Live Juice in Concord, NH

Mother says "drink your vegetables"

From left: LIVE JUICE salad makers Melina Caron, Kerri Morrison and Amy Smith

If you are feeling a bit sluggish and over-indulged after the holidays, then a visit to LIVE JUICE should be on your to-do list. Located at 5 South Main St. in Concord, this attractive café, decorated in a minimalist style, offers a most unusual selection of fresh, healthy and for the most part locally sourced produce on its menu.

The owner, Aryn Marsh, decided she wanted to present delicious vegetables and fruits in a creative way that would also be convenient to eat on the premises or take out. Her basic theory is she serves nothing she wouldn’t serve her two boys, ages 1 and 3 ½. The selections include juices, smoothies, tonics and soups. The juices include the ”Hardcore” (kale, spinach, parsley, cucumber and lemon; 12-ounce, $5.95, 16 ounce, $7.50) as well as “Love Green,” a blend of kale or chard, apple, pear, pineapple and mint, which I sampled and found delicious. In the smoothie selections (16 oz., $5.95), “The Speckled Frog” is a mixture of spinach, almond milk, cashew butter, cacao nibs and vanilla.

The flavors are subtle, and with each sip you detect another one. You may select add-ins such as aloe, ace berry, goji berries and many more at .50 each. The hot tonics ($3.95), cold and flu fighters such as the “Immune Boost Tonic” (lemon, apple, ginger and cayenne), the “Liquid Lozenge” and the “Fighter” (Matcha green tea with local honey, lemon and cayenne) are restorative and sure to cure.

The salads are excellent. Each is made individually for you by the staff. From a base of spinach, romaine or mesclun, you build your own salad from a selection of more than 25 items or select one off the menu: Cobb ($9.95), Asian, ($8.95), Greek ($7.25) to name a few. The dressings, with 10 to choose from, are all homemade.

The soup selection (carrot, ginger, tomato, garden vegetable, three-bean chili) changes daily. It’s a unique dining experience at LIVE JUICE, and you can’t help feeling healthier and energized after experiencing their healthy offerings.