In St. Pete's Grand Central District, surprises at every turn await at Love Food Central.
For most Americans — who grew up on a food pyramid stuffed with meat, poultry, fish, eggs (two to three servings); milk, yogurt, cheese (two to three servings); and bread and pasta (six to 11 servings) — the idea of a vegan, gluten-free diet is about as welcome as the apocalypse. I mean, after all, that's all the good stuff. Take it away and what in the world is left for flavor? It turns out, quite a lot. I should've known.
I was blindsided by Leafy Greens' raw wonders in 2013 and wowed by the modernist plant-based twists at The Cider Press Café in 2015. But the vegan kid down the avenue, Grand Central District's Love Food Central, serves comfort food that checks all the boxes. And I don't mean the obviously healthier ones. The food is flat-out great, surprisingly satisfying from gluten-free bread (no longer a horror) to vegan key lime pie.
My culinary posse includes vegan, vegetarian and omnivore tasters, and we're all in agreement. If you go with an open mind and focus on flavor, there are pleasant surprises at every turn.
LFC's cheese plate features a small wedge of raw macadamia nut "Cheddar," served with raw crackers and local fruit jam. The cheese is spreadable, the crackers are loaded with seeds, and the jam is fresh and not overly sweet. It's a yummy combo.
The same is true of G-Mash Toast, where smashed garbanzo salad is creamy even without the avocado on top of a piece of crisp sourdough, which is light and crunchy and not at all like the gluten-free cardboard that usually replaces regular yeast bread made from wheat. It's simply shocking. Kudos to Sami's Bakery, which supplies the breads and bagels.
A more typical "snack" are two Asian fresh wraps, similar to what you'd get in any good Vietnamese restaurant. They're a medley of fresh julienned vegetables wrapped in a big basil leaf rolled in rice paper. And a quick dip in sweet, bright chili sauce, followed by another dunk in a small ramekin of ground sunflower seeds, gives this starter extra pop. Don't try to cut them if you wish to share.
Menu mains also offer flavor to spare. The De-Cobb-structed salad of romaine, avocado slices, garbanzo beans and grape tomatoes provides a vegan twist with smoky coconut "bacon," plus a creamy house dressing that cedes nothing to dairy-based emulsions. Here, the change is subtle.
The pulled barbecue sandwich shreds savory jackfruit, tossing it in a vinegary barbecue sauce that makes it a dead ringer for pulled pork. Also served on the surprising toasted sourdough with soy-free Vegenaise, the sandwich gets some kick from arugula and lushness from sliced avocado, which substitutes for the lack of fat. There's really no room to top it with the side of slaw that's a somewhat bland mix of shredded red cabbage and carrots. I thought I would miss it, but I don't.
By itself, the Love Burger is a homemade beet and black bean patty that won't rock your world. But with arugula, cucumber and sauerkraut on toasted sourdough with Vegenaise, it's a tasty mouthful.
My favorite entree, however, is the grilled tempeh Reuben served with sauerkraut, avocado and arugula on the ubiquitous toasted sourdough with a spicy sauce in place of Russian dressing. Though this one's not a substitute for corned beef, it's a real eye-opener.
The lone main that just tastes like veggies (which isn't an insult) is a huge sushirito roll filled with shiitake mushrooms, julienned carrots and cucumbers, spinach, cilantro, and, of course, sticky sushi rice. It lacks the surprise of the other mains, but, with a sesame ginger soy dipping sauce, proves palatable for rice fans.
LFC doesn't serve booze — unless you count the semi-tart, fermented kombucha on tap with only tiny amounts, low enough to be considered effectively non-alcoholic. There's also iced chai tea and a surprising nut-milk shake that comes amazingly close to a peanut butter-flavored dairy treat.
Like a magic show, the desserts are frankly amazing. The ice cream sandwich is made with gluten-free chocolate chip cookies stuffed with dairy-free cashew ice cream. Apart from the fact that it substitutes nutty flavor for vanilla, you accept the sandwich as an unadulterated sweet indulgence.
Even better is the Carmelita square, a variation on a seven-layer bar that's, again, free of dairy or gluten. It's plain yummy, even with vegan versions of caramel and chocolate. The restaurant's managed to capture gooey goodness without condensed milk and graham crackers. If no one told you, you'd never know this wasn't high-octane.
Most surprising of all is the slice of pie; in our case, key lime. As I wrote last week, the hallmarks of great key lime pie are creamy texture and tart filling. Despite the color, which one companion quips resembles "zombie flesh," the dessert's got a great nut crust and a smooth filling that packs the perfect citrus punch, with lime lingering on the back of your tongue like a fine wine. It's nothing short of a confectionary miracle.
Aside from some grousing on Yelp about value for money, diners must remember that this kind of gastronomic alchemy doesn't come cheap. But with everything $10 and under, for me, the price is right — and it all tastes great.