Chicago, IL - Raw Restaurant Review

[tanishamarshall]

Hi all,

My husband and I went to Chicago last weekend and had the opportunity to try out the local Raw Restaurants. We went to Cousin IV - www.cousiniv.com and Karyn's http://www.karynraw.com/

These restaurants had very different taste and were unique in their own way.

Cousin IV - Review

Cousin IV was decent, but the taste or seasonings did not appeal all that much to me, I cannot say the food was nasty because it was not all that bad, I did enjoy the pizza, but the Flex crackers were a little bit strong for me. I am new to being Raw so I'm still getting use to the different taste.

Here are the dishes we tried.

Thin Crust Mini Flax Pizza
Spinach Fritata - Which was good but even better when we put it on their Flex Crackers
Nut Tuna Wrap - I have to say this one was good as well
Dolma - We did not care too much for this dish but I believe it was the grape leaves that we did not like

Over all we had a good experience at Cousin IV's


Karyn’s Review

When we walked in Karyn’s we felt like we were in a elegant and upscale restaurant. The tables were setup as if we were out having a romantic dinner. We loved the feel of Karyn’s restaurant, just walking in gave us the confidence that the food would be great.

Upon entering we were told we could sit wherever we desired except there were a few reserved tables that we could not sit at.

We then looked over the menu and everything sound so delicious.

We ordered the following:
Basil Scented Ravioli with a Macadamia Whipped Crème Dressed with a Sun-Dried Tomato Puree
We had some kind of stuffed mushroom dish, I cannot remember the name it was an appetizer

In addition, my husband had a burger from there it was so good, it had raw mayo, ketchup, and mustard on there and he just loved it.

We also had the following dessert:
Pecan Square and Mango Ice Cream

The food was really really good, we enjoyed it so much, and I know we will be back at Karyn’s restaurant again.

Karyn also have a large section where you can purchase products that are hard to find outside of the Raw community, and she offers prepackaged Raw dishes and a variety of books.

I hope this review helps.

[tinystrawberry]

mmm everything sounds soo good.
next time you go, take pictures :) !! heh
i'm glad you guys enjoyed it

[GoingtoRAW]

Docsharp, I live in Chicago and I love, love, love Karyn's!:p :D Her food is delicious and I love her cakes, pies and ice-cream!! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I haven't tried Cousin IV. Are they expensive?:o

[GoingtoRAW]

Docsharp, I live in Chicago and I love, love, love Karyn's!:p :D Her food is delicious and I love her cakes, pies and ice-cream!! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I haven't tried Cousin IV. Are they expensive?:o

Oh yeah...did you see Karyn when you were in the store? She is 60 or 61 years old and she looks 20 years younger. Tall, thin and beautiful and loaded with energy. She has a hard time sitting still!:D

[tanishamarshall]

No I didn't get a chance to see Karen but from the pictures she does look young. Her food is so good.

Cousin IV is I think less expensive then Karyn's but you also get less food, the burger my husband ordered was very small compared to the large burger he got from Karyn's restaurant.

[hmmm]

Thank you thank you thank you for this review! I was contemplating over which raw restaurant to visit and now I've made my choice thanks to your help! :)

Though I did have a few questions, what is the average cost of a meal at Karyn's? $12-$14 ? Or am I way off? Also, is it a REALLY upscale restaurant? To the point where I have to dress up? Sorry it's been so long since I've actually eaten at a sit-down restaurant (esp since all I can eat at most usual restaurants are salad!).

Thanks again for your help!

[tanishamarshall]

I would say the price range is 8-24 something like that.

No you don't hav eto dress up, we didn't. I hope you enjoy the food.

[Smileen]

I heard there is a new raw food restaurant opening next month in Downer's Grove (a Chicago suburb)

[tanishamarshall]

Hmm I'll have to check that out. Raw is becoming popular..

[Lavendula]

We are excited about the new raw food place coming soon to our area.
The location is very special, can't wait to be a patron. You will love the owners. I think you can check ot the progress at this link.

http://wholefood.meetup.com/82/photos/?photoAlbumId=238418&photoId=2409121

[tanishamarshall]

Thanks for the info, I'll check it out.. I'm glad I think that might be a little closer to me but still probably 1.5 hours away, maybe more.

[Glow Worm]

http://www.cousinsiv.com/Index.htm

Cousin's is hands down my favorite restaurant and it's worth the five hour drive from my hometown. They offer a lunch special for $8 all you can eat raw buffet! It's incredible, with over 10 dishes to choose from. I've been 3 times in the past 5 months and never left hungry, but oddly enough, did not feel heavy. Mehmet the chef is super friendly and focuses on the flavors of the food instead of using heavy ingredients or a lot of spice to make up empty tastes. I had the most unbelievable raw hummus, falafel, pastas, and thai dishes there. Oh, and it's all organic. I think if you're into the raw tastes, you would enjoy Cousin's. The dolmas were actually very good in my opinion. Cousin's also has a smoothie and juice bar.


http://www.karynraw.com/pgs/kfc_m.html

As for Karyn's, yes, the restaurant has an upscale feel with the white table cloths and fancy plates, but I feel her restaurant is reaching for a different crowd. If you are SAD and want to get introduced to raw foods, this is the place for you. She makes raw food look like SAD food. Her dishes are impressive, but they are super heavy and dense (a lot of nuts, different kinds all mixed together). To tastebuds that are use to eating a SAD with lots of fats and sugars, the menu flavors will be more appealing. But to someone who is 100% raw and does not like complicated dishes, I was left with a stomachache and a lot of pooping that night.

[tanishamarshall]

I agree that Karyn's food is heavy and I'm glad it does appeal to SAD eaters because we need places like this as there are more SAD eaters then Raw Eaters.

I did leave karyn's a couple weeks ago and felt I didn't need anything else to eat for a week but it was very tasty.

Cousins is a bit more simple and I do agree cater more to someone who has been raw for a while. My first visit to Cousins I was new to raw so it was a little to simple for me, but now I can appreciate it.

Tanisha