A garden of raw veggie delights
My favorite local all-you-can-eat buffet offers no mac and cheese, no carved meats and no decadent desserts. Still, I can’t get enough of the spread at the Hippocrates Institute in suburban West Palm Beach. It’s surprisingly varied in options and flavors.
There, in a health-focused retreat that sprawls across 50 acres of tropical foliage with an often crunchy, new-age vibe, is a vegetable feast created by the talented executive chef Ken Blue. His house dressing alone – a blend of liquid aminos, lemon juice, garlic, ground mustard seeds and cayenne, emulsified with a veggie oil blend – is addictive.
Yes, the buffet is all raw and
vegan and it offers nothing hot (unless you count the extensive selection of hot teas). But the flavors! On a recent day, in addition to its heaping bowls of organic greens, sprouts galore, beets and other fresh veggies, the buffet offered an ode to Asian flavors, from pad Thai to kimchi.
You may not find the info on the institute’s website, but here’s the scoop: The lunch buffet, which is open daily from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and costs $25 per person, is open to the public (as is the spa and salon). You can enjoy your lunch in the sunny dining room or patio, or you can pack your buffet lunch to go. When you arrive at the gate, let them know you are there for lunch and the guard will direct you.