Cru in Silverlake: Not Rabbit Food

Bruschetta on buckwheat "toasts"

When my former roommate from Santa Cruz decided to come down to Los Angeles for a visit, I was excited to see my old friend. But when Lara informed me that she was currently on a very restricted "elimination diet," I almost panicked. She was to stay away from red meat, raw fish, soy, dairy, refined sugar, gluten, yeast, caffeine, chocolate and alcohol.

Now before you blurt out, "What's the point of living???", understand that it is for a very good cause; she has been plagued with pain on and off for years and this elimination diet is a last-ditch effort to see if any of the above foodstuffs is causing the pain. Lucky for us Los Angelinos, we have a bevy of health-oriented restaurants, so it is possible to eat out and eat well and still stick to whatever dietary restrictions you may have. With that idea in mind, I introduce you to Cru, a raw, vegan and organic restaurant in Silverlake.

Cashew cheese, fig pate and flaxseed crackers

We were joined by two other friends of mine; Tawny, of the "I'll eat anything!" variety (same as me, basically), and Alisa, of the "There are entire lists of ingredients I can't eat" club. None of us had much experience with raw food (except Lara) and none had ever been to Cru. Let the culinary adventure begin!

Pad Thai

We started off with two appetizers to share: the cashew cheese with fig pate and flaxseed crackers, and the bruschetta on buckwheat toasts. All "nut cheese" jokes aside, both were excellent. It is truly amazing how creamy and luscious the cashew cheese tasted and looked - white with flecks of herbs, with a smooth and creamy texture. It went beautifully with the fig pate, which was basically a fig paste much like quince (a popular match for cheese). By itself, the flaxseed cracker can be a bit blah but spread the "cheese" and the fig and you've got yourself a wonderful little appetizer. Even better was the bruschetta, which had a variety of vegetables (I recall corn, peppers, tomatoes) and was full of fresh garden flavor. The buckwheat "toasts" were more like rustic discs of a hardened buckwheat paste, but it was light and crunchy and perfect with the veggie topping.

Pesto ravioli

For dinner, Tawny and Alisa ordered ravioli. Alisa got the mushroom, while Tawny got the pesto variety. The ravioli skins were made out of a white vegetable (daikon? jicama?) and were paper thin and not crunchy (raw food restaurants can cook their food to a certain temperature). The cashew cheese filling was rich and hearty, and the side serving of arugula in a light dressing was the perfect match. Tawny's had a rich pesto sauce, while Alisa's (not pictured) had a mushroom sauce. Both were very satisfied and pleased with their dishes.

Thai curry and vegetables

I opted for the Thai Curry dish, which consisted of garlic coconut rutabaga "rice" (just finely chopped rutabaga, raw), thinly sliced coconut meat, zucchini, celery, red cabbage and tomatoes in a rich curry sauce. The dish was served with limes and fresh cilantro. Keep in mind everything is raw, and either room temperature or cold, but it didn't matter. The entree was fantastic! The flavors and textures worked beautifully: the slightly crunchy rutabaga with the meaty, soft coconut meat and the spicy curry against the light vegetables. I really loved this dish. Lara got the Pad Thai, made with rutabaga "noodles," cabbage and bell pepper in a spicy pepper sauce. Though her first bite was a hot one (she bit into one of the red chilies in the dish), she recovered quickly and went on to thoroughly enjoy her selection.

Crepes with banana "gelato"

The great thing about eating raw food is that you'll always have room for dessert (yeah, I'm an expert now, ha!). We ordered two things to share: the crepes with banana "gelato" (made with sesame milk) and the chocolate brownie with coconut "gelato" and chocolate sauce. The crepes were made out of figs and dates, as was the brownie (with some chocolate powder added in). Both desserts had us raving like lunatics! They were perfectly sweet, incredibly rich and very satisfying.

Chocolate brownie with coconut "gelato"

Both Tawny and I agreed that we didn't miss a thing from eating raw. The food was excellent, and we were quite full after dinner (must be all those raw vegetables!). I know that we will go back, whether or not we have a vegan or elimination-diet participant in tow. Oh, and one of the best things about Cru is that it's BYOB with no corkage fee. The restaurant offers a nice selection of juices and teas, but I've got to have my wine on a Saturday night. So we brought our own, no complaints here.

In spite of our initial skepticism, the eat-anythingers (me, Tawny) and the health eaters (Lara, Alisa) equally enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere at Cru. Raw food ain't just for rabbits anymore!

There's No Place Like Home

My whole family and I have been going to Z's for several years now; it's become a semi-regular, Friday night ritual. It's not unusual for me to arrive with a friend only to bump into my parents, perched at the sushi bar and chatting happily with other regulars, or to see my sister and bro-in-law breezing through the door and calling out their "hellos" to the staff.

Bottom line: I love this place. The fish is always fresh, the specials are often inventive without being overly Americanized (read: mayo-laden) and the staff are a kooky and fun bunch. They'll toss back a few beers with you and insist you try out the chef's latest and greatest invention. There's no rush to get you out the door; often times we'll stay for hours just eating and drinking and being a little too loud with the other sushi bar patrons. Home is what it is, really. And what it's not is full of sake bomb-drinking fools, thankfully. Hit Tokyo Delves if that's what you're into.

Last Friday I met up with the folks and we had our usual gay (<--does no one use that word for its original meaning anymore?) time. We feasted on uni, kompachi, hamachi, toro, hamachi kama (fish collar), seared Kobe beef, tai, unagi and more, and drank with it a few glasses of ice-cold sake. As usual, I forgot to take pictures of a few things - my desire to eat whatever was in front of me somehow gave me temporary amnesia. Or maybe it was the sake?

It's hard to pick a favorite, but the salmon is always buttery, fatty and absolutely delicious. They top each slice of salmon with a thin sliver of seaweed, which really balances out the fattiness of the salmon. The hamachi kama (pictured below) is also incredible. Poking it with chopsticks, you can feel how tender and see how juicy the tender flesh is. It's hard to imagine but Americans usually throw this part of the fish away...!?!?! If you ask me, it's the best part.

The hamachi is also always rich and fabulous. Toshi and the other chefs at Z's have some pretty mad knife skills; the pieces are always just the right size. I've noticed a lot of the trendier sushi places serve gigantic slices of fish on their sushi, but the freshness is just not there. I want quality, not quantity.

So, here's a bit shout-out to the whole staff at Z's for great sushi, wonderful service and for making me feel at home there. It really is a gem of a place to me and my family, and I hope it will be there for years to come.

Angeleno Magazine's Restaurant Awards

The August issue of Angeleno magazine reveals their picks for the best of the LA restaurant industry. Here's what they had to say this year (with commentary on some from Yours Truly):

Restaurant of the Year: Pizzeria Mozza

I would have to whole-heartedly agree with this one. I've had two, incredible meals at Mozza since it opened and every morsel was absolutely mouthwatering. Congrats to Executive Chef Matt Molina and the rest of the crew (I mention Matt because it seems Nancy & Mario get all the press!).

Chef of the Year: Neal Fraser, Grace

I am a bit surprised by this, only because several trusted sources have told me that Grace's food has gone down in quality/taste in the last year. Personally, I think Grace is one of the better restos in LA but I have not been in a while.

Best New Restaurant: Fraîche

Runner-up: Catch
Runner-up: Abode
Runner-up: Hampton’s

Can't say I've been to any of the above but my sister and bro-in-law RAVED about Fraiche, and they are pretty picky.

Best New Chef: Josef Centeno, Opus Restaurant
Runner-up: Carolynn Spence, Bar Marmont

Awesome on both of these. I love Chef Centeno's food at Opus, and I have had the opportunity to try many of Carolynn's dishes at both the Bar Marmont and the Chateau Marmont. She has breathed new life into the place, I'm telling you.

Pastry Chef of the Year: Kristy Choo, Jin Patisserie
Runner-up: Adrian Vasquez, Providence

Wine Service of the Year: Sona
Runner-up: Rustic Canyon

Best Restaurant Design: Catch
Runner-up: Murano

Gastropub or Wine Bar of the Year: Tasca

Vanguard Award: Spago