Hello everyone!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Christmas is coming up along with 2012 close behind, but there’s still plenty of food and drinks to be covered in 2011! Last week we had a very unique opportunity to sample the original creation of Dennis Sato at his Mira Mesa Robeks location. Big thanks to Jan and Dennis for having us. It’s called the smoothie bowl. Anh and I weren’t sure what to expect entering the Robeks store, but Dennis came up front and started giving us his grand tour. Following a quick walk through, we sat down to get the lowdown on why he owns a Robeks store and where his motivation comes from. It all comes down to a few simple reasons, but one that resonates and comes through when you hear him talk about his business and invention is he just loves doing it and being a part of a fun, healthy, and vibrant environment.
He started us off with a few samples of the pineapple sherbet and raspberry sherbet which were refreshing and stood up on their own. I always wondered what the sherbet or yogurt tasted individually at these smoothie places and now I know. According to Dennis, Robeks uses a proprietary blend that is purely unique to Robeks. I don’t believe they sell the sherbet by itself but it tastes so good mixed in with everything else. So we we’re off to a good start.
Even though we loved the sherbet, what we were there for was the original invention Dennis came up with after hours, testing away in his store. We came on a mission to sample the smoothie bowls and sample the smoothie bowls we did. The CupuAcai Super Energy Smoothie Bowl was the first one we tasted. Wow! What a way to start the evening before dinner. This was our favorite of the night. It was so smooth and velvety words can’t explain. You have to try it. Little bits of fruit almost surprise you as each spoon comes and goes from bowl to mouth, even though you know fruit is in there. With cupuacu and acai juices, pineapple sherbet, and strawberries all blended and mixed in, it was a welcome treat to get us going. It was sweet, but didn’t taste artificial or heavy. The proportions were perfect and it does put other yogurt places to task in not only flavor, but presentation and nutrition.
Next up we had the Mahalo Mango Smoothie Bowl. My favorite smoothie at Robeks is the Mahalo Mango, so I was mentally prepared and ready before we started. I mentioned the CupuAcai was the favorite of the night and this was pretty good as well. I still think I prefer the regular smoothie to the smoothie bowl, but mostly because I like more mango pieces in whatever I am having. The yogurt flavor in the Smoothie Bowl is quite nice and doesn’t leave a weird aftertaste in your mouth. Dennis did also make us a smoothie equivalent so we could compare the two. It’s funny even though the ingredients are the same, using different portions can transform the smoothie into something so different.
Another great smoothie I had to try was the coffee. Whoa, hold the phone!? Robeks has coffee flavored smoothies and bowls? Yes they do, and they do it well. Dennis stood behind the coffee flavor so we had to try it. Yes, the smoothie bowls changed my perception of what Robeks can do for me, but I must say coffee flavored items at a fruit joint bent my view of Robeks even more. Next time Michael wants to go to Starbucks for a sugary frap, I’ll drop Robeks into the hat for another option. Dennis was so kind to let me take the smoothie home and I finished it shortly after.
Before we were on our way, we all toasted to Dennis’ success with shots of wheat grass. It had been a long time since I had it and honestly it wasn’t too bad. No orange chasers were needed and we got our veggies for the day.
Dennis was an amazing tour guide and host. It almost felt like I entered his home, and his hospitality grew and grew as each smoothie bowl creation came out. He also left us with a nice gift bag with some goodies and some reading material behind the menu. He swears by the smoothie bowl and until you try it, you won’t know where the passion comes from. So go try them!
Robeks Juice
8250 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
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