Healthy Eating at the 2nd Street Bike Stop Café

You know you're in for something good when the homemade iced tea is poured from a pitcher kept in the fridge and the cashier leans over to ask one of the other employees what she put in the peanut butter balls this morning.

The aptly named 2nd Street Bike Stop Café  was founded by cycling enthusiasts. While I ate, two regulars parked their bikes in front of the café, proving this really is somewhere cyclists stop for a healthy lunch, although you certainly don’t have to be a cyclist to enjoy the mix of vegetarian and lean meat sandwiches and salads.

The open, airy interior is full of small, all-weather tables alongside matching wrought iron chairs. If you're sweaty from a hard day of riding, there are no worries you'll mess up the furniture. The right side of the shop has bicycles for sale as well as bicycle parts and cycling gear. The staff seemed equally well versed in helping with your bike and helping with your lunch.

The café was a complete delight: simple foods, made fresh to order. You can have breakfast made all day, including several wraps with fresh scrambled eggs and grilled vegetables in a wrap or on a bagel, or if you’re feeling a little bit decadent, fruit-topped waffles.

In keeping with the bike theme, the breakfast dishes have names like the Morning Ride Wrap with eggs and cheese; the Triathlon Wrap with eggs, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, and ranch dressing; or the Juaraz Wrap with eggs, tomatoes, onions, green chillies, colby jack cheese, and spicy sauce.

The sandwiches (all of which are also available as a wrap) are evenly split between vegetarian and lean meats. I opted for the Hummina-Hummina with house-made hummus, tabbouleh, cucumbers, tomatoes, organic field greens and avocado on whole wheat bread. I was tempted by the Tour of Italy with mozzarella, tomato and pesto drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a classic a mozzarella and tomato salad on bread.

If this sounds altogether too healthy for you, the café also offers classic, hot sandwiches like the Abbey, a grilled turkey and mozzarella sandwich or a basic tuna sandwich with albacore tuna, mayo, red onion, pickles and colby jack all grilled on whole wheat bread.

This is a preservative-free land. The default side is bag of baked veggie chips, but for a small upcharge you can get a cup of homemade soup or a freshly made salad.

I chose the North Woods salad as a side with my sandwich. A large pile of crisp baby spinach was loaded with sliced strawberries, whole blueberries, almond slices and a drizzle of sweet poppyseed-honey mustard dressing. The mild dressing went beautifully with the sweet berries.  

For dessert, I tried the homemade crunchy peanut butter balls. I fell in love in one bite. The crunchy treats tasted like childhood, if I'd grown up healthier. These consisted of creamy organic peanut butter mixed with whey protein, honey and something delightfully crunchy. The version I grew up on had cornflakes and buckets of sugar, but the 2nd Street Bike Stop somehow managed to recapture the taste and texture in something I can successfully pretend is good for me. I'm impressed.

My plate-spanning sandwich, a hearty side salad, a pair of homemade peanut butter balls and homemade iced tea came to $11, plus a $2 tip. Price wise, that puts them in the same range as St. Louis Bread Company (they even include free Wi-Fi for customers).

The organic ingredients, house-made sauces, attention to detail, friendly service, and quality food leave me pleased to give the 2nd Street Bike Stop Café an A rating.