Article: Northern California Restaurants serving raw food

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Restaurants serving raw food in Northern California

By Aleta Watson

Mercury News

 

 

These are some of the better known or new raw food restaurants in

Northern California.

 

418 Organic Cafe

 

Located in the lobby of a dance performance hall opposite the

downtown bus station, this 25-seat cafe serves an all-raw menu in a

hip, theatrical setting with rose color-washed walls.

 

``Live'' pizza on a crust of sprouted and dehydrated sunflower and

flax seeds ($7) is one of the most popular dishes, along with Mom's

mock tuna made with sprouted almonds ($7). House blood -- green

apple, ginger and beet juice -- is the signature drink.

 

418 Front St., Santa Cruz, (831) 425-LIVE. Hours 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. most

Saturdays.

 

Café Gratitude

 

Deadheads would feel right at home at this funky, cheerful new place

with five tables and a bar in the heart of the Mission district. The

coffee and chai are hot, but the menu focuses on raw food, from a

young coconut, apple and macadamia nut porridge ($7) at breakfast to

the frozen desserts made from nut milks that you hand crank at the

table ($4). Organic beer and wine are available.

 

2400 Harrison St., at 20th, San Francisco. (415) 824-4652. Open 7

a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sundays.

 

Café Muse

 

For years, University of California-Berkeley Art Museum visitors have

enjoyed organic salads and sandwiches in this pleasant setting on the

edge of a sculpture garden. Last fall, the quick service cafe -- 34

seats inside and about 20 outside -- switched half its menu to raw

dishes. You can still get a sandwich, but more and more people are

opting for raw vegetable lasagna ($5.95) or a raw vegetable sushi

with miso dipping sauce ($5.95).

 

2625 Durant Ave., near College. (510) 548-4366. Open 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

daily, till 7 p.m. Thursdays.

 

Lombard Coffee Shop

 

Outside, Lombard appears to be an old-fashioned coffee shop. Inside,

it's a New Age veggie cafe with 22 seats, bright green wainscoting,

sculptural ceiling lamps and a menu mixing uncooked dishes with hot

Asian soups and noodles. Prices are lower than usual for

labor-intensive raw food. Four little pizzas made with crisp,

dehydrated veggie crackers, cashew cheese, tomato, basil and a salad

of baby greens on the side are $3.95.

 

1972 Lombard St., near Webster, San Francisco. (415) 923-1052. Open

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Fridays-Sundays.

 

Lydia's Lovin' Foods

 

A pioneer in Marin's raw foods community, Lydia Kindheart opened her

new vegetarian restaurant with a half-raw, half-cooked menu in

Fairfax last month. The 48-seat family-oriented cafe uses only

organic ingredients, and most dishes are vegan. Raw items range from

dehydrated no-grain cereal with almond or rice milk ($5) at breakfast

to ``live lasagna'' layered with zucchini noodles ($6.50) at dinner.

 

31 Bolinas Road, near Mono, Fairfax. (415) 258-9678. Open 8 a.m.-10

p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Sundays

 

Roxanne's

 

Understated, elegant decor and beautiful food with intense flavors

have made this restaurant a destination for diners who want to try an

intriguing new cuisine. The atmosphere is a bit reverent, and the

enthusiastic staff gushes over the food, but Chef Roxanne Klein

delivers some unimaginably good dishes. You can almost overlook the

fact that the soup is only tepid or the texture of a tamale is not

quite right when the complex, layered flavors blossom on your palate.

Desserts, though, often suffer from the absence of butter and cream.

Prices -- four courses for $52 -- are on a par with other top

restaurants.

 

320 Magnolia Ave., near King, Larkspur. (415) 924-5004. Open 5:30-10

p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.