212745 Tue Aug 03 09:45:10 -0700 2004 8 18 Manhattan 0 1132189 After trying to go for lunch (newyorkmetro.com erroneously said they're open for lunch, which they weren't in July), we went early last Friday evening, around 6. The garden seating is lovely, very spacious. They were doing a photo shoot of the food, which was cool b/c we got to see what dishes looked like before we ate them, but too bad b/c it sort of took away from the dining atmosphere and made it a little more workplacey(well, someone else was working). But the food, which is more important, and the service too. They really push drinks on you, and we just had water, which made our server unhappy. I know that often two women get treated less well than they ought and this was only partly the case that night. The bussers were super nice and brought us extra veggies for dipping into a great roasted pepper puree. But our server wasn't pleased that we only ordered a main course and dessert. Yes, I understand...and she couldn't know that I'm a very generous tipper, as long as I'm treated well. The thing was, we looked at all the apps/salads and thought that they weren't really any different from what you could get anywhere--greenmarket salad, Vietnamese style summer rolls, veg sushi rolls, gazpacho... I ordered the lasagne, and my friend the beet ravioli. The lasagne was outstanding! Thinly sliced, dehydrated zucchini, alternating with very juicy and flavorful heirloom tomatoes. The pesto, a green and a red were garlicky and tasty. The "cheese" made of pureed pine nuts was as rich and satisfying as ricotta. I loved this and was impressed and also not hungry after. My friend's ravioli had a similar sort of "cheese" filling, as well as a delicious yellow pepper sauce. We were very pleased by the creativity. The desserts were uneven. Her chocolate pudding was bittersweet and fabulous! My cherry tart was a little leaden, though the cherries themselves were tasty and tangy. The accompanying ice cream had a rather grainy taste--why make fake ice cream when you could simply make sorbet?? The manager (i think) came over to the table after the meal to ask us what we thought of the raw experience. When I asked what the crust was like on the pizza, he brought us over a bit of the crust so we could try it! He's super nice and made us feel very welcome--far more so than our server, who wasn't too friendly at all. I'd suggest that he come over to people before the meal as well! She, our server, could've been nicer, but oh well. I'd go back for that lasagne and the chocolate pudding! I'm curious to try the pizza. As an athlete in training, I need to eat a meal that will not leave me hungry and fuel-less the next day, and I must say the lasagne fit that bill. I think that the other "pasta" dishes would not and are more like salads... Anyone else been? Tue Aug 03 09:45:10 -0700 2004 0 claire 1 1132308 I'm glad to hear that you had a positive experience. Finding others who actually have gone to compare notes with might be tough, though. I live in the neighborhood and often walk by. One night this weekend (cannot remember which), Casa Mono, Bar Jamon, Choshi, 71 Irving, and even Sal Anthonys had crowds. Pure Food and Wine.....empty. I mean completely empty. Not the first time I've noticed this either. I plan to try the place myself soon....Better do it promptly, I guess. Not optimistic that they'll be around very long given what I've seen. Tue Aug 03 16:26:25 -0700 2004 1132189 0 skigirl 2 1132504 well...wait a sec! I think both me and Jane P felt like the service was not too nice. that said, the lasagne is great and the choc pudd, haven't changed my mind on that. But really, the service is not kind at all and definitely dismissive if they fear you wont' order enough to get them a big tip... Wed Aug 04 15:16:21 -0700 2004 1132308 0 claire 1 1132333 I have not tried the restaurant yet - but also live in the neighborhood. The reason you 'think' it is empty is because they have an enormous garden in the back - bigger than the dining room. My husband and I walked in to see it Saturday night and it was packed -on the other hand, if you walk by on a rainy night, the dining room is always full. I am anxious to try it, but am not a big raw food fan. Tue Aug 03 17:31:50 -0700 2004 1132189 0 marc jamison 2 1132335 Good to hear that there are more people out back than I've noticed. Perhaps I've walked by only on clear evenings?? Or, perhaps they should have one of the half dozen servers I saw standing around the other night with nothing to do hold up a sign saying, "Yes! There really ARE people in our restaurant! Look out back!!" ;) In any event, I appreciate the detailed description of the food and will make it there soon, I expect. Tue Aug 03 17:46:15 -0700 2004 1132333 0 skigirl 1 1132334 i dont get this place at all! i bet it last another 6 months. love the idea - but this location?? no way jose. Tue Aug 03 17:45:05 -0700 2004 1132189 0 wh 1 1132379 Call me low-class, but I went there with my younger brother (I'm 19 and he's 17, if that makes any difference) and was slightly disappointed with the food and dismayed by the prices. Yes, I'm on the poor side (i'm a college kid for god's sake), but love good food, and really enjoyed raw food at Quintessence. Thinking Pure Food and Wine would be a step "up" from Quintessence, I took my brother, an eager raw food virgin, there. We were seated in the back garden, which was gorgeous. The server seemed slightly condescending to us though. Yes, we were young, but he acted as if we'd never been to a restaurant so classy before. Ugh. Afraid of the prices, we both ordered just one entree each. I got the much-heralded lasagne, and he got the green curry coconut "noodles". I thought the lasagne was good, very fresh-tasting cos of the heirloom tomatoes, but nothing as mind-blowing as reviews had me believe. My brother enjoyed his noodles, and they were pretty decent, but the portions were nowhere near enough for him. I don't know, I was slightly disappointed (maybe my expectations were too high), and I thought a much better, more filling meal could be had for a lot less at Quintessence. And yes, they do seem to push drinks on you. The server never mentioned plain tap water, so I said I'd have flat water (I hate seltzer), and got an expensive bottle of well, water. We got "tricked" into ordering that, and skipped the wine at the server's disappointment, so we skipped dessert. They didn't seem all that interesting anyway. So all in all, I thought my money could be spent better elsewhere. It just wasn't as tremendously creative as I thought it was going to be. And yes, Quintessence's mission with raw food seems to be a bit different from Pure Food and Wine's, but I think I could have showed my brother a better experience at a less "classy" place. Wed Aug 04 09:58:36 -0700 2004 1132189 0 Jane P. 1 1132659 Went last night-the restaurant was about 1/3 full at 7.30 and remained that way throughout our dinner. We tried almost everything on the menu and while it was not bad, most of the food I found to be overly sweet and similar in flavor. The lasagne that is mentioned was very fresh tasting and good, but I could not help but imagine how great it would be with some real cheese instead of the nut puree. For a vegan with a lot of money (the food is not cheap, over $200 for 4) this is a great option, for us it was like "taking your medicine" Thu Aug 05 11:21:54 -0700 2004 1132189 0 City Chef 2 1132680 My girlfriend and I went last night as well - the inside was not that busy, but we sat in the garden and it was pretty much full when we arrived at 9 and stayed that way until it rained at about 11. I am a vegan and my girlfriend is not. We shared the lasagna (which was amazing) and two appetizers, the lettuce wraps (delicious but a bit spicy) and the tomato tartare (refreshing and clean). For dessert we shared the parfait, which was enough for two, but delicious. While it seemed a couple of our dishes were spicy, nothing other than the dessert seemed sweet. Of course, it may be that I am used to these flavors more, being a vegan, but my girlfriend did not say anything about that. We'd go again, but it is a bit too expensive for us to as often as we'd like. Thu Aug 05 12:51:26 -0700 2004 1132659 0 liz jacobson