Raw Food Restaurants

Berkeley's finest -- no contest!

I've been travelling alot lately, which is a partial explanation for the long gap between the last post and this one.  I'll spare you the other excuses, but do want to share that I have been able to dine at some really good raw food restaurants lately.  In March, for example, when I was visiting family and long-time friends in California, I was able to have two meals at the Gratitude Cafe in Berkeley. It's such a great place with a marvelous history, philosophy, and menu. I first visited there a few years ago when it was a totally raw place.  I was somewhat saddened to see that about half their menu now, though still vegan (I believe) is cooked food.  There are still many raw options, and many wonderful healthy drinks and raw desserts.  Still, I wondered if they aren't just feeling the pinch of trying to stay in business in a difficult economy.

Gratitude's cozy, character-laden seating

Another of my favorite places for raw food is in Brookfield, Wisconsin, about 20 minutes northwest of Milwaukee.  I have been visiting there once or twice a year when I am in the area for meetings that I regularly attend.  Cafe Manna is also a lovely and fairly new  place in an upscale shopping center.  It was built with the utmost care to be sustainable -- bamboo counter tops, efficient lighting, recycled everything, and fabulous food.  What I've always liked about their menu is a color coded  system they have for identifying vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, and gluten free fare.  The food and service are, just as they are at Gratitude, top notch, and I have taken colleagues there on several occasions to experience the wonders of raw cuisine.  However, this year their menu has shifted as well.  It seems that they have a smaller percentage of raw entrees, and one evening they had absolutely no raw desserts.  Eeeek! What are we to do when these marvelous oases in the desert of Standard American Diet  (SAD) food cave in and no longer cater to those of us who thrive on live!!? I'm sure that decisions are being made to ensure life in this downward facing economy, and I am not criticizing the decisions of these two fine establisments.  Better to have a compromised raw food menu than no raw food menu at all.

Manna's great little patio in pleasant weather.

I guess I just want to make a plea to all my raw food friends to frequent these wonderful raw restaurants and others like them across the country, lest we lose them.

Meanwhile, my budding Health Coaching business is underway. Go to my Abundant Raw Life website for more information.