10/27/07

cru : incroyable

by hilarleo

I follow a few safe-diet suggestions... I like vegan, avoid wheat- whatever.

'Cru' [nee JadeCafe] may not follow every progressive natural-hygeine practice of "food combining"

[cukes seemed to be a staple on the menu the night I went]

and the minimalist menu design caters to few expectations.

So I was genuinely surprised at how healthy

and how highly scrumptious Cru's foods are.

Even disregarding my personal predilections, the pesto plate of jicama ravioli stuffed with cashew cheese and a spinach salad easily rates among the best stuff I've had out of a restaraunt kitchen.

Like another Cru review, I too licked the sparkling olive-oil sauce from my beautiful plate.

My companion's yellow Thai curry on vegetable "noodles" also earned our compliments for it's

successful innovation of energizing flavors in an asian presentation.

Service was utterly informal in a first-names-only California way.

But rather than formal it was informed- intelligent as well as helpful.

Better, the strikingly fresh food was served as quickly as other establishments serve drinks-

For which Cru offered a selection of teas,and a drinkable un-chilled and filtered table-water.

Score 1 for Macrobiotics. Our waiter remained continuously solicitous;

among the specials he offered a final frozen coconut "custard"

which had such a depth of flavor that it suggested to me the appearance of slyly toasted coconut;

as well this well-composed custard proved as close to savory as it was to sweet.

Despite my suspicion of a cooked ingredient, it remained utterly edible.

Less sucessful is the ambience.

In the awkward triangular room all aesthetic aspiration does well to remain simple.

The room though quiet is overly intimate. I like hearing my companions, but

I also fear I learned too much of younger, louder parties' affairs.

Until I return, I'll remain intrigued, and look favorably upon similar efforts.

• Pros: Most interesting food successfully presented in small scale, quiet ambience.
• Cons: Healthy..but? But go! it's that good. Parking, plus ultrahip service may require some allowance

04/08/07

Who'da thunk raw vegan food could be so delicious.

by lc5000

So first, the name of this place has changed to "Cru." I think the chef changed along with the name, but it's still a raw restaraunt. And it's delicious! It has a website: crusilverlake-dot-com

I am not a raw fooder, a vegan, nor even a vegetarian. I love me my double-doubles animal style with a strawberry shake. But I've eaten here several times and I think it's great. I actually like it better than other vegetarian/vegan restaurants that fall into the trap of meat replacement dishes that just fall short of the original. But no gluten stroganoffed wannabes here. The food is super fresh and filled with crazy tastes that you just don't find elsewhere --- shaved rutebegas, yam chips, a variety of nut pastes and tapenades, that are combined to great effect to create really delicate, subtle flavors. The appetizers are great -- all these tasty tapenades and nut pastes that I've actually tried to emulate at home. We've had great luck with their pastas (shitake ravioli in a white miso-coconut dressing that tasted like some wonderful aromatic butter that had my wife cleaning the plate with her fingers). The pizzas were not a favorite --- the toppings were good, but the crusts are strange and stray into the wannabe baked-goods category. I've also had a mushroom wrap which shocked me when it came out wrapped in two giant leaves of kale, but was fantastic (some sort of nut paste again, and a tasty assortment of vegetables). Deserts are also really, really good -- one of the best being the crepes with raspberry sorbet. Chocolate sauce and overtones of coconut. Yum! Good service, and reasonable prices --- appetizers & salads in the $7-10 range, the wraps are $10, and the entrees are $15-16. And yes, I've left sated and haven't had to go home and eat chips.

09/09/06

Good Food and Service

by ro90067

We have been to Jake Cafe a few times now and always have a very positive experiance.

The food is quite good and the staff is always friendly, kind and helpful.

The even came out side to look for us when we called the restaurant lost.

The raw, vegan ice creams are a must!

07/21/06

slightly precious and unfortunate service

by e42jane

I've been here several times as I've been eating more raw this summer, and mostly I've had lovely experiences, and good service from the same sweet waitress. The food is pretty good, it seems a bit too precious though, more attention to presentation than taste. The last time I went a waiter ended the run by being extremely rude about a dish we didn't like. When ordering we asked him about what it tasted like, etc, and the dish we got was nothing like what he described and it just did NOT taste good to any of the three of us at the table. So we asked to return it and he did begrudgingly, but when the bill came, the 12 dollar dish was still on it. When asked about it, he said "There was Nothing wrong with it so you have to pay". We explained that it would have been helpful if he had let us know that so we could have taken home to a husband or something, and (needless to say) we were upset. He then in a snotty way asked us to get out that they all wanted to go home. This was after we had asked for the check 10 minutes before and he had just finally delivered the check before telling us to get out. What an unfortunate situation - and what unfortunate handling of it. I think if I loved the food I would brave going back, but since it's simply okay, I won't. The only real bummer for me is that the lava cake is fantastic. Maybe I'll get it 'to go...'

• Pros: ambience, some of the waitstaff, dessert
• Cons: some of the food, some of the waitstaff - fear of being yelled at

01/16/06

a fantastic experience

by sade20

the food was incredible. flavors stimulating every tastebud. a truly unique experience that will undoubtedly leave most questioning what we put in our bodies. i have few restrictions on my own diet and after this extraordinary dining experience my body felt the difference. i had energy and felt revived. new meaning to nourishment. a must try. the ice cream was my highlight.

• Pros: food

SoCal eco-visionary offers her vegan-approved, organic, totally raw take on fusion fare at a snug Silver Lake eatery.

by Randi Schmelzer

The Preview
Eco-entrepreneur Lesa Carlson's 30-seat, raw food-and-healing elixir cafe features Mexican, Italian and Thai flavor-infused dishes, completely uncooked with organic fruit-, nut- and veggie-based vegan ingredients. Appetizers such as garlic jicama bruschetta, herbed "feta" salad, and "cheddar cheese" fondue are all raw and dairy-free, as are entrees including chili-glazed squash-and-portabella hashbrown stacks, red pepper-buckwheat stew and ginger-coconut noodles. For dessert, chocolate lava cake and coconut cream pie come topped with "whipped cream."