Restaurant Review: Hutch + Howl

HUTCH + HOWL 17 Boudreau Road ~ hutchandhowl.com Instagram: @hutchandhowl ~ Twitter: @hutchandhowl Co-Diner: Tim Golem

I absolutely love treating myself to cold-pressed juice once in a while because it feels like such a healthy thing to do (plus they taste great). However, my husband refers to this type of juice as "ten dollar juice" because one bottle always costs at least $10. He doesn't especially love the premium cost. While I can appreciate that cold-pressed juice doesn't come cheap, it is certainly something that I do enjoy when the opportunity arises. Such was the case when I heard that Hutch + Howl was voted #1 Best Juice Bar 2018 by VUE Weekly. I had to head out to their location in the Campbell area of St. Albert (which is pretty much like visiting the suburbs) to give them a try. Hutch + Howl is a juicery that shares its retail space with another business; BasketBelle. In fact, each business is owned and operated by sisters. This makes the shop very interesting to visit because it isn't all juice. You'll find them in a bit of an industrial area, in a strip mall type of shopping area. Don't worry, you're in the right place. Printed right on the door as you enter are the words "come in you are awesome." And that will set the tone for your entire visit. The space is clean and white with beautiful pendant lighting. Everything feels very fresh and the Hutch + Howl branding (and section of the store) is very clear. There is an incredibly beautiful rustic wooden counter that can be used as seating once your order has been placed. I was helped by "Hutch" (Chelsie Hutchinson) and she was incredibly friendly and helpful. She really made my entire experience in the shop extra wonderful and it almost felt as if I was hanging out with a friend. While the star of the business is the cold-pressed juice (which come bottled), many of these types of establishments also offer smoothies, coffee, and a selection of food. Hutch + Howl follows suit and does the same. I figured that I had to try one of their smoothies although I was certainly intrigued by the Immunity Cider, a winter seasonal cold-pressed juice (parsley, apple, parsnip, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg) that is served warm. I selected the Nectarine Creamsicle Smoothie ($9.50) out of the five different smoothie options.

Nectarines, yam, flax, chia seed, dates, coconut water, coconut cream, tropical plant protein.

This smoothie was great! It was nice and thick and it felt like I was really getting something in there. I enjoyed the delicate sweetness from the nectarines, dates and coconut cream. There was also a slight tanginess that balanced the drink well. I appreciated the addition of some of the more fibrous ingredients. This smoothie really did capture the "creamsicle" feeling by being fruity and creamy at the same time. It tasted like dessert but was secretly health-packed all along. For the food offerings at Hutch + Howl they are doing Bowls. Filled with locally sourced ingredients, they're a great way to grab a quick and nutritionally dense meal. There are three different ones to choose from and you know that they're doing one called (mac) h²angry, which is a Big Mac-themed bowl. Because let me tell you, this major trend is not going away any time soon and I love it. However, I decided to try their straight-up h²angry Bowl ($13.00) since it was my first visit.

Farro, pumpkin seeds, roasted parsnip, maple spice chickpeas, radish, arugula, kale, green goddess dressing.

I was somewhat worried that a bowl like this might be a little bit bland. I was instructed to dump the dressing into the bowl (anything with green goddess dressing just does it for me), replace the lid, and to shake the whole bowl up. This was very affective and completely combined all of the ingredients while simultaneously coating everything evenly in dressing. There was nothing bland about this at all! I loved the texture and crunch from the nuts, the parsnips were a nice departure from the usual, and everything was completely bright and fresh. This bowl felt hearty and was surprisingly filling. Go health! Lastly, I clearly had to buy some cold-pressed juice. (Otherwise what was I doing there?!) It should be noted that they also make five different types of mylk as well and they do some really interesting versions (think almond beet-lavender mylk). However, I was going for the juice! What's the deal with cold-pressed juice anyway? The idea is that the method of cold pressing protects and preserves the nutrients of the fruits and vegetables. Since the cold press juicer presses the produce to extract the juice, no heat is involved and you get 100% of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and nutrients. Hutch + Howl makes roughly 11 different blends and they also do three different types of shots. I tried to pick two different ones that would make for a nice sampling; h²eal ($11.00) and h²armonize ($10.00).

I wanted to try their most straight-forward, classic green juice and h²eal fits that bill. Packed with spinach, romaine, celery, apple, lemon and ginger, this is about as green as it gets. I loved this savoury juice and it tasted great. The combination was extremely flavourful with a hint of tart zippiness. When you drink something like this, you feel good about yourself and good about what you've put into your body. For something completely different, I liked h²armonize. This one leans in a fruitier direction with grapefruit, fennel, apple, mint and coconut water. The grapefruit really comes through in this one, which makes sense because it's such a strong flavour. I was also very into the use of fennel, an item that I'm pretty obsessed with at the moment. This one is fun and fresh, offering the taste of sunshine and memories of a beautiful summer's day. I would definitely love to try more of the juices that they make. If these two are any indication, Hutch + Howl knows what they're doing and they know their way around the cold-pressed scene. These juices were as good as any that I've tried from anywhere. I am well aware that cold-pressed juice comes at a premium cost and that it's much too expensive for the average person to enjoy on any sort of a regular basis. But once in a while it's nice to treat yourself to something that will make you feel good. If you're going to invest your cash into a juice, you had better make sure that you're spending your money on one of the best ones out there. Hutch + Howl is a safe bet for wonderful quality and flavour.