Dining and drinking review: Senergo

Once again, our thanks to Esplanade residents Ted Broussard and Kurt Kwon, who have been providing readers with restaurant and bar reviews for the last year. The goal is to provide reviews of the over 200 establishments that are "within walking distance" of The Esplanade. To see all of Ted and Kurt's reviews, click on the "drinking and dining" label above. This week, Kurt took a walk down Pacific to Senergo, a smoothie and sandwich shop near UWT. I happened to notice the other day that this place has been completely remodeled since they first opened, and the modern, urban interior looks great. I haven't had a chance to eat there yet, so I was glad to see Kurt's review this week.

Senergo is located at 1948 Pacific Ave.

Review and photos by Kurt Kwon

Senergo is a nice addition to the Pacific Ave dining scene! A smart business decision to open a fresh smoothie and quick sandwich shop near the campus of UW Tacoma. A lot of students stop by for a quick refreshment before heading into class. The owner is very nice and provided outstanding service. He even made a half smoothie of his best seller for us to try for free. Senergo provides wraps, sandwiches, and fresh smoothies.

I had the lemongrass banh mi sandwich. This is a take on the famous Vietnamese sandwiches that are so tasty and fresh. I had the option of mine warmed up on the panini press. This gave it a crunchier crust and warmed up the ingredients. Unfortunately the sandwiches and wraps are pre-made. I was hoping for fresh-made but understand that would take a lot of time. Overall it was pretty good. The pickled vegetables are the star of the sandwich. The lemongrass chicken was fairly mild but still had some flavor. I would have liked more chicken, but the foot long sandwich made up for it in portion size.

The smoothies are definitely the main attraction. They use fresh ingredients and have very interesting combinations. The Senergo smoothie had your traditional fruits but also included almonds, spinach and kale. Weird combination, but somehow works. They have very healthy smoothies, unlike the big chain smoothie places that are full of sugar. Prices are a little high but worthwhile for the location. They do have a 25% off happy hour from 4 to 6 pm. If you 're looking for a refreshing smoothie after a workout for a treat, give Senergo a try!