Let’s Face: PURE FOOD AND WINE
I want to start off by saying, eating unprocessed, raw and organic food is the absolute best way to feed your body. I recently went to the restaurant in NYC called Pure Food and Wine (54 Irving Place). I was blown away with the amount of flavor, the variety of texture and the well rounded, satisfying experience of eating a raw vegan dinner (and dessert!). Pure Food and Wine’s menu is entirely plant based and does not use any processed ingredients. Nothing is heated above approximately 118 degrees in order to preserve vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
I went there while I was in the middle of a nutritional cleanse. On my 30 day cleanse I was eating lean proteins and raw veggies while avoiding coffee, dairy, red meat, wheat and alcohol. My girlfriends invited me out to dinner and I warned them that I was going raw… hence our reservation at Pure Food and Wine. The girlfriend who suggested it was vegetarian, so she was no stranger to the amazing menu and delectable flavors.
Being 2 weeks into a cleanse and having tried many attempts at making raw veggie ensembles, I was extremely bored with my salads so the idea of eating at an all raw vegetarian place was not anticipated to be as enjoyable as it actually was! We sampled small plates, entrees and desserts across the table.
We started with the Plate of Assorted Cultured Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheeses and Rosemary Crisps. Being completely dairy free, this nut cheese was creamy, rich and tasted like gourmet cheese. I would never have known the difference! We adventured into our entrees with three selections: Spanikopita (with Spinach, Almond Feta, Cucumber Yogurt), Lasagna (with Zucchini, Local Roma and Heirloom Tomato) and Sweet Corn and Cashew Tamales (with Chili Spiced Portabella). I have to say, that Lasagna was pretty outrageous without meat, still savory, robust and had many textures of standard baked lasagna. I was also a huge fan of the Tamales. The freshness of the corn was extreme, tasting like it came right off the cob and into my mouth! And Spanakopita is never typically one of my first choices off a menu but, I must say, when returning to Pure Food and Wine, I will order this one again. Mmmm!
Dessert was just as intense and extremely satisfying even without butter and cream! The server recommended us to what reminded me of KeyLime Tart and their Salted Chocolate Caramel Tartcake. WOW!! That about sums that one up!
The bottom line is, there are healthy, vegetarian options out there to satisfy even the meatiest of meat eaters! Believe me, three out of four of us sitting at dinner that night were carnivorous and not one of us left feeling like we were missing out! Not only does eating raw give us more nutrients, it’s full of enzymes, so you do not need to use your body’s enzymes to digest it… leaving you with more energy after your meal!! I highly recommend everyone going “vegetarian” at least once a week. Give your liver a break from meat consumption. Who knows… You might even like it!!!
I’ve tried RAW food a couple of times, some of it is awesome, though I will never eat a Raw Food pizza again!