silverlake

Foods can have medicinal properties. Alkaline foods (most raw vegetables) can reduce inflammation, so when my vegan friends suggested we eat at a raw restaurant, I said yes. We ate at Jade Cafe, an organic vegan raw restaurant in the hip Silverlake area of LA. The cuisine there is fusion, with a heavy Thai, Italian, and Moroccan influence. When they say raw, they mean raw. Nothing is cooked. Sounds simple, but I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that. The chips and bread were dehydrated, not baked or fried. No sugar is used. Instead, agave, a vegan sweetener, is used in the chocolate and drinks. Some vegan raw chefs don't even use soy. Still confused, I asked, "so, my dish comes with noodles. aren't the noodles going to be cooked?" "Uh, they're not the noodles you're used to having. It's probably a vegetable made to be stringy." This place really opened my eyes. Raw foods can be delicious and filling. Bonus: great excuse to have dessert ... it's good for you! But all that chewing gave me a headache (the temporalis is one of the four muscles of mastication and can be painful when tight or knotted). My friend suggested I start with blended foods--foods that are mashed and mixed and require less chewing :P.


dehydrated potatoes, beets, and other veggies


the smallest spring rolls i've ever had


portobello cheese pizza and tomato pesto pizza with a side of greens. when nothing is cooked, it's all about the sauce. i found the pesto overpowering, but the sesame dressing in my Raw Wok subtle and savory.


noodles made of daikon radishes


dismantled dessert--hibiscus infused pear with vanilla gelato drizzled in chocolate sauce and pistachios. the chocolate is made with ground up cacao beans, agave, and coconut butter