238756 Mon Sep 30 17:05:41 -0700 2002 6 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1266216 Ever heard of the "raw-food" movement? It's based on the theory that the "Standard American Diet"--known, pointedly, as SAD--is slowly killing us by cooking away the healthful enzymes in food. (Forget, for a second, that most cultures apply heat to food.) At any rate, raw foods has caught on among super models and other trend setters, and we now have a restaurant devoted to it in little ol' Prospect Heights, on Vanderbilt near St. Marks Place. (The name escapes me.) This small shop-front place is dominated by its kitchen, which takes up two-thirds or more of the space. (The rest is devoted to a couple of tables and a service counter.) When I went on a recent Sunday afternoon, the place was abuzz with four of five cooks cutting, shredding, slicing, dicing mixing, and doing just about everything you can imagine to food save for cooking it. They were very serious--not grim, but quite focused. Most ingredients are organic, and look very fresh. I ordered falafal from the menu and the nori-roll special. The falafal was--I think--made of fermented chickpeas, crushed and mixed with parsley, etc. Three balls arrive over a bed of sprouts and mixed greens, doused with a tahini sauce. Was it good? Well, sort of. First of all, it lacked bread, because it's exceedingly hard to create the "staff of life" without cooking grains. The falafal itself has a bit of a dry texture, but it tasted pleasantly of garlic and parsley. It's not as good as the real article, but not bad either. The nori roll was more successful. I can't remember the roster of fruits and veggies it included--avocado and mango both figured--but the flavors melded well. I also had a glass of the melon/lemon juice--which was delicious and refreshing, and worth the $3 price tag. I have to admit that I felt very good and refreshed after eating this food--energized, even. Verdict: These are serious people rigorously working through a theory that probably contains a grain--raw, no doubt--of truth. I'll happily eat here when I'm feeling SAD from too much heavy food. (I don't think, however, it would do the trick for a hangover.) Note: While you're waiting, have a look at the raw-foods zine sitting on the counter. It's called "Eat an Apple." It's so zealous that even this restaurant falls short of its rigor; for example, it denounces the practice of juicing. Mon Sep 30 17:05:41 -0700 2002 0 Tom Philpott 1 1266221 The real buzz on this raw food thing is about a restaurant outside of SF called Roxanne--owned by Roxanne Klein and her mega-millioniare husband. I hear all profits go to charity and this place has developed a cult-like status (in California?what a surprise). Restaurant critics--even the serious ones--have had good things to say (OK, some not-so-good things, too). I've read a few reviews of the place and it's not my cup of tea (mostly because I like all my food hot--except salads) but it seems to be the latest and greatest food fad since Julia Child whipped up Steak Diane tableside. Mon Sep 30 17:52:25 -0700 2002 1266216 0 micki 2 1266235 i remember seeing a quick mention of raw foods on foodtv's "extreme cuisine" a year or two ago. don't know if they mentioned that restaurant...i remember a guy with long blond hair being the featured cook. thought it sounded SO california. then a couple weeks ago on my first day of pottery class, one of the other students introduced herself as a "raw foods chef." sigh. she got a whoooole lotta questions from people who were just boggled at the very idea! Mon Sep 30 23:23:45 -0700 2002 1266221 0 Nancy 3 1266257 It might sound "SO California," but it's not exactly new in NYC. Quintessence has been open in Manhattan for some time (no, I've never been there), and keeps expanding. Link: http://www.quintessencerestaurant.com/ Tue Oct 01 13:37:30 -0700 2002 1266235 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 1266229 I really love raw food of all kinds (meat and fish included) but this raw food fad just seems so bogus to me. It looks to me like another of the latest and greatest movements that everyone has to join whether they really believe in it or not - sort of like the Atkins/no carb deal or "The Zone". I'm not doubting that the restaurant would be an experience but these food fads really get on my nerves. Mon Sep 30 19:11:49 -0700 2002 1266216 0 christina z 1 1266273 Two warning signs from Tom's review: (1) It's a trend with supermodels. Not exactly much of a recommendation for a chowhound is it? I don't know any models, super or otherwise, but from what I've read (the Times) the only item you can count on them to consume is tobacco. I have to admit here that I loathe the common practice of assuming something (a restaurant, a way of eating, a hotel, a spa, a store) is particularly worthwhile because it is popular with people whose only qualification to judge something is that they are celebrities. (2) The claim that there is something wrong with the so-called standard American diet (talk about painting with a broad brush) because cooking destroys plant enzymes is not particularly cogent (and I realize Tom Philpott was jst repeating, not making, this argument), as if plants evolve specific enzymes to benefit us, rather than themselves. Warning, don't let any raw foods chef talk you into eating tomato leaves. They're full of plant enzymes that won't have been destroyed. They're also deadly. Tue Oct 01 22:56:37 -0700 2002 1266216 0 Timowitz 2 1266291 I should have clarified--despite the trendiness surrounding raw food, this place doesn't have a trendy vibe at all. I've never seen a supermodel in Prospect Heights, much less here. (No disrespect to my supermodel sisters.) The place has a West Indian feel to it, which fits right in to the neighborhood. Wed Oct 02 14:02:28 -0700 2002 1266273 0 Tom Philpott