Taste of the Point: Acai Bowls

Happy New Year! After all the lavish meals, desserts and celebrating in December, we thought we would look at a healthier alternative to help you start the new year off right!

There is one place by the office that we frequent for breakfast, lunch, or just a snack – a little place called the Northside Shack that serves Açai Bowls (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) and smoothies.

The açai berries have been a staple food for people living in the Amazon River for a millennia, but it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the Gracie family, famous for their Brazilian jiujitsu gyms, invented the açai bowl. The fruit was popular because it was low in sugar, full of vitamins and antioxidants and boosted energy. Also, it has a berry like flavor and looks like a blueberry but tastes more like a blackberry. In the 2000’s the açai bowl came to the US and instantly became popular.

Now, our local go-to for this delicious treat is the Northside Shack, which not only serves up the famous açai bowls but boasts a host of different smoothies – 16 to be exact. And with smoothie names like Better Brain, Cold Buster, and Tropical Jalapeno I am sure you will find it a healthier alternative to the milkshakes at Hodad’s, and just as good!

But let me tell you a little bit about their açai bowls. You just don’t get a scoop of açai with chocolate sauce, you get to customize your bowl with healthy toppings, which is always fun.

They have a three-step ordering process at the Shack. First you choose the size bowl you want, then you pick your base. For the bases, they of course have the açai sorbet, but also have pitaya sorbet, coconut sorbet, and hot oatmeal of all things. Finally, you customize your bowl with fruit or dry toppings, which are all included in the price. The fruit toppings include banana, strawberry, pineapple, mango and several others. The dry toppings include organic hemp granola, crushed almonds, shredded coconut and chia seeds.

The next thing you do is eat and enjoy. I found the açai sorbet to have a creamy almost ice-cream like texture and the fruit toppings were fresh. Overall, an excellent treat. On a side note, there is no seating at the Northside Shack, so everything is to go.

So, give the Northside Shack a try for a healthier start to 2023! And remember it’s what you eat that matters.