The Pureganic Cafe: Harrison, New York
This cafe is euphoric if you're gluten-free. Major bonus: they're also vegan, organic, kosher, and all-around allergen friendly. As someone who has been GF for quite sometime, it brings great comfort to walk into a restaurant knowing that there's possibility to order one of everything — I had to refrain from doing so at The Pureganic Cafe. Their menu is bursting with a variety of pasta, pizza, sandwiches, wraps, and more (this not including their breakfast and pastry menu, also). Alongside this, the atmosphere was relaxed, comfortable, and above all friendly. Like I mentioned before... euphoric.
After a ten minute debate on what to order, we'd settled on Pureganic's truffle mushroom pizza, garlic bread, Spaghetti a la Puttanesca, and strawberry cheesecake. See the breakdown below.
Truffle Mushroom Pizza
"It's out of the box... and I honestly surprised myself" said the owner of The Pureganic Cafe as I ordered, and she was right. This truffle mushroom pizza was easily the best gluten-free slices I've had, and all I could say as I ate was "this is just phenomenal." The pie was topped with almond-ricotta, portobello mushrooms, and drizzled with truffle oil to collide the flavors together in the best way possible. What truly sold this dish was the crust. Typically, GF crusts are thin, dry, and overly crisped. Pureganic Cafe mastered quite the opposite. Their crust was soft, flavorful, and reminded us how amazing gluten-free foods can be. The taste was overall natural and not heavy on the stomach, which allows us to feel good after eating it. The combination of truffle oil, ricotta with a hint of almond, sweet crust, and portobello mushroom was a flavor mixture that I never knew I needed, until now. Mission accomplished to prove that healthy-lifestyle eating is flavorful and fulfilling.
Spaghetti a la Puttanesca
Spaghetti a la Puttanesca is a classic Italian dish that offers a healthy mix of capers, olives, red chili peppers, and garlic. The Pureganic Cafe seemingly took a classic dish and made it accessible for everyone — and I could not be more grateful. Most of us love a good spaghetti, but this is an at-home dish to the next level. There was the perfect amount of sauce, which wasn't too runny nor chunky and was seasoned perfectly, in my opinion. The olives and capers added a salty aftertaste on the kicker and ultimately tied everything together. Every flavor mixed well with one another, especially having an initial effect of pepper flakes followed by saltiness and tomatoes garden-like taste. The pasta was paired with garlic bread that offered a underlying sweet flavor and garlic notes to couple itself with a well thought and delicious combination. Everything in this dish felt fresh, authentic, and as if I'd teleported to Italy.
Strawberry Cheesecake
The Pureganic Cafe outdoes themselves in the dessert department, as well. Not only was this slice visually appealing, it was also structured to provide a perfect creamy consistency that isn't overly sweet. There was an ombre swirl that immediately caught my eye when looking through their dessert display case. What sets this cheesecake apart from most is the uniqueness of the crust found after noting the soft, swirly filling. There was a crumbly, sweet, and crunchy base that made their crust like no other I had tried. Unlike a usual graham cracker crust, Pureganic Cafe's crumbled base allowed the two layers to mix freely, therefore giving vibrant and flavor-filled bites.
The Pureganic Cafe is an overall must-try for any, and all, that're looking to create healthy and organic eating habits. As a gluten-free member of society, this Harrison based cafe is a trustworthy and organically friendly establishment I'd recommend to all of the GF community. The uniqueness of their dishes, as well as being kosher, organic, and vegan, grants The Pureganic Cafe a spot on my favorites list for the NYC and Westchester area.
Comments