Raw as a rainbow…

I went to a raw food restaurant in Hillcrest today. It’s called Cilantro Live! Have you seen it? It’s right there in the heart of Hillcrest on 5th next to the Starbucks.

I was a raw restaurant virgin. I never would have gone there (in about a million years) if it weren’t for my deliciously healthy and in-the-know sister-in-law Anisa.

She runs. She detoxes. She wanted to have lunch with me there, so I’m glad it worked out for us on a post-heatwave Thursday.

Anisa told me that Cilantro Live is famous for their Heavenly Tacos, so that’s what I got. Heavenly tacos are: “Two tacos served with Mexican wild rice. Folded green tortillas filled with nut-meat, avocado, salsa fresca, lettuce and sour cream.”

And I also ordered their Cleansing Cocktail of beet, carrot, apple, celery and a hint of parsley. Next time I would have them add a little fresh lemon juice to brighten it up. The juice tasted really earthy and grassy, but I was willing to put up with it since I knew it was good for me.

Inside it is very green.

As for the tacos, I pretty much ate every bite. I liked the nuttiness of the “meat” and the dish overall had a zesty, full flavor. Again, if I got such a dish at a “regular” restaurant, I would have found it lackluster and odd. But since I knew that it was fitting into the raw, vegan concept, I ate it up heartily and counted it as my good healthy karma for the day. (Okay, month…)

(Anisa has tried a lot of the menu items at Cilantro Live. Besides the juice blends, she favors the Nopalitos, Thai Salad, and the Cilantro Live Guacamole.

It felt weird to eat so healthy. Quite unnatural, actually. And eating raw seems like a helluva lot of work. I’m not sure I’d go back to Cilantro Live! on my own, but not because they aren’t doing their particular thing well. I guess I just am not a raw girl (except when it comes to sashimi).

Anyway, it’s good to know that raw food can be done creatively and conveniently in central San Diego. I bet there’s a whole big group of people who are beyond thrilled about this addition to the SD food scene.

What do you think of raw food restaurants? If you’ve never been, are you totally opposed?

~Beth