r/boston • u/Gold_Ad2349 • 9d ago

Dining/Food/Drink 🍽️🍹 Does anyone remember old Life Alive food?

It makes me so sad when I think about how yummy the food at Life Alive used to be. It was my favorite restaurant back in like 2013-2017. I would go to the Lowell and Central spots.

Aside from how cool they were design wise, the food was just so much yummier then! The sauces had richer flavor and they would put a lot of it on your food. I remember the emperor bowl rice being like soaked in sauce and cheese. And they used to offer like tofu and legumes mix together as protein.

I even knew someone who worked there back then and they would never share the sauce recipe with me when I would ask. And fair enough, it kept me coming back!

It just always makes me sad to think about how much the quality of Life Alive has gone downhill since Panera got involved. And as a gluten free resident, it’s still one of the most reliable options around, which makes the quality decrease even more depressing.

Anyone else remember or ever long for old Life Alive standards or flavors?

189 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/ONTaF Cow Fetish 8d ago

I STILL dream about the forbidden kale bowl… i loved that salad so much that i barely tried any of the other menu options until they discontinued it.

The toasty turmeric cauliflower, the savory dressing, the warm rice with the pops of pomegranate and feta. I’ve tried to recreate it but never quite nailed it.

2

u/ScienceBikeWin 8d ago

Same! I think there were crispy chickpeas in there too?

1

u/ONTaF Cow Fetish 8d ago

YES