Cafe Euphie d’ici is a community hub
Heading northeast out of Russell, County Road 3 runs basically parallel to the Castor River and when it becomes Notre-Dame Street in Embrun curves quite sharply toward the east: that point is just about where you will find Euphie d’ici Café and Smoothie Bar.
With a lovely multiuse trail virtually right at the café’s parking lot, along with some benches and some snazzy public art, it’s possible to see the café as genuinely at the centre of a community hub. By the way, the trail is called, curiously perhaps, “The New York Central Railway” trail because it was once part of a rail system owned by the New York Central Railroad which was dismantled seven decades ago.
Outside the café, there are a few picnic tables and a sandwich board that proclaims “tasty, local, healthy.” That is certainly appropriate because people are walking dogs, jogging and cycling along the path and stop into Euphie d’ici to re-fresh.
Inside, the café is a basic and casual dining room with a few tables and chairs. But what surrounds them is the evidence that the business is dedicated to local (and seasonal) products that support other food businesses both in town and further afield.
It’s in fact a small marché that includes products like coffee from an Ottawa roaster, artisanal sodas from Prince Edward County, caramels from Merrickville, honey from Green Valley and an Ottawa salsa maker who supplies stores in London, Magnetawan Township and Winkler, Manitoba.
Euphie d’ici has a philosophy that allies itself closely with other local businesses and supports eco-responsibility and a reduction of their environmental footprint too.
Menus appear on chalkboards in a few places, and offer a wide selection of foods, both to eat in the dining room and frozen to take home.
There are about a dozen wraps – four of which are listed as for breakfast in addition to three breakfast bagels – that range in price from $7-$10 and include club, BLT, grilled chicken, veggie and Caesar crunch. You can get a smaller version of a wrap for 15% off.
Now, I’m not much of a “wrap guy,” but I was impressed by both the composition of Euphie d’ici’s “Avocado Chicken Wrap” and its execution. A good-sized handheld, the wrap was packed with chicken, cheese, guacamole, spinach, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing. What was supposed to be crispy was crispy; what was supposed to be moist and tender was moist and tender.
A similar sort of flattish and handheld cousin to the wrap, the restaurant also prepares chicken or veggie quesadillas ($11-$12), with a gluten-free option for a couple bucks more.
Add to that the still flattish but heftier pressed panini: among the four ciabatta selections are bacon, tomato, Cheddar; a Greek-tinged spinach with black olives and feta; classic ham and Swiss; and, a spicy-hot antipasto and guacamole with bacon, tomato and Cheddar, which tops out the price scale at $12.
There’s smoothie bowls and barbecue chicken pizza. I also found it interesting to see signs posted for Belgian waffles and “s’mores pretzels” as well as pretzels of the salty Bavarian variety with a few mustard selections and the cross-cultural Italian Parmesan version served with a ranch or garlic sauce. They are about $9, and you can also get Nutella or cinnamon too.
There’s an espresso bar with about a half-dozen espresso beverages available, but it’s obvious where Euphie d’ici shines: in the smoothie division of their menu. There are nearly three dozen, from fruit and protein to super smoothies and frappés.
Their names are varied and inventive: Canadian Sunset with strawberry, Princess Peach, Coco Loco with pineapple, Cold Warrior, Reload Athlete and Stress Busters, among many others. The beverages are generally available with dairy alternatives such as almond, coconut, oat (or lactose-free) and plant-based protein.
So-called “add-ins” to their cold drinks include ingredients like chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, almond butter and something known as “fruit popping bubbles.” If such beverages are your go-to, these items will likely be no surprise – except perhaps the fruit-popping bubbles (which I assume are part of a bubble tea concoction).
With the trail for bikes and walking virtually at Euphie d’ici’s side door, it is easy to see the alliance here with these beverages and a focus on a healthy mind and body as well as stewardship of the environment.
Oh, and yep, it’s also that flavour time again: fall specials at the café include apple pie, the seasonal pumpkin-spice latte and chai and pumpkin hot chocolate (also offered as a frappé).
Euphie d’ici Café and Smoothie Bar is open daily.
