Published: January 30, 2006 10:48 am            

17th Street Cafe

Low in carbs, high in taste

Going on a diet and eating out can be challenging. While the food may be light on your stomach, it's often heavy on your wallet.

Now you can have the best of both worlds -- great food that won't hurt you or your pocketbook -- at the 17th St. Cafe. (MAP)

Nestled behind Markland Mall, this little gem had been a two-year work in progress, culminating in a lunch spot that serves fresh and hearty low-carb food and low-sugar desserts.

It all started three years ago, when owners Dana Clinton and her husband, Lane, went on the Atkins diet. The trade off for a more slender figure, she said, was you had to give up most sweets.

"We lost weight like crazy and felt wonderful -- so energetic," she said. "I noticed the biggest change in him. He would come home from work and not want to sit down. He wanted to be up doing things."

Determined she wouldn't lose the ability to enjoy a treat every once in a while, she experimented with artificial sweeteners in pies and cakes. What started as a hobby ballooned into a passion, she said. A month ago --after two years of hard work --the couple opened the 17th St. Cafe.

"It just evolved, and here we are," she said, scanning the restaurant's handful of tables. "I have a whole repertoire of sugar-free desserts."

But you wouldn't know they were sugar-free from the taste. I tried the chocolate toffee cheesecake and thought I was in heaven.

Lunch specials, soups, desserts and teas rotate daily. For the low price of $5.99, why wouldn't you want to try every combination?

I ordered the Asian stir fry soup, a soy sauce-flavored sauce loaded with vegetables and tender pork pieces. Salty and savory, it was just the thing to whet my appetite. Next came the gyro pita, a grilled tortilla stuffed with meat, cucumber, onions, tomatoes and cucumber sauce. The petite desserts are just enough to give you a taste of something sweet without letting you down a slice of pie the size of a small child.

Make sure you don't skip their homemade ice tea. I tried the citrus raspberry tea, which makes Mr. Lipton seem novice.

The pictures -- posted on a bulletin board on the wall -- tell the story to this reporter, who wasn't around to remember the once-garish building behind the Markland Mall. The Clintons gutted the inside of the building and started working, doing almost everything themselves.

Dana decorated the restaurant's interior with her own paintings, and created Greek-style columns that sit in the middle of the dining area. If that wasn't enough, she even laid the floor herself.

She's just as do-it-herself in the kitchen.

"We make everything from scratch. All the soups are made from scratch, all the pies," she said.

Erin Shultz may be reached at (765) 454-8587 or via e-mail at erin.shultz@kokomotribune.com



ADDRESS: 1135 S. 17th St. (MAP)

HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SERVES: Breakfasts, low-carb lunch wraps, homemade soups, low-carb and low-sugar desserts

PRICE: Breakfasts run from $2 to $4.50; lunch special is $5.99 and includes a soup, wrap and a petite dessert.

PHONE: (765) 776-6307

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE: Yes

SMOKING: No

ACCEPTS: Cash only

        

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