Karyn's Fresh Corner

[WannaBraw]

Has anyone ever eaten at Karyn's Fresh Corner in Chicago?? Thinking of driving there from Detroit with some friends. Is it worth it or should we just go to the raw spots in New York?


WILL DRIVE FOR FOOD! :D


Ellyn

[tanishamarshall]

I love Karyn's I wrote a review in the restaurant review section. Now I have to say once I had a dish there it was ok and then next time it was really good, but for the most part my husband and I love Karyn's food.

[justinesmith]

We liked it too.... my ravioli dish was wonderful, dh's "burger", not so much. I picked up some items from her deli for the next day and the "meatloaf" was REALLY good. :D

[kmik]

It seems to be hit or miss with her. Some folks really love her stuff, some think it's awful, but all agree it's terribly expensive.

A better option IMO is CHICAGO DINER! It's actually right down Halsted from Karyn's, and while it's a vegetarian restaurant, they have daily raw specials. The most amazing food I've ever eaten is their RAW NACHOS!!! OMG, I would SO do countless unscrupulous things for those nachos, if need be. Wednesday, I believe, is nacho day. And, while were on the subject of food BTS (better than s*x) their chocolate "cheese" cake is the smoothest, creamiest... imagine your response like Goldie Hawn in the restaurant.

If you have enough time in Chicago, I'd go to both places, and maybe even stop by Cousin's Incredible Vitality, which has a raw buffet (in addition to a full raw menu), kind of mediteranian inspired items, and much more reasonably priced than the other two.

[justinesmith]

I agree with Krista's response as far as hit or miss.... it was difficult for us because nobody working there spoke very good english and didn't seem to care much ~ with raw, the amount of love that goes into a meal can make or break it IMHO. We weren't feeling the love.....

[WannaBraw]

Thank you all for the replies. I looked up Chicago diner and Cousin's Incredible Vitality.

I can't wait to go.

Thanks for the suggestion.



Ellyn

[TeaganBlue]

I have eaten there and overall I liked the food. There are lots of options and you are bound to like something on the menu. I have also met Karyn and her spirit is a positive one. I think that is reflected in her business. The staff is helpful and accommodating.

Give it a try.

[Smileen]

There is a new raw food restaurant in Downers Grove, IL called Borrowed Earth Cafe. I have not been there yet, but a wonderful friend of mine gave me a Borrowed Earth gift certificate for Christmas so I can't wait!

[tanishamarshall]

Wow thanks for the update, I can't wait to try out this place.

[lavendarJ]

Thanks for sharing; the next time I'm in chicago I will definitely try this out...

[queenfluff]

My bf and I got some stuff from Borrowed Earth on Xmas Eve because he were near there so he picked up some food.

I hate to say this but I wasn't impressed. I think maybe because the place is new, hopefully they will improve with time but most of the stuff I got was what I call "filler greens". Like when a restaurant will give you a small portion of the actual dish and than fill up the rest of the plate with lettuce to make the plate look full.

We took our stuff to go but I ordered the tacoes and theywere about the length and width of my fingers (and I have small hands). I would say there was about a teaspoon of filling in each one. The rest of the "entree" was a bunch of chopped up greens in different mixes - this cost 15$.

We also got the Cheese wrap which was a collard green (a kind of large one) with about 1 tablespoon worth of filling in it.

I guess what I am saying is that if I wanted mostly greens - I would have ordered a salad. The ingredients that should made up the meal were very scarce.

Like for the tacoes I was looking forward to tasting their raw sour creme since I make one myself - I honestly couldn't even find it in the filling in the tacoes. That is how skimpy the filling was.

The Out of this World cheescake ( I think that was what it was called) didn't taste like raw cheesecake at all - it was like raw carrot cake. So, if you are wanting a cheesecake, don't order that. If want a raw carrotcake, order it.

The only thing I liked that I got was the Cheese Pierogies. The filling was quite tasting and they were a little more generous with that filling than they were for the other dishes we ordered.

I wanted the Rainbow desert but they didn't have any ready.

Does anyone know if the people who make the food are certified raw chefs? Because honestly, it didn't seem like it.

It wasn't that the food tasted bad but I guess the case is that I honestly couldn't even tell you if I really like it (except the pierogies) because I hardly got to taste it because it was so skimpy. I guess I just felt like I was gypped out of what I REALLY want to have which was raw tacos and a wrap NOT a bunch of different salads. They should call the tacos bite-size tacos or put them as an appetizer and not an entree.

Anyhow, that was my experience. I really hope the place gets better though.

[tanishamarshall]

Wow, thanks for the review.

[earth_sista]

Karyn's is great! Pricey, but super yummy and worth the splurge. Try the hemp icecream and the lasagna :) I've never been to Cousin's, but I've heard great things about it: http://www.cousinsiv.com/live_eatery.htm

[vegangelist]

nachos maybe but have you had Chicago Diner's raw cheesecake? it makes me faint just thinking about it. :)

[vegangelist]

to get the most bang for your buck at Karyn's i would suggest going to the sunday brunch. it is all you can eat (i dare you to eat one of everything!) for 25 bucks. yummy, yummy, yummy.

[jorjeni]

My bf and I got some stuff from Borrowed Earth on Xmas Eve because he were near there so he picked up some food.

I hate to say this but I wasn't impressed. I think maybe because the place is new, hopefully they will improve with time but most of the stuff I got was what I call "filler greens". Like when a restaurant will give you a small portion of the actual dish and than fill up the rest of the plate with lettuce to make the plate look full.

We took our stuff to go but I ordered the tacoes and theywere about the length and width of my fingers (and I have small hands). I would say there was about a teaspoon of filling in each one. The rest of the "entree" was a bunch of chopped up greens in different mixes - this cost 15$.

We also got the Cheese wrap which was a collard green (a kind of large one) with about 1 tablespoon worth of filling in it.

I guess what I am saying is that if I wanted mostly greens - I would have ordered a salad. The ingredients that should made up the meal were very scarce.

Like for the tacoes I was looking forward to tasting their raw sour creme since I make one myself - I honestly couldn't even find it in the filling in the tacoes. That is how skimpy the filling was.

The Out of this World cheescake ( I think that was what it was called) didn't taste like raw cheesecake at all - it was like raw carrot cake. So, if you are wanting a cheesecake, don't order that. If want a raw carrotcake, order it.

The only thing I liked that I got was the Cheese Pierogies. The filling was quite tasting and they were a little more generous with that filling than they were for the other dishes we ordered.

I wanted the Rainbow desert but they didn't have any ready.

Does anyone know if the people who make the food are certified raw chefs? Because honestly, it didn't seem like it.

It wasn't that the food tasted bad but I guess the case is that I honestly couldn't even tell you if I really like it (except the pierogies) because I hardly got to taste it because it was so skimpy. I guess I just felt like I was gypped out of what I REALLY want to have which was raw tacos and a wrap NOT a bunch of different salads. They should call the tacos bite-size tacos or put them as an appetizer and not an entree.

Anyhow, that was my experience. I really hope the place gets better though.


Wow!!! I was expecting more from them. I went to there potluck in November and they had their Chief there and the samples he made were good. I liked everything that I ate that came from him. Others brought food also.

I am planning on going there next Friday. I was gonna get the taco's now I think I will try something else. LOL!!!

[Lavendula]

I have only been to Karyn's once. Go hungry, order the big salad, the regular one for two was tooooo small, but a really good salad, the raw ceasar dressing was great, my not raw husband loved it. The sauces are quite filling, and delicious, you do need the salad to balance it. I want to do the brunch, but go early, we were too late to be seated, and had to wait for dinner. Borrowed Earth: the owners are great people, I believe the chef is certified, but just assuming. I have been to two potlucks, and would be going tomorrow but it is full. I know the owners make awesome food themselves, so don't know why the first offerings were such a disapointment to you. It is such a sweet location, and we need more raw food eateries, so I hope everyone will support it, and give it a try. Have yet to go myself, when it is open for business. I'll let them know about the reviews.