After seeing so many reviewers talk about the amazing “Bowl of Soul” at the Naked Lounge, I added the place to my bookmarks.  So when my friend tossed out Naked Lounge as an option to finish up the evening, I jumped at the chance.  Bright and cheery place, on the corner of 15th and Q.  The large windows along the street sides frame a vision of a cozy, warm, eclectic, and welcoming family room in someone’s home…and guess what, you get to go in!  Lots of seating…worn (read: comfortable) couches, small tables and chairs, benches along the windows, but it doesn’t seem crowded.  And people are open to being asked to scoot in, or borrow a chair, without giving you a put-upon glare.  The art on the walls are seemingly randomly selected, but they all work together.  The place has a mix of people hanging out: couples, friends, loners on their laptops.  

Lots of drink options on the board, but my eyes make a beeline for the top drink and I don’t move down the list.  I am having the Bowl of Soul.  But then I look at the ingredients, and I gag slightly.  Chamomile tea?  Heresy.  I can’t drink Chamomile tea!  Then to make it worse, soy milk.  Gag me some more.  The honey and dusting of ibarra chocolate redeem the whole thing.  Slightly.  Can I do this, I ask myself?  If I don’t do it now, I won’t ever come back.  And in the grand scheme of things, what’s choking down one chamomile tea/soy milk concoction going to really do to me.  Nothing.  Nothing at all.

So I gather up my courage, cross the rubicon, and order the damn drink.

We find a table and while our time away, looking through my friend’s instagram pics.  And then it arrives.  A really tall cup with a skewered tea bag resting on the top of a thick head of (soy!) foam, with a stylish chocolate heart dusted over it all.

I nonchalantly let it sit there…cooling…don’t want to burn my tongue, I’m sure it’s really hot.  Finally, I can’t stall any longer.  I take a tentative sip.  And then another more assured one…and yeah, okay, it’s not bad.  

It’s not bad at all.  In fact, it’s flipping AWESOME!  I love it.  Really.  

I drank chamomile tea with soy milk and I liked it.  A LOT.

 

Naked Lounge
1500 Q St
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 442-0174