Açai bowls are here at last, and it’s all thanks to The Big Squeezy.
As any quick Google search will reveal, açai bowls have been a trendy breakfast option on the health food scene for quite a while. The 225 Dine crew has been hoping, wishing and praying for just as long that a local restaurant would add them to its menu.
So when we heard The Big Squeezy had added them to its menu as part of its expansion plans, we were so there.
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Much like blueberries, salmon and kale, açai is considered a superfood. Some have even gone so far as to call it “the super superfood.” The small purple berry is native to South and Central America, contains high amounts of antioxidants and helps to combat everything from cancer and heart disease to weight gain and aging.
In addition to its myriad health benefits, açai just tastes great.
Açai bowls combine this nutritious berry with sweet fruits, creamy nut butters, filling protein powders, milks and veggies to make an extra thick smoothie—almost approaching ice-cream level of thickness—that acts as an energizing breakfast or dessert. Toppings like sliced fruits, oats and granola add texture.
“We’ve been trying to add [açai bowls] to our menu for a year, and we’re the only place in town that does them,” says manager Ashley Garrard. “We went to California to research them, and they’re everywhere over there. … So we want people to get excited and try them.”
The Big Squeezy currently offers three açai bowl flavors. The Açai Tiger Bowl combines açai, blueberries, bananas, strawberries and the business’ signature Sweet Tart juice, which is a mix of pineapple, green apple, lemon and mint. The Açai Baja Bowl includes all those same ingredients, plus kale and spinach. The Açai Protein Bowl contains all the Tiger Bowl’s ingredients but substitutes Sweet Tart for almond milk and includes peanut putter, protein powder, almond butter and cacao. All bowls are garnished with shaved coconut, granola and agave.
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“We didn’t want to launch something that everyone [in California] was doing, and do basically the same thing just to do it,” says owner Ash Shoukry. “We took a lot of the ingredients that we currently use in our smoothie platform, and we added the açai berry. But we also used our Sweet Tart, our trademarked and platform juice. … So it’s really our own, and it’s created some really nice flavors.”
Hoping that this new menu item will gain popularity, The Big Squeezy plans to add two more flavors by the end of the summer.
You can try an açai bowl at any of The Big Squeezy’s locations: the flagship store at 3043-B Perkins Road, downtown location (327 North Blvd., Ste. 100) or the counters at Alexander’s Highland Market Cafe (18111 Highland Road) and Matherne’s downtown (440 Third St.).