's a large back room

with more tables.

Literature available in the café cites a United Nations report that " meat eating

is a major cause of global warming, " citing evidence that meat production

contributes significantly to the world's water pollution, deforestation and

greenhouse gas emissions. But however righteous we might feel about omitting

meat from our diets, the fare at Loving Café just won't please all palates,

especially those with big appetites.

From the main menu board, I selected the Grilled American Panini ($6), a combo

of tofurkey (tofu pressed to look like sliced turkey), vegan cheese, good

homemade coleslaw and a little too much mustard. I liked the crunchy grilled

bread and added crunchiness from the coleslaw, which masked the blander flavors

of the ersatz turkey and cheese.

My friend tried the Vegetarian Sloppy Joe ($5), a smaller sandwich than mine,

served on a bun. She pronounced her sandwich tasty although " you would not

mistake it for meat. " Both sandwiches came with a few corn chips, and hers had

coleslaw on the side.

The drink offerings were mostly unfamiliar to us, so we opted for the Daily

Special Organic Iced Tea ($1), a brew of oddly flavored green tea that was our

least favorite part of the meal.

We also decided to split a piece of Raw Blueberry Pie ($3). It had a crust made

from ground pine nuts and cashews and chopped dates and a filling of lightly

sweetened berries in a paste-like consistency. The crust made it richly

satisfying.

Co-owner and manager Meghan Burke says vegetarians from all around the area have

been finding their way to the café, as well as neighbors.

Loving Café chefs supplement the small menu with numerous daily specials.

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