In the morning sunshine, Main Street’s Cathedral Park feels magical. The shadow of the buildings cast a cool respite from the midday sun, but in the morning, the beams of light that fall through the boughs of the park’s trees dapple the ground with patterns that sway in the breeze. People line the benches and planters in this little urban sanctuary, having a cup of coffee, reading the paper, waiting for their workday to begin.
This morning, many of the park’s visitors have come here in search of Buffalo’s newest morning hot spot, Liquid Energy. Opening by 8 a.m. (but often earlier), this tiny juicery, wedged neatly into the entrance of the Cathedral Building, offers coffee, healthy breakfast smoothies, lunch offerings and the promise of a tasty and nutritious alternative to the caffeinated fuel we all seem to require these days.
Owner, Meagan, first became a fan of the juice bar concept while traveling. As a person with a variety of food allergies, she has sought out healthy and allergen-free options here in Buffalo, but found our lack of nutritious eateries frustrating. “There aren’t a lot of healthy choices here in Buffalo,” she says, “I think that Buffalo needs more healthy options. So here we are.”
Liquid Energy’s menu reads a little like a spa’s might. “Face Lift”. “Body Cleanser”. “Hangover Helper”. Fifteen or more custom juice blends offer customers a variety of benefits, including a boost of iron, Vitamin C, or energy. With Meagan’s assistance, I selected the Flying Grasshopper. The icy cold blend of mango, banana, raw honey, peppermint oil and a shot of wheatgrass not only tasted delicious, but also had me feeling very good all day, without that late afternoon slump I am so accustomed to. If I were a downtown worker, I could easily find good argument for adding Liquid Energy to my daily routine.
My husband was a homejuicer for years. The expense and the mess were a turn off for me, and eventually for him, too. According to Meagan, it seems that others feel similarly, and have turned in their home juicing habit for a daily stop down at Liquid Energy. Others are less experienced and come in asking about the benefits of ingredients like spirulina or L-glutamine. Morning visitors often come for Liquid Energy’s coffee offerings, while lunchtime traffic is steady, with favorite menu items being the Turkey Avocado Wrap, the Mega Protein Salad and the Green Warrior rice bowl made with brown rice, steamed kale and spinach, sprouts and a homemade dressing packed with green herbs.
The prices here are in line with what is appropriate for the Buffalo market, which is still so much less than what you would pay on either coast for similar offerings of fresh juice with organic healthy additives like wheatgrass and echinacea.
Stop in for a pick-me-up or a bite of lunch. Lending support to new business is vitally important. Maybe it’s time for you to re-imagine your morning cup of coffee as a “Brain Prep” smoothie made of acai, strawberries, ginkgo, pro-biotic yogurt, a shot of B-12 and a dash of soy milk.
Liquid Energy
298 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
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Inset image: Meagan, Liquid Energy’s owner, stirs a shot of organic wheatgrass into a Flying Grasshopper juice drink.