Hello, hello my dear friends! First off, I’d like to remind you to enter my Nasoya Tofu giveaway before the end of the day, which you can do right here.
Awhile back I was having the pleasure of consistently going out to eat in the city of New York. I’m telling you… I don’t think there’s a single person that has ever dined at all the restaurants the city has to offer. Especially because there are new ones popping up all the time, literally (i.e. pop-up restaurants). And before you know it they vanish the same way they seemed to come out of nowhere. On this particular day I did not go to one of those restaurants, but rather an establishment. I say establishment because it’s pretty well-known in the raw foodists community. I think it’s nice to have a place that offers a wide raw-vegan selection in an ambiance beyond bright cafes adorned with shelves of wheat grass and bamboo. Maybe some of you can guess where I went that day.
Pure Food & Wine for lunch with a dear friend
I started out with a 'Hot Pink' juice
It’s made with beet, pineapple, pear, ginger. My parents would make juices regularly with beets, but I had never tried it with pineapple and pear.
Sushi rolls – marinated shiitake, avocado, asparagus, red pepper, jicama rice, nama shoyu
Lisa commented in the last post about not being able to eat rice anymore, which reminded me of this! If you can’t find jicama, cauliflower works as well. It’s got a similar texture, and all you have to do is shred it. I’ve actually been doing that for my deconstructed sushi bowls lately, and even when I recently made a stir-fry. Just make sure it’s shredded!
Taco Salad – romaine lettuce, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guacamole, cashew sour cream, cilantro-lime dressing
I enjoyed this salad a lot! The cashew sour cream had me curious as to how they made it. It was blended to creamy perfection, and tasted reminiscent of sour cream. All of the flavors together made for a lively tasting dish.
Falafel with tabhouli – over whole romaine leaves or tossed with greens, lemon tahini, red pepper hot sauce
My friend is from Israel and says his friend makes the best falafel in town, so he wanted to see if this one was up to par. It was also his first time trying anything raw-vegan so I knew he’d be in for a little surprise.
Portabella and hempseed burger – sprouted manna bread, lapsang tea smoked cashew cheese, house made mustard, pickled pink onions, caraway kraut
It was such a little delight to look at... and eat!
I enjoyed the combination of the fermented, salty taste with the cooling pungency of the mustard, and biting into the incredibly dense bread. This burger is small, but no complaints here. I knew how dense it would be, and anything bigger would just be unnecessary to feel satisfied. And boy was I satisfied. My dining partner also underestimated how filling the food would be.