This past weekend I visited a new Main St. eatery, Euphoria loves RAWvolution, the brainchild of Matt Amsden and his wife Janabai. It was a curious fusion of part cafe, part health market and part theistic testament to Mother Earth. The raison d’etre of this establishment is raw nutrition, Eco awareness and surprise surprise…taste!
Yes, so often when nutrition and health are of paramount concern in regard to foodstuff, the end result can be a complete lack of taste bud vivification, but that was not the case with this demure but intriguing temple of natural living. All of the ingredients are raw and natural, and retain the vitality that baking, boiling, sautéing and grilling often eliminate.
I arrived at lunchtime Sunday, and easily fell into a mild state of Zen/Krishna spiritual serenity prompted in part by the dream world decor and calming quality of the sonic tones gently emanating from the sound system.
My options were clearly presented in a sign above the counter, with details available in the almost missed menus hidden behind “something” to the left of the counter. I chose the lunch combo with two sides ($11.99-14.99). This gave me a choice of a number of raw food variations on familiar themes including Pizza Italiano (onion crust topped with seed cheese, heirloom tomato marinara, Italian olives, fresh oregano, basil, onions and red peppers); Veggie cakes and dill sauce (crunchy sunflower croquettes with a side of creamy dill sauce); and a BBQ Chicken sandwich (breaded mock chicken burger, topped with seed cheese, onions, tomatoes and lettuce on two slices of onion bread).
I placed my bet on the BBQ chicken sandwich and chose mashed potatoes and a taco salad for the sides. The mashed potatoes looked just how mashed potatoes should, however there was no spud in sight here as it turned out to be a delightful puree of cauliflower and cashew nuts. The taco salad was very, very good and was a concoction of tomato, walnut, onion, scallions and sunflower seeds with a touch of cayenne pepper for the zing. The chicken sandwich was wholly satisfying and tasty and the onion bread was a pleasurable taste-texture experience for me.
My choice of beverage was Kombucha tea, an amazing brew that is made by fermenting common black tea and white sugar using a special Kombucha colony. It has a reputation for being very good for your health and is similar in taste to a ginger apple cider.
All in all I think that Matt and Janabai are onto something quite special here and as I was walking back to my car a certain lyric came to my mind that summed up the experience for me: “Through the hustle-bustle and the push and shove…did I stumble upon…the food of love?”
RAWvolution, 2301 Main St., 310-392-9501, www.rawvolution.com.
