Written and Photographed By 13 Year old Prodigy Mlle. Nouvelle Orleans

A Review of Hi-Volt Coffee New Orleans

“What is it with America today?” I thought yesterday. I’m sure millions of people ask themselves that same question all the time. But I was thinking about that fashionable diet, veganism, which seems to have swept up a lot of America with its ever-alluring promises of health and thinness. I’m a vegetarian, but going as far as veganism never appealed in the slightest. I thought the vegan diet consisted of produce, tofu, and nut milk—nothing more. “Vegan cuisine” seemed like an oxymoron, my thinking being, “When one takes all the animal products out of food, it isn’t worth a moment of your time.”

So when I walked into Hi-Volt Coffee, a coffeehouse and café specializing in vegan and gluten-free dishes, I was armed with pithy skepticism and ready to be disappointed. But I couldn’t help feeling at home in the small white café, with it’s tastefully sparse décor accented with distinctive art, as well as it’s cozy, humming ambiance.

Half shocked at myself, I ordered an all-vegan lunch. On my bill was the Vegan Crunch salad, which was a mélange of mixed greens, tofu bacon, avocado, corn, tomato, Vidalia onion, sunflower seeds, tortilla chips, and tofu ranch dressing. I also ordered cashew “cheese” and cucumber toast and for a sweet ending, a raw-vegan coconut dream bar from the impressive dessert display. For my beverage, I chose an iced mocha (thankfully not vegan).

I began with the salad and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, even though I had inwardly cringed at the idea of bacon and salad dressing made of tofu. Pert and lively, with deliciously contrasting flavors and textures, the Vegan Crunch was a salad to look forward to.

Next, I ate two of the toasts. The baguette was wheaty and appropriately chewy, the “cheese,” which I thought I would hate, was unusual but nevertheless appealing, with its nutty, almost meaty flavors. The cucumber and basil were mild, cool compliments to the intense cashew spread. All in all, the cashew “cheese” toasts were a very tasty dish.

As for the Vegan Dream Bar, it was surprisingly good for raw-vegan, though like the cashew spread, it was rather ambiguous. It was spicy, faintly chocolaty, and coconut rich. But though it had good flavor, its dense, heavy texture was rather a turn-off. Still, I wouldn’t let this get in the way of trying out the rest of the Hi-Volt dessert array, which includes brownies, muffins, cookies and biscotti. Many of the dessert offerings are available in raw-vegan and gluten-free.

On a different note, the Hi-Volt Coffee iced mocha was nearly flawless. With its smooth, rich, well-balanced chocolate and coffee flavors, it made me want to slurp up every last drop.

So should you give vegan cuisine a chance? Yes, take it from me, a former derisive skeptic, you should. And I suggest you begin your vegan-eating journey at Hi-Volt Coffee in New Orleans.