Danny Dines: Rawroot Juice-Bar, the perfect summer treat

I was born in Oregon and did not know true sunshine until I moved to New Mexico. To make matters worse, I run every day. I am always hot, burned and in student debt … but I guess I can't blame the sun for that.

I hate when it’s hot, and I look for just about anything to make the heat less exhausting. I look for the juice.

Well, I found it, and it’s healthy, too.

Rawroot Juice-Bar is a local food truck from Rio Rancho that uses fresh fruit and veggies to make some of the tastiest bowls, drinks, smoothies and pressed juices. Also on the menu are slushies, iced drinks and infusion drinks.

“I initially started this because I wanted to give a healthier option in the food truck community. Bowls, smoothies, real fruit, real vegetables worked out for me in Santa Fe, then I bought a house in Rio. Tried Bernalillo, but I have been having a lot of success going to these parks, and I really appreciate all the support. It’s been a three-year journey,” owner Gerardo Chavez said.

Included with your purchase is a punch card: for every five drinks, you get one free.

Some of the hottest items include the Mexican cup, Hawaiian Sunrise smoothie and, my favorite, the classic smoothie bowl (blueberry, strawberry, banana) topped with strawberry, almonds and coconut flakes.

While I was on my melancholy jog, I was able to spot the truck at a park near my house.

I was sweaty, delirious and just a mess of a man. However, I knew the only cure would be some fresh fruit blended up.

As I walked, I spotted Madonna Ahern-Trujillo’s muffin stand that makes my dad’s favorite banana muffin. A couple of weeks ago, my family attended Food Truck Friday in Northern Meadows, and my dad asked me to buy him a banana muffin. They had run out, and I instead bought him a zucchini muffin, and he hasn’t talked to me since. So, before heading over to Rawroot, I had to buy a few muffins from Ahern-Trujillo.

When I got to Rawroot, I decided to order a tropical smoothie bowl, which is made from fresh strawberry, mango and pineapple. And, I topped my smoothie bowl with sliced almonds, coconut flakes and sliced strawberries.

Also, I met two nice sisters who ordered the peach slushie, and they told me it tasted like a frozen paradise. Pretty high praise. For their drink feedback, I bought them some banana muffins.

My bowl came out, and it was a colorful masterpiece. It was pure happiness in a bowl. Give it to Lana Del Rey, and I bet you she makes a new song called, “Summertime Happiness.”

Every spoonful was fantastic, and ignored my brain freeze and devoured the bowl in less than three minutes (official time: 2 minutes, 56 seconds). It was fruity, tangy, sweet and thick.

While I was eating it, a young man that was playing basketball asked where I got the bowl from. I pointed him to the Rawroot Juice-Bar food truck, and then he ordered a Peach Party Smoothie, which came with peach, banana, pineapple, mango, strawberry, orange juice and peach juice.

“I saw you eating the food, and it looked really good, and really refreshing and fruity so I decided to try it out,” Jameson Brooks said. “It was pretty great.”

It looked so amazing that other people started showing up and ordering from the Rawroot Juice-Bar. It was the coolest thing that I have seen since Lil Yachty started experimenting with jazz and rock music (check out his new album).

Rawroot Juice-Bar was absolutely phenomenal, and I recommend you give it a try too — especially in this summertime sadness … get it? Because Lana Del Rey.

The peach slushie costs $6, the peach party smoothie costs $9, a smoothie bowl with three toppings costs $12, and the banana muffins were $1 each.

If you would like to reach out to Rawroot Juice-Bar, call 505-361-6000 or visit rawrootjuice.com. You can also find the food truck by following it on Facebook or Instagram.

Where should I go next? Email me zunigasauce@gmail.com.