Tuesday, 21 December, 2010 14:46
by Chris Jay
All good things: The last few loaves of Earthereal's hand-made bread.
Shreveport-Bossier loses a unique restaurant this week with the closure of Earthereal Restaurant & Bakery, a health food store on Line Avenue where a wonderful married couple - John and Katie - handled everything from taking the orders to preparing each item by hand. The restaurant is open for two more days - they'll have normal lunch seatings (11 AM-2 PM) until Thursday, December 23, and will be open for pick-up orders only on Friday, December 24. An incredibly tiny, lunch-only spot, Earthereal always felt like some sort of secret society to me. On any given day, there'd be a dozen or so intelligent-looking people quietly enjoying their lunch. I felt smarter and healthier just for having walked in the place. John and Katie literally knew every customer by name, it seemed, and if Katie had a moment's downtime, she'd move from table to table saying hello.
I will miss the incredibly delicious banana and peanut butter protein shake (the "ProNutNana"), the Combination Soy Tacos, and the cookies. Lord, the cookies. The Sweet Johns and Ginger Snaps, especially - I still refuse to believe that those other-worldly cookies can be described as "healthy," but apparently they are. I'll also miss the people - John and Katie themselves, along with the changing cast of vegan punkers and art students who've staffed the cash register.
If you're planning to visit Earthereal before they close, be patient - today, there was literally a line out the door, as Shreveport-Bossier's healthy eaters came by to pay their respects and have one last cucumber cream sandwich. Thank you, John and Katie, for all of the years of hard work you put in to give us Earthereal Restaurant & Bakery.