Some Like It Raw—Diners Follow a Healthy Trend

First came vegetarian, then vegan, then organic, then local—now raw.

The parameters for healthy eating continue to change as health experts report new findings about diets that will change your life, giving you a healthy glow and a burst of energy. With every movement come a few trendy and purist restaurants, touting the benefits of the latest restriction. Proponents of raw foods, or “living” foods, eat little to no cooked food. Instead, they eat various combinations of raw vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts—all completely unprocessed. This way of life, as many refer to it, is associated with numerous health benefits including increased energy and longevity.

But don’t get too excited about eating raw—especially eating out raw—unless you have plenty of money to spare. Fresh, raw, and live ingredients tend to be the most expensive even though raw food restaurants do not have to pay for stove or oven costs. Students with some extra money and a knack for trying new flavors may want to make the trek down to Quintessence (263 E. 10th Street, between 1st Avenue and Avenue A). This small restaurant is an oasis for the health-conscious with harmonic music, calming decor, and an intimate setting. The bill, though, has much more fat than the low-calorie entrees.

But going raw doesn’t always mean going hungry. Despite the meager portions traditionally associated with raw food dishes, Samuel Draxler, CC ’12, was surprised by the portion sizes when he ate at Pure Food and Wine. “I came in expecting dishes to be small,” said Draxler, “which is why I was caught off-guard when the desserts were unexpectedly substantial.”

Pure Food and Wine (54 Irving Place between 17th and 18th Streets) is another raw foods favorite. Compared to Quintessence, it has a more spacious interior and the added bonus of outdoor seating in nice weather—but expect an even heftier price tag. Pure Food and Wine also has a sister venue right around the corner called Pure Juice and Takeaway (125 E. 17th St, between Irving Place and 3rd Avenue), which offers a few more affordable options, including juice smoothies, various truffles and desserts, and take-home merchandise ranging from hemp powder to “Eat Raw Live Long” t-shirts. Pure Juice and Takeaway’s Goji High smoothie, an antioxidant-fest of Goji berries, blueberries, and Brazil milk, is a textured and invigorating supplement to any seed-based meal. The restaurant’s cheapest dish, the $11 Spicy Thai Lettuce Wrap—featuring the masterfully combined flavors of mango, savoy cabbage, and pea shoots—is a feast for both the inexperienced live food-eaters and seasoned rawists.

For a cheaper raw alternative, the nearby JivamukTea Cafe, located within the Jivamukti Yoga School (841 Broadway at 13th Street, second floor) by Union Square, has a few reasonably priced raw soup options at $4 for a cup and $6 for a bowl. Their Green Soup is a little disconcerting at first, as it is cold, oddly textured, and completely vegetable-based. However, after a few bites, it is clear that one of the main strengths of the raw food movement is its ability to emphasize hidden flavors—in this case, lemon grass. The Red Soup is a little punchier, made primarily of beets with a spicy twist.

Ultimately, though, raw food restaurants all seem to run into the same conundrum: when a restaurant is limited to serving seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, “cooking” becomes an act of simply reassembling the same basic salad. And, when thought about logically, if all one eats all day is fresh fruit and vegetables, are the health benefits derived really a result of the fact that the food is uncooked, or are they just a result of the food quality?