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IT'S ALL IN THE NUTS AT SUNFLOWER

April 25, 1993
Section: SCENE
Page: D2

By Ed Murrieta Bee Staff Writer

TIME & MONEY

EAT 'N' RUN

--These things happen sometimes. You swore you'd never utter any of those cliches your parents used to throw at you. And then, faced with a lippy kid, you hear yourself say with a stern shake of the finger, "Don't talk to me that way; I used to change your diapers . . . " Yes, things change. Like enjoying health food almost as much as a greasy, rare to the center triple coronary cheeseburger. Indeed, who woulda thunk it?

But there I was, sitting at a picnic table in front of the Sunflower Drive-In on the outskirts of Old Town Fair Oaks, wiping a glob of gooey cheese from the satisfied grin on my face.

And there wasn't a trace of cow flesh in the whole meal. In fact, there's nary a hint of animal meat or sugar to be found anywhere in anything Sunflower serves up, from its kefir shakes, juices, ketchup, salsa, dressings. And, of course, its "nutmeat."

Made from a fine mix of ground almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, carrots and a blend of seasonings that let their presence be known without being overwhelming, Sunflower Drive-In's "nutburgers" are the perfect antidote in a world of corporate death patties and greasy-spoon gut grenades.

These "nutburger" patties are plump and moist, grilled golden amber brown throughout. They are soft and melt in your mouth, like a good crab cake. Not only is this "meat" excellently substituted in burgers, Sunflower also fills its taco with the mix.

Sunflower Drive-In is even helpful to your fiscal health. Nothing on the menu is over $4.50 - and the servings are downright huge.

The super nutburger ($4.50) is one of the best things on the menu. Sunflower stuffs a large nutmeat patty into a soft, whole-wheat pita and then piles on the fixin' - sweet red onions, dill pickle rounds, tomatoes, sprouts and a fresh mix of Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, a light yogurt-cucumber sauce with a hint of dill and gooey melted raw Colby / jack cheese.

It's a whopper of a sandwich, and though it's a bit on the messy side, you'll find yourself picking up every last bit that falls back onto the plate between bites.

The nutty taco, too, is a handful - and a mouthful. At $3.70, it's stuffed full of Mexican-spiced nutmeat cooked with onions and bell peppers, cheese and the same fixin's as on the nutburger, loaded fat into a corn tortilla.

Though the burger holds its own against real burgers, the patty melt is less inspired. Far less. It's the same nutmeat patty as the burger (and with grilled onions, a nice touch), but served on regular toasted wheat bread, it's

. . well . . . not that memorable. And a bit on the small side at $3.80.

The falafel, however, is every bit as good and packed full as the nutburger and the spicy patty of ground garbanzo beans, cashews and sesame seeds is plump and moist and has a nice zip from cumin and curry seasonings. It, too, is $4.50.

Sunflower also mixes up mean smoothies with fruit. They're tangy, tart and refreshing, at $2 for a small, $2.45 large. The kefir shakes are a great substitute for ice cream shakes - creamy smooth like melted yogurt. At $2 and $2.50, they come in a number of fruit flavors.

Rating: * * *

Sunflower Drive-In Where: 10344 Fair Oaks Blvd., 967-4331 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. In-and-out time: 30 minutes

What you'll pay: $5 Recommended bites: Super nutburger, nutty taco, falafel

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