Bellevue eatery takes smoothies to more healthful heights

Thursday, July 07, 2005

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Thanks to chic little restaurants like Vivo, Frankfurters Hot Dog Shoppe and Roberto's pizza, Bellevue has gained a reputation as the place to go when you're looking for unique, high-quality dishes. With the arrival of Laughing Lizard, there's one more reason to seek out this tiny town along the Ohio River, especially if you're in the mood for something healthful.


	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Bob Shea sells healthful drinks at the Laughing Lizard, in Bellevue. Click photo for larger image.

This funky little eatery at 512 Lincoln Ave., which opened in mid-April, features a tasty selection of crushed-fruit smoothies, nourishing shakes and gourmet soups -- or what owner Bob Shea likes to call "healthy fast food."

Most smoothies and shakes, Shea points out, contain high-calorie refined sugars or fructose or nutrient-deficient juices, which can lead to kids "bouncing off the walls" after just a few sips. Not so at Laughing Lizard.

"Everything here is pure," he says.

For example, the puree Shea uses in his fruit smoothies is made by California-based Dr. Smoothie, using the entire piece of fruit, including pits, rinds, seeds and skin. (The only exceptions are banana peel and coconut rind). So customers get a nutritional drink loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Same with the shop's Sweet Treat Shakes, which Shea considers an alternative to dessert. Available in two sizes, these frothy no-guilt drinks feature fresh juices and fruits, low-fat vanilla soy milk and yogurt. Flavors include creamy banana mango, key lime pie and orange creamsicle.

The shop's Special Blend and Performance shakes, which are made with soy milk, fresh fruit and vanilla or chocolate whey protein, are equally wholesome, says Shea. Both lactose-free and low-cal, they're rich in antioxidants -- substances thought to be effective in helping prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke -- and full of energy-producing carbohydrates.

For an extra boost and added cost (75 cents to $1.75), customers can add a shot of protein or creatine, or nutritional supplement. The Burn Fat Burn stack, for instance, contains 400 mcg of chromium picolinate, a mineral that some believe builds muscle and promotes weight loss, 5 grams of flax seed oil and 500 mg of L-carnitine, an amino acid derivative that may aid cardiac function.

Sniffles B'Gone, by contrast, is packed with the "good guys" Shea says the body uses to fight infection: vitamin C and the herb echinacea.

The shop also offers a selection of e*lix*r tonics, fruit and herbal beverages that are formulated according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Served hot or cold, with flat or sparkling water, these "all-natural" drinks are rich in antioxidants and have no added sugar or preservatives.

For example, the "Power Plant," which is described as a revitalizing "jump-start" tonic, promises to increase energy with its medley of sweet-tea vine, Asian gingseng, yerba mate and green tea extract; "Tame the Elements" elixir, in contrast, which contains honeysuckle, Chinese bellflower and goldenbell, claims to help boost your immunity.

"I almost feel like we should be wearing lab coats when we serve these," says Shea, laughing.

Standing in his pale-orange restaurant, clad in a Hawaiian shirt and a worn pair of sandals, Shea looks the part of health food guru. But the former Navy photographer, who worked as a photo manager for Eastman Kodak for 25 years, only recently got into the food business.

Tired of commuting between Pittsburgh and Detroit and all-too-aware of how much of his commercial business was being eaten up by digital photography, he realized last year that the time had come to do something different. Intrigued by the success of the many smoothie and soup-only restaurants that have cropped up around the country in the last few years, he decided to draw on his business experience and open a small eatery that would feature high-end prepared products.

For inspiration, he looked to his own lifestyle. At age 51, the Ohio Township resident had made the change toward more healthful living. He'd stopped smoking, lost weight and started watching his blood pressure. He also started eating better.

"I decided, if this is what I'm looking for, maybe others are, too," he says.

As for his Bellevue location, Shea says he decided to set up shop on Lincoln Avenue, just a few doors down from Roberto's, because of the town's great foot traffic. Not only are lots of young people moving into town, but "everywhere you look there's people walking dogs," he says. Hence, the dog-walking hitch by the front door and jar of dog biscuits by the cash register.

Kids, who will be delighted by the tin lizards crawling up the wall and a huge faux palm tree, get a plastic lizard with their drinks.

The Laughing Lizard serves 27 different varieties (five each day) of SoupMan's premium soup. These soups, which are made fresh to order and frozen in gallon bags, are the product of Al Yeganeh, whose soup restaurant gave rise to the classic Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" episode. Flavors include Carrot Pistachio Regniano, Shiitake Mushroom, Lobster and Louisiana Crab Bisques, and White Bean Cassoulet. Each is served with a Mancini hard roll and a package of oyster crackers.

"It's a great alternative to pizza and diner food," says Shea.

Laughing Lizard, 512 Lincoln Ave., Bellevue, is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. 412-732-9230.

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