Grub Scout: Cafe Pita aims to put a wrap on healthy eating

I’m always encouraged to see more healthy-eating alternatives spring up on the local restaurant scene, and that’s the identity claimed by the new Cafe Pita on Cumberland Avenue. The owner, a former employee of the Pita Pit, offers customers a diverse lineup of 25 different pita creations, all with round flatbread as the common denominator (although any item can be prepared in salad form at no extra charge).

I took the elder Grub Sprout along with me on a recent weekday lunch outing. Upon entering, it was evident that we were to order at the counter, although there was no signage indicating which end we needed to start from, and the young lady behind the counter wasn’t talking. For the record, you order at the register and then move along the food-assembly line, which is counterintuitive to anyone who’s ever eaten at a Subway.

Many of the pitas’ main ingredients are prepared on a grill, and behind the counter are nearly 20 add-on ingredients as well as nearly a dozen different sauce toppings.

The first six pitas listed — which include the tomato- and avocado-based California Special, The Classic with smoked ham and eggs, and a pita made with smoked sausage — are all made with eggs, green peppers, onions and a choice of four cheeses.

The remaining items range from the Pita Cordon Bleu with chicken, ham and melted Swiss cheese to a Philly cheese steak to roast beef. Mediterranean-influenced entries include pitas built around falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush and feta cheese.

The Sprout went with the Famous Club ($6.95), made with ham, turkey and bacon. I chose an old-school Mediterranean gyro ($6.95), although Cafe Pita’s version is made with seasoned beef rather than the traditional lamb, which was a bit of a disappointment. Bagged chips are offered as a side selection as are bottled drinks. On our visit, fountain drinks were not yet available.

My first impression was that the young lady making the pitas could have used some help. There were only two customers in front of us, but it took quite a while for their orders to be completed and for the employee to even start on ours. I could only imagine how badly things might have gotten bogged down had they been flooded with customers. During the assembly of our orders, the employee also started making a falafel pita instead of my gyro, so the communication breakdown led to an even longer wait.

Another stumbling point for me was the area where you pick out your pita toppings. They are on display behind the counter, but you either have to be tall enough to see over the counter, or you have to squat down for an awkward look at the ingredients through the small glass windows. In either case, it was an uncomfortable process.

As for the food itself, I was let down by the pita bread, which I felt could have been fresher and less brittle. And once I had a complete pita in my hands, the ingredients were too concentrated in the middle, leaving a lot of plain bread to munch through on both ends.

I think Cafe Pita is to be given credit for offering healthy fast food at reasonable prices — which should appeal to neighboring college students. But I don’t see myself getting all wrapped up in it again.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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