Elizabeth's gone raw

As I've mentioned in the past, my best friend is vegan. So when a raw food vegan restaurant opened in DC, she was the obvious choice for a dining companion. Elizabeth's Gone Raw is unique in many ways. It is only opened for dinner one night a week. The menu is a fixed tasting and changes weekly. And everything served is entirely vegan and raw. While I was confident one could produce a high end vegan menu, I was curious to see what would happen when the entire act of cooking was thrown out the window. And I left not only satisfied but highly impressed!

The dining area is stunning; set in a row house and decorated in old world classic french style. Too much champagne and you might actually think you're in Versailles! Fortunately this wouldn't be a problem for us as the server permitted us to split a single wine pairing for a nominal additional charge. And excellent compromise which ensured we got the complete experience while still being able to drive home. While we waited for the serving to commence, we were treated to a basket of home made Kale Chips. Rather than bakes, these had been dehydrated, and the difference was noticeable. The chips were crunchy and maintained their texture as well as actually tasting like kale. This is not easy, as homemade chips go limp after a day or so, and the preservatives in the mass produced chips really affects the flavor of the green.

Before long, we were ready to begin. Please note that as I walk you through the courses, the menu is styled to reflect the dish's inspiration. So a course might be described as having meat, but this is purely a conceptual reference. First arrived an amuse of Roasted Cauliflower, with nigella seed, capers, mint and lardo. I never cease to be amazed by the complete transformation cauliflower undergoes when roasted. It's an entirely different vegetable and it is delicious. The accents rounded out the bite, the caper imparting a welcomed hint of brine. 

 

Next arrived a Tomato Saffron Soup with strawberry, carrot and fennel. This course was particularly interesting, combining several ingredients with very distinct flavors. That said, it was well balanced and unexpected. And a chilled soup is always a welcome break on a summer night!

 

When I saw the Crab Stuffed Squash Blossoms on the menu, I could not wait to try them. I love squash blossoms fried in the Italian style but hadn't tried them raw before. And I couldn't even imagine the vegan equivalent of crab. And while I can't honestly say that I know what it might actually be, I can tell you it was delicious, and actually did invoke crab with each bite. The presentation was stunning, and the accompanying bed of trumpet mushrooms, squash, and pecans provided much needed texture, while the green tomato vinaigrette added the right amount of bite.

 

To cleanse the palate we were presented with a Watermelon Hibiscus Sorbet with olive oil and sel gris.

Light and refreshing, it was the perfect segue into the main course; Kohlrabi & Heirloom Beet Ravioli with celery, basil, macadamia, sunflower shoots, spirulina, and wild garlic. Since pasta obviously requires cooking, it was paper thin slices of beet and kohlrabi which provided the pocket for the filling. It was an innovative approach and it worked well. The textures and flavors were so pleasing, I didn't miss the pasta or the cheese filling in the least.

Finally it was time for dessert: Blueberry Cheesecake. Once again, I was amazed that something so decadent could be created not only without dairy, but with out baking! The raw crust of coconut, almond and cashew was a perfect texture and considerably more flavorful than the tried and true graham cracker crust.

While the entire meal was delightful in it's own right, it was astounding when you think it was create with two very restrictive parameters. And while I am not sure I'll be trying something so ambitious myself, I will definitely be returning to Elizabeth's!