Saturday, December 4, 2010

Pure Food Baby, Part II

Last night, I went to dinner at Pure Food and Wine with my parents and Mike. I think the three of them (especially Mike and my dad) were a bit apprehensive about consuming an entirely uncooked meal!


My parents were a bit late to arrive, so as soon as they got there I placed an order for the Dr. Cow tree nut cheese plate.


I forget exactly what each description was, but I know the orange one was a tomato + something spicy (cayenne, maybe?), the middle one was infused with oregano, and the last was rimmed in black pepper.

My parents also split a cauliflower risotto first course, which I tried a bite of.


Since everyone was a bit confused about the menu, I tried to help them decide as best I could!

At my insistence, my dad got the zucchini, local roma and heirloom tomato lasagna with basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara and macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta. He loves zucchini and tomatoes, so I thought this would be perfect for him.


My mom chose the spanikopita with spinach, almond feta and cucumber yogurt, served with cauliflower and white grapes:


And Mike selected the three pizzettes in the style of southern Italy, with almond and rosemary crust topped with spinach pesto and arugula, a margherita topping and a kalamata-crimini.


Meanwhile, I got the S&M salad, which came absolutely loaded with dulse. It was absolutely awesome, as expected.


When our food came out, I joked that the person who needed the most food (Mike) actually god the least. He's open to vegan foods, but he's not used to such dainty portions!

I'd promised everyone that dessert was mouthwatering, so we each ordered something.

Giuditta chose the salted caramel tart with pecan caramel, dark chocolate ganache, maldon sea salt and vanilla cream.


Dr. Dad went with the apple tarte tatin, with apple cide caramel, horchata ice cream and maple candy.


And Mike and I got the piece de resistance, the mint-chocolate sundae. Best thing on the entire menu, in my opinion!


It's my third time ordering this dessert, and I still can't believe it's raw. It ties with Candle 79's chocolate peanut butter bomb as my all-time favorite dessert! I cleaned my glass.


I must say that this was probably my parents and Mike's least favorite vegan dining endeavor :( While they all enjoyed the taste and gorgeous presentation of their dishes (and especially their desserts), I think the temperature and portion sizes threw them. Obviously, raw food is never served hot, and since it's so nutrient-dense, the portions are rather small compared to most pricey restaurants. It's a very different kind of cuisine, and though I love it, I understand that it's not for everyone. They seemed to appreciate it for what it's worth, so I'm glad they all agreed to give it a go.

Today's agenda: hanging out with mom and dad and dinner in the Bronx this evening! Happy Saturday!

What's the most different or unusual food or meal you've ever had?

17 comments:

Matt said...

Pure Food is AWESOME. I've had that lasagna and I love it ;)

movesnmunchies said...

hhahah i know what you mean! i told my parents that i want to go to a vegan and raw restaurant for my bday- they aren't too into it.. but its my bday so they're going to go!! We're going next weekend- i hope it turns out okay!

Amanda (Eating Up) said...

I've had the pizettes (and like them), but I know they're kind of weird to people who are expecting something more pizza-like. It's nice that your parents and bf were willing to go! My dad and brother wouldn't touch Pure with a 25 foot pool. Luckily, I have my sister!

Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) said...

Haha I've had a similar experience! I took my parents to a raw vegan restaurant for my birthday a while back, and while I loved it, and knew what to expect, the small meals full of ingredients they'd never heard of really threw them! :P

Susan said...

Hmm, I'm a pretty adventurous eater but I don't know if raw food sounds like my cup of joe. I think it's great that you have an open fam and boyfriend who are willing to try new foods though! Not all experiences are perfect, but its having those experiences that count, right?

Have a great weekend girl!

lisaathome said...

Portion size is always an issue with my boyfriend and I. For example, we hardly ever go out for sushi because it doesn't fill him up.

This restaurant looks perfect for a night out with foodie friends :)

From Here to There. In Purple. said...

wow, this looks so amazing. i would have LOVED to have taken your mom, dad or mikes spot! hehe.

i make it a point to try anything (within my vegetarian boundaries). however, back in my meat consuming days, I tried frog legs. what an experience that was.

Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said...

Haha...yeah, I could see my parents being a little less enthusiastic about that too. But I think it looks awesome! I've been wanting to try those Dr. Cow cheeses-- I hear such great things!

cleaneatingchelsey.com said...

looks great!!

pretendcook said...

I have never tried raw food before, but this restaurant makes me want to. Those desserts look absolutely amazing!

elise said...

kyle had the same issue with pure food & wine. i love the place, but when we went he left still hungry due to the small portions. i cant remember what he got but he wasnt as much of a fan as he was with candle and blossom. he felt the same with the tacos he ordered from one lucky duck's takeaway. too bad since the food is amazing and i wish everyone appreciated it. but oh well, different strokes for different folks...
im so glad you got the s&m salad so i could live vicariously through you :)

Chelsea said...

Even though they didn't love it, kudos to your parents for trying it! I don't know if I could ever convince my parents to go to a vegan/raw restaurant with me. They turn up their noses every time I even make tofu! :P

I've eaten a LOT of weird things: lamb testicles, frog legs, calf brain... the chef at our favourite restaurant likes to make all sorts of weird amuse bouches!

melonshots said...

i want to go to Pure Food SO bad. I need to get my butt to the states <3
LOVE.. everything looks awesome
and it looks like you had a wonderful time :)

XO

Laura said...

its awesome they tried it.

Pure2raw Twins said...

I would love to take my family to Pure Food and Wine. I think my family would like it ;)

So lucky you got to take yours, I am sad they weren't too huge fans but so great that they went and tried it!!! YAY!! I would have loved everything on that dinner table, LOL
At the moment I can't think of any weird things I have eaten before... oh wait about ten years ago I had pigeon in Paris... that was different for me. And I was not a huge fan of it ;) HAHA

Have a good one!
~Lori

Ilana said...

the tart tatin is INSANE. they actually keep it warm in the dehydrator before serving...it tastes sooooo authentic!!

Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) said...

i was sitting in jfk last night, well from 5am-8am thinking about you knowing that you had likely gone somewhere fabulous fri nite. indeed, you had :)

but that's soooo much pressure to bring your fam to a raw vegan restaurant. i give them major props for going and you major props for attempting to lure them over to the dark, i mean raw vegan, side :)

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