It's a breezy summer night in Chicago and my friend Lianna and I decide to check out what's un-cooking at one of the cities popular raw food hot spots. The place is called RAW which stands for raising awareness worldwide. Their mission is to make a change the way people eat. Changing taste buds, bodies and minds, one curious customer at a time. RAW is located in the french market which is an indoor marketplace featuring vendors from artisan cheese and bread shops to fresh local produce stands. We quickly find the vibrant green and pink logo and start sampling many of their dishes. One of the first things we loved about the place is the care and attention RAW gives to their customers and the free samples.. and boy did we go overboard on the sampling. :)
Before I rant and rave about how good everything was let me explain some of the ingredients that are behind many of these dishes. First off, RAW uses as much local, fresh and organic produce as they can... and you can really taste the difference in every dish. While most other raw restaurants and cafe's use "raw" cashews, RAW uses the really raw Indonesian, hand cracked type and pay premium prices. The truly raw cashews have an unmistakable creamy soft texture and sweetness that make them worth every penny. Also, many of their nuts, seeds and grains are gently sprouted to activate enzyme activity and make them more digestible. They also use EVOO in many of their dishes which stands for extra virgin olive oil, and HSS which is himalayan crystal salt. I also love the fact that they are using coconut secret products like the coconut aminos (great alternative to soy sauce) and coconut vinegar (supposedly more mineral rich than apple cider).
OK, now let's get eating! The collard salad.. sounds simple, but taste unveils bold flavors of spice and sourness from their home made sauerkraut and crunchy collards. Yes, they make their own sauerkraut and it's dill-icious. The rest of the ingredients are as follows: cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, celery, dill, lime juice, EVOO, HSS, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, jalapeno, herbs and spices. The herbal dressing and the crunchy sunflower/pumpkin seeds made this salad flavorful and enjoyable to eat.
Next we tried the ravioli. First off, the portion was huge. It was thinly sliced turnip hugging smooth ricotta like herb cheese. The cheese was made from truly raw cashews, lemon juice, EVOO, HSS and herbs. There was a sun-dried tomato and herbal sauce which were divine atop the ravioli. I was really pleased with the dish and it didn't sit in my tummy like other ravioli I tried in the past.
The lasagna was beautiful. Layers of thinly julienne slices of zucchini with creamy cashew cheese, pleasant amount of herbal pesto and a nice thick layer of tomato sauce. Every layer in this lasagna was perfectly seasoned and every bite was bursting with flavor. There were notes of garlic, some black pepper, and a mixture of other Italian herbs. Well done.
