For all those times when I’m not quite hungry enough to eat but too hungry not to, I usually choose the liquid diet to satiate my belly’s yearning. And Kaldi’s is a good place for just such a thing.
Aside from coffee, lunch, snacks and treats, Kaldi’s is also home to a long list of cutesy-named smoothies made on-the-spot with frozen fruit and other healthy ingredients. There is the Sweet Banana, the Chocolate Banana Nut, the Peachy Keen or the Power Smoothie, among others. The most notable, however, is the Mango Lassi, a take on a traditional Indian indulgence, made of yogurt, milk and mango. In the traditional preparation, it is often seasoned with spices and used to aid in digestion problems … but here, at the American coffee shop, it’s merely a means for pure enjoyment.
It is thick and smooth, almost like a milkshake, and is well-balanced with all the proper proportions of sweet, tart and creamy. Kaldi’s adds honey to its version and uses vanilla yogurt to even out the mango’s tanginess, which would be overwhelming otherwise.
Relish this delicious refreshment or any of the others for $4.25 for a 12-oz., or $5.35 for a 20-oz. And as with any frigid drink, a brain freeze can be close at-hand, so drinking slowly – perhaps using a spoon rather than a straw – is recommended.
This article appears in Oct 1-31, 2010.