Feeling rather sheepish about my Thanksgiving overindulgence, I opted for a healthier meal last night. I invited two friends to Pure Food And Wine, the 8-month-old raw-foods restaurant in Gramercy Park. (It's also the city's only raw-foods restaurant that serves saketinis.)
Our meal ended up being surprisingly hearty, much more so than in previous raw-foods experiences. Although the portions were not large, we were reasonably stuffed after two appetizers, three entrees and two desserts. We began with the cauliflower samosas, served on a square plate and drizzled with banana tamarind sauce, and the young coconut noodles interspersed with julienned radish and papaya in a spicy coriander peanut sauce. Coconut was to feature prominently in the evening's dishes, forming the samosa pockets and providing richness in the desserts.
The entrees were as follows: a zucchini tomato lasagna with pine nut cheese and fresh basil pesto (the tomatoes were summer-ripe), beet ravioli stuffed with a surprisingly ricotta-like cashew cheese (my favorite entrée), and three corn tortillas filled with chunky guacamole and tomato-lime salsa. Although I am not accustomed to food served below 118 degrees, the intense flavors and garden-fresh ingredients made the meal a satisfying one.
Dessert was perhaps the highlight of the evening. The pumpkin pie (a misnomer, as the filling is made from carrots) was a delicious tart on a nut crust with a scoop of ginger ice cream, and dark chocolate ganache cake was surely the richest item on the menu. I wondered how the chef was able to so closely approximate the dense consistency of a flourless chocolate cake; the waiter informed us that the cake contained only cocoa, maple syrup and coconut oil. So much for my ascetic meal!
Pure Food And Wine: 54 Irving Place, (212) 477-1010.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Since I live in a remote rural area far from the sparkle of New York City, I discovered I didn't know what a "saketini" was. Am I correct in surmising that it is a martini made with sake', Japanese rice wine? Tell me more, oh, doyen of
delicacies.
Yes, a saketini is indeed a sake martini!
Here is a recipe from Drinksmixer:
2 1/2 oz Gin
1 1/2 tsp Sake
1 cocktail Olive
In a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin or vodka with the sake. Stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the olive.
Sooooo! the sake' replaces the vermouth. How interesting. This sounds like a "kill-me-quick" drink if you have more than one; but, it does sound good too. Thanks, Salli.
Post a Comment