Beth McConnell
So filling, you may not be able to finish.
In 2016, a recent college graduate from New Jersey took a trip to California and experienced a cultural, culinary shock. “It was like a whole other world out there,” the 25-year-old Brooke Gagliano told the business journal ROI-NJ earlier this year. “Everyone was fit and healthy, and instead of all the hot dog trucks you see out here in New Jersey, there were smoothie trucks — and an açai bowl concept on every corner.”
Gagliano, who has a degree in business and experience as a personal trainer, was inspired to open a smoothie bowl place of her own. She then franchised the business, and now there are 29 locations in 14 states. Most are on the east coast and in the south, but the concept is gradually moving west. Frutta Bowls made its Midwestern debut at the beginning of July, opening at 511 State St.
Taking up the combined spaces that formerly housed Dough Baby Bakery (RIP) and Gnar Hoops & Happy World Clothing, Madison’s newest smoothie bowl spot is far bigger than meets the eye. Customers order at a counter near the entrance. There are two separate seating areas: a windowed room facing State Street and a comfortable upstairs lounge. Depending on how busy the place gets when students come back, this could be an ideal place to study for those seeking an alternative to libraries or coffee shops.
As the name suggests, a smoothie bowl is a smoothie — in bowl form! This gives a larger canvas on which to artfully arrange toppings like fruit, granola and nuts. It’s a reimagined parfait, if you will, born on Instagram. At Frutta Bowls, an illuminated menu displays a seemingly enormous range of choices, but there are really only four categories: smoothie bowls, oatmeal bowls, smoothies (in cups) and “summer chillers,” an icy, slushy-like beverage. Açai, pitaya and kale serve as the base ingredients for the bowls, which are customizable with an array of colorful toppings. Frutta Bowls also offers Paleo-friendly cookies and house-made whey protein energy bites, available in the cooler near the entrance.
There’s every fruit imaginable — banana, strawberry, blueberry, mango, kiwi, apple, pineapple — plus granola, chia seeds, sliced almonds, coconut flakes, nut butters, Nutella, honey, caramel and whipped cream. Customers can try one of Frutta Bowls’ original combinations, or they can mix-and-match to create their own.
All three bases taste remarkably similar — more like banana and almond milk than anything else. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the texture and flavor were both fine, but it left me wishing I could taste an actual açai berry or a pitaya. The bases are prepared ahead of time, portioned into individual bowls and stored in a freezer.
On my first visit I tried the eponymous Frutta Bowl, which has an açai base and comes with granola, strawberries pineapple, kiwi, Nutella, peanut butter, honey and coconut flakes. It was tasty and beautiful to behold, but after a few bites the pile of sweet toppings got to be a little much.
A more savory option was the Caveman Bowl, which has a base of kale, banana, pineapple and almond milk and comes topped with granola, sliced banana and blueberries, plus a sprinkling of coconut flakes and almond slices and a hearty drizzle of almond butter. Most beautiful of all was the Jamaica Bowl, with its bright pink pitaya base and rainbow of fruit. The bowls are tasty and filling, but the hard layer of granola chunks made it difficult to get to the smoothie base.
The oatmeal bowls are a genius invention, and one I haven’t seen at other smoothie bowl spots. Hot, perfectly cooked oats sit on top of the frozen base, allowing it to melt slowly as you eat it. I was intrigued by the Coco Puff Bowl, which has a chocolate whey protein base and comes decadently topped with graham crackers, Nutella, peanut butter and whipped cream, but I chose instead the more sensible Earth Bowl, which comes with a kale base and is topped with almond butter, craisins, chia seeds and honey.
Frutta Bowls are billed as healthy. But are they really? I sent an email to the company requesting nutrition facts, as they’re not listed anywhere online or in the restaurant, but I never got a response. But it’s safe to say that the smoothie bowls are packed with carbs and sugar — especially you, Coco Puff. I cut out most sugar and carbs a year ago (save for food reviews!). Honestly, if I’m going to ruin my diet, I’d rather have a Dough Baby doughnut.
Frutta Bowls
511 State St.; 608-630-8177; fruttabowls.com
10 am-9 pm daily; $6-$11
