The Keto Alternative
Fullerton, California
5 Scoops of Bosco
Editors Note: The Alt Cafe closed on August 1. However, Corey's Food Prep Business, The Keto Alternative, is alive and well.
Reviewed by Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco
One of the challenges of adopting the Low Carb/low sugar/Keto lifestyle is finding good places to eat that support the lifestyle.
I personally have adopted the mind-set that I can go in to any restaurant or diner and modify a menu to fit my low carb, low sugar lifestyle. Over the years, I have gotten pretty darn good at it. I am kind of proud of myself.
Except bakeries. It's extremely hard to do Low Carb, low sugar or Keto in a bakery. And I have always loved bakeries.
When I go to a bakery. I usually end up getting coffee. Black. All the while taking in the wonderful bakery aroma.
All this menu modification can be mentally exhausting. I really don't want to work that hard at it. I have other important things to do. Like eating.
So, I was thrilled to discover a few weeks back as I was on my walk of a section of the historic and iconic El Camino Real (AKA Harbor Blvd.) through my hometown of Fullerton a quaint new diner, The Alt Kafe, The Keto Alternative.
The Alt Kafe is actually a half block west from the El Camino Real (Harbor Blvd) on Chapman Avenue in Fullerton but totally worth the diversion from the walk. I was already walking anyway. So an extra half a block wasn't going to kill me. But I digress.
The first time I went to the Alt Kafe, I was fortunate enough to run into Cody, the owner and chef. Cody is originally from South Carolina so he has this infectious Southern Hospitality vibe which spreads to his entire staff. So I fell instantly in like with Cody and his team.
The food is absolutely delicious. All the items I have eaten so far are winners. Cody has been involved with the keto lifestyle for a while and has been doing food prep and catering (and continues to have a thriving food prep service called the Keto Alternative) his Keto-Friendly fare before he opened up the Kafe as a brick and mortar. He has crafted a wonderful menu to choose from. He has been tweaking the menu at the Kafe ever since he opened in February so the original menu is evolving weekly. Check online to see the latest offerings. The website is www.theketoalternative.com/alt-cafe but they are also on all the social media platforms as well.
So far I have tried and enjoyed the following:
The Ollie Burger. A beef burger with pimento cheese, bacon and pickles usually on a low carb bun although I had this as a lettuce wrap.
The Western Burger, which is a beef burger with pepper jack pimento cheese, grilled jalapenos, bacon, spicy comeback sauce on a keto bun.
Alt Kafe's take on the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich is my favorite so far. It is a chicken breast breaded in pork rinds and parmesan cheese with Nashville hot sauce topped with slaw and pickles. Spoiler alert on the Nashville hot sauce. It is very hot. I wisely took it on the side.
Other items on the current menu include the Sammy (A crispy seared 6 ounce filet of salmon served over a veggie risotto made from mushrooms, cauliflower and spinach). My server on the return trip told me this along with the Thai Chicken Salad, Nashville Nuggies and Nashville-Cali Mac are the most popular items right now.
I mentioned earlier my love of bakeries and the challenge of eating low carb, low sugar bakery and dessert items in a diner or restaurant. Alt Kafe comes to the rescue with a wide array of delicious Keto-friendly, low carb dessert and bakery options. My favorite so far are all of the scones, a Red Velvet Cheese cake as well as a German Chocolate cake.
Breakfast is served every Saturday morning and the breakfast menu includes a Western Omelette, Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, and Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich.
Enjoy.
