Fruit Smoothies

Fresh fruit pureed with milk or yogurt and perhaps a bit of ice are wonderful on a hot summer day.

* Newsroom Cafe: The one constant on a revolving menu of non-dairy fruit smoothies is the News: bananas, strawberries and apple juice with a touch of ice. Others include a watermelon drink with guava, red grapes, strawberries and bananas--and the cherry cabron: black cherries, cherry juice, passion fruit, agave nectar, prickly pear, guava and banana. (News smoothie, $3.95; watermelon, $3.95; cherry cabron, $3.95.) Newsroom Cafe, 120 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 652-4444.

* Mother’s Market & Kitchen: At this Orange County chain, the Martian martini is a bright green puree of bananas, coconut, pineapple-coconut juice and wheat grass; Mother’s energy smoothie is seasonal fruits plus bee pollen, ginseng and protein powder. (Martian martini, $3.75; energy smoothie, $4.50.) Mother’s Market & Kitchen, 225 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 548-4279; 19770 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, (714) 963-6667; 2963 Michelson Drive, Irvine, (949) 752-6667.

* Mauro Cafe & Ristorante: At this place located inside the Fred Segal store, you can create your own smoothie from the 20 fruits offered, or just try the fresh mint, coconut and pineapple or the papaya-mango smoothie. (Smoothies, $3.25.) Mauro Cafe & Ristorante, Fred Segal, 8112 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (323) 653-7970.

* Back on the Beach: Get a little sun on your face and run your toes through the sand as you sip a blueberry, banana or pina colada smoothie (fruit, yogurt and ice). (Smoothies, $3.) Back on the Beach, 445 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, (310) 393-8282.

* The Juice Fountain: This little Hollywood spot has been making smoothies for 35 years. Owner Elizabeth Perez and son Leonardo Peno offer more than 20 of them, all made from fruit and either milk, whole yogurt or juice, plus a little crushed ice. If you like blackberries, you have to try the blackberry dream: blackberries, whole yogurt, pineapple and a touch of honey. For true fruit lovers, there’s the fruit rainbow, made from watermelon, strawberries, papaya, blackberries, oranges and banana. (Blackberry dream, $3.25; fruit rainbow, $3.25.) The Juice Fountain, 1616 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 464-8986.