LA Raw?

[simple berry]

Got a trip coming up! Question for all y'all in the LA area... what's your favorite live food restaurant and why?

[sachis2112]

I enjoyed Juliano's but VERY expensive and VERY poor food combining. If you're new to raw, it should be OK just for fun.

I VERY much enjoyed Taste of the Goddess. It's a cute, little hole-in-the-wall and they have the greatest smoothies. Also, the carob cookies are wonderful and they have raw and almost-raw icecreams.

[city]

any suggestions for just south of LA - Laguna, huntington beaches?

[Revvell]

I like Taste of the Goddess (closer, cute, nice folk ~ food is good too) and Leaf Cuisine ~ fairly extensive menu. Juliano's too me was "wrong" somehow. Fell asleep before getting back on the freeway. Good place to go to to say you've been there though. Famous people hang out there a bit.

Down South is Au Lac and Mood Food Cafe or some such. RT knows that area better than I. Au Lac is not all raw yet has a good raw menu. Went there once ~ food was quite good.

:cool:

[simple berry]

Juliano's is a good restaurant just for fun, exactly sachis :)

at least once i'm going on a dinner date with a non-raw eater, so... nothing gimmicky, casual is fine, but amazing food in a warm atmosphere.

another night i'll take my non-raw-eating parents and, well, i just want them to love it. au lac, perhaps? is it organic, revell?

and i'll go out on my own for lunch at least once or twice. taste of the goddess sounds good for that, close to my own liking :)

looking forward to the treat of being served for a change. ahhh.

[Revvell]

http://www.aulac.com/
:cool:

[evergreen]

Au Lac is by far my fave raw food restaurant. Though they're not all raw (they serve cooked vegan as well) they've got a HUGE raw foods menu (last time I checked, they hadn't updated their website, so you won't see their current raw foods lineup online). They're near Huntington Beach, which is about an hour's drive from where I live (in the Hollywood area), but it's well worth the journey.

I also like Leaf Cuisine in Culver City (www.leafcuisine.com). Great, affordable food that's not overly complicated.

Have a good time in L.A.!

-Evergreen

[RawTruth]

Just got back from a late dinner at Au Lac, actually, so I guess I'll join this discussion. I live 11 minutes from Au Lac, 17 minutes from Good Mood Food Cafe, and 34 minutes from Leaf Cuisine. Why do I know this? Well, in addition to knowing how to navigate the freeways, I've been fortunate lately to have a raw friend who treats me if I drive as she prefers not to, and, so I've been dining out quite a bit over the last month -- many trips to all of these restaurants.

Au Lac in Fountain Valley is by far the most unusual, most inventive, and has the most wonderful Chef Ito as the true attraction there. It is a vegan Vietnamese restaurant -- always packed -- and has a cooked food menu and a raw food menu. It's a favorite of many people. David Wolfe was there Friday night, many of his people frequently drive up from SD to eat there, Alissa has said that she loves it, and I've met many regulars there. The website shows only the location, not the menu since it's being renovated, and new items are added all the time. A great thing to do is make sure Chef Ito will be there when you go and ask him what you should have -- or just ask him to make you whatever he wants. Bear in mind that the dishes are meant to be shared -- Chinese restaurant style -- so, if each person orders a separate item, you will have enough food to feed several tables!! I'd tell you the names of some of the dishes but that wouldn't give you any hint of what they are. Oh well, except for things like the salmon rolls that I had tonight (raw, not fish, of course) and tasted soooo much like real sushi, I couldn't believe it. Sunday night I had White Risotto, a great salad, spring rolls, and more. There's a soft taco that is made with lettuce as the shell, though I get it with cabbage leaves. Many Vietnamese items. Check out the thread in the Announcements section that has photos when several of us went in April. Oh -- Fabulous desserts - Chocolate Exstasy is especially yummy. Oh, it's open till 9 p.m., but there's usually several raw foodists hanging around after that, especially on weekend nights.

Good Mood Food Cafe in Huntington Beach has been recently redecorated and looks really nice inside. It has Valya Boutenko's artwork on the walls, which is cool. Ursula serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has an extensive menu. Some items are better than others, in my opinion. You can't go wrong with her luscious salad or the nutburger. The crostini is flavorful -- olive tapenade on thick flax/nut crackers. I suggest the sampler plate, though, as you get a little bit of her better items. If she has durian pie and you're wanting to try durian, definitely order it. I'd pass on the other desserts, though, as they're very nut-heavy and most all taste the same. She also now offers some cooked items and has always offered bagels and bread for the nutburger in addition to the "cornbread" cracker. She's open till 9 p.m. also. www.goodfoodfood.com

Leaf Cuisine is a special treat. It's a very busy place with a delightfully fresh menu. The centerpiece is a wide selection of wraps (collard) that can also be served as a salad. They are humungous -- easily shared by two people -- and a true bargain as far as raw restaurants go. I always get a to-go box first thing and immediately put half of the wrap in it since I know it'll be too much to eat then ... or half of the salad, which is even more food than the wrap. I like the Mediterranean Medley and the Bedouin Burrito and the Guac Salad. One has sundried tomato hummus, the other lentil croquettes and the third has a huge scoop of guacamole in addition to tons of greens, sprouts, tomatoes, etc. and delicious dressings. Matt also offers raw nori rolls, cole slaw, hummus & chips, soups, smoothies, and scrumptious desserts including the best raw brownie I've ever tasted. The only completely raw of the three I've mentioned. Open till 9 p.m. -- sometimes a closing time rush. www.leafcuisine.net

Hungry yet?

Oops, I didn't answer your question! My favorite is really a tie between Au Lac and Leaf Cuisine. It depends on what I'm in the mood for. I think you should go to both!

By the way, there are no raw restaurants in Laguna Beach, nor in northern San Diego County.