30636 Thu Aug 05 03:36:22 -0700 2004 23 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 132549 There's a small article in the Marin Independent Journal saying that Roxanne's--the raw food restaurant in Larkspur--closed yesterday. It says no one could be reached for comment and that Roxanne's to Go, the takeout restaurant next door, remains open. I was really surprised to hear this, based on all the favorable publicity Roxanne's has received. It seems to have closed very suddenly. Does anyone know what happened? Thu Aug 05 03:36:22 -0700 2004 0 SteveB 1 132590 It is true. Look for Roxanne to start a solo venture in Berkeley. Thu Aug 05 15:12:12 -0700 2004 132549 0 nja 2 132592 I spoke to Roxanne. No plans for Berkely. GraceAnn Walden Thu Aug 05 15:26:16 -0700 2004 132590 0 GraceAnn Walden 3 132601 so what's the story? so sad i will never make it there... Thu Aug 05 16:33:33 -0700 2004 132592 0 anti-foodie 4 132603 Despite the reviews, nobody I know who ate there had much good to say about it or any interest in going back. Link: http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~2315850,00.html Thu Aug 05 16:40:52 -0700 2004 132601 0 Robert Lauriston 5 132649 There are many people you do not know. I am one of them. Thu Aug 05 22:35:51 -0700 2004 132603 0 Poot 6 132735 I guess my point was that despite all the great reviews I don't feel like I missed anything since, given my friends' reactions, I'd never have gone there anyway. Fri Aug 06 16:53:03 -0700 2004 132649 0 Robert Lauriston 7 132797 I took my mum there 1.5 years ago when she was visiting me from Engerland. We both took the tasting menu at $100 each + wine. There were about 8 or 10 courses as I recall, some of which had 3 different things. I did like the food but after a few courses it was all very samey. I thought their reliance was too much on fats: nut cheese, avocado and oil in order to make the food taste more like what we expect of a satisfying restaurant meal. By the end of the eating marathon I swear I couldn't ever eat nut cheese again - it is so rich and heavy, although i do like the taste. I think the food needed to be judged taking into consideration its preperation to consider it remarkable. If the same food was presented in a standard restaurant without anyone knowing the difficult path it had taken to get to the plate, I don't think many people would have been that impressed. My mum really enjoyed it - she still talks about to it this day, but more in the manner that she had been to see a freak show, rather than a musical she would keep singing. I am definitely one of the Once was interesting and never again camp. Sat Aug 07 15:51:29 -0700 2004 132735 0 Sixy Beast 5 132652 You can't survive if the drill is "It was a great experience, but I don't think I'll go back." Thu Aug 05 23:21:37 -0700 2004 132603 0 Jim H. 5 132725 I was there once. I wasn't paying the bill (nearly $400 for four of us including wine). Service was excellent, atmosphere wonderful, food was interesting but not great. Add me to the list of "been there once, never wanted to go back." Fri Aug 06 16:14:38 -0700 2004 132603 0 Joel Teller 6 132776 I think yours is a fair assessment - professional service, nice atmosphere in a marin kind of way, interesting food - I did find some dishes more than interesting, however. we got to try virtually the whole menu and were impressed by the scope of it - a very different impression than if we had only ordered a la carte with a few dishes. we were in no way regulars but I am glad we got to try Roxanne's just because there was so much written about it and because it widened by culinary horizons and satisfied my intellectual curiosity at the same time.... there are lots of restaurants that I don't return to - even ones that I enjoyed. Sat Aug 07 01:22:39 -0700 2004 132725 0 gordon wing 3 132619 So did she tell you why they closed? Thu Aug 05 17:52:35 -0700 2004 132592 0 svL 3 133339 Here's GraceAnn's column with the story, says the to-go outlet cannibalized restaurant sales. Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/11/FDG20838DR1.DTL Thu Aug 12 09:14:51 -0700 2004 132592 0 Robert Lauriston 2 132631 I'm not surprised they had trouble balancing the budget (not that I managed to eat there either). The food as described was all incredibly labor intensive, and people tend not to be willing to pay top dollar for vegetarian, no matter how good it tastes. I've wondered how Stoa is doing, as an example of another place where the food requires many hours of preparation. Anyone been lately? Thu Aug 05 19:38:19 -0700 2004 132590 0 Windy 3 132642 They didn't try to balance the budget. They expected to lose money, of which they have (or at least had) plenty, and said if by chance they made a profit they'd donate it to charity. Thu Aug 05 20:44:42 -0700 2004 132631 0 Robert Lauriston 4 132645 I know that was the party line, but it's still only fun to lose money if you do so to great appreciation and acclaim. Thu Aug 05 21:38:57 -0700 2004 132642 0 Windy 1 132605 ....to happily graze in some organic meadow ever after? :o) Thu Aug 05 16:56:06 -0700 2004 132549 0 cook my food, please 1 132647 At least I see that I am not alone. I have thought I Must Try That Place each time I have read about (and what a lot has been written) or driven past Roxanne's. Alas, never got there and now I never will. There is, here in lovely and authentic Fairfax, another place featuring raw foods and at much lower prices. It is called Lydia's Lovin Foods and is run by (who else) Lydia, who has been selling Lydia's Organics in many area groceries and health food stores for some time. Alas, I have never been there either. Yet. Link: http://www.lydiasorganics.com Thu Aug 05 22:15:10 -0700 2004 132549 0 Al@Fairfax 2 132665 Would love to hear more about Lydia's...anyone? Fri Aug 06 01:00:31 -0700 2004 132647 0 Melanie Wong 3 132714 She sells some items at the Saturday Berkeley Farmers market. Fri Aug 06 14:42:36 -0700 2004 132665 0 Gatun 4 132733 I've tried a couple of their samples at the market. Both times I had to spit it out and go find something to take the taste out of my mouth. That's enough of Lydia's loving' for me. Fri Aug 06 16:45:56 -0700 2004 132714 0 Robert Lauriston 1 132655 We went to Roxanne's nine or ten times. We always enjoyed it--out of the ordinary and very good. We don't agree with some of the other negative comments, many of which are from people who never went there or went only once. We will miss it. Thu Aug 05 23:35:19 -0700 2004 132549 0 SteveB 1 132687 I never saw Stevie Ray Vaughn either, damn. I semi-flamed this idea months ago in a Chowhound post. Every non profit restauranteur needs a mega-millionaire in their pocket. When Charlie Trotter got freaky in the kitchen, I thought it was here to stay. Too bad. Back to the struggle of trying to afford the Bay Area as a struggling kitchen worker, but with a little satisfaction that this place was a little too precious for the real world. Fri Aug 06 11:27:22 -0700 2004 132549 0 K. Gerstenberger 1 134191 Rumor in Marin is the Kleins are going to be divorced soon. Wed Sep 08 07:18:42 -0700 2004 132549 0 eric