Vol.4, No. 7, July 2008
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Raw Materials
Local café serves Valley vegans
Small and sunny, Go Raw Café is something of a sanctuary for the vegans and vegetarians who reside in Las Vegas. The restaurant is a bright and cozy space that lacks the heavy smell of fried food and baked treats most eateries display like a badge of honor. In fact, the room is almost entirely odorless, an observation that lends itself to the key element behind Go Raw Café’s mission: almost nothing here is cooked.
The restaurant is so serious about not cooking that the open kitchen is missing an oven. Carnivores may balk at the thought of no cooked meat and, perhaps more frightening, no meat whatsoever. But Go Raw aims to teach rather than preach, and its meals serve as a reminder that life is possible without an all-beef entrée.
Go Raw defines its eats as “living cuisine,” meaning that every fruit and vegetable retains the enzymes that make it grow in the natural world. This organic paradise is chock full of tasty vegan treats like tropical toast (coconut butter and mango jam on sweet bread with banana), flax chips and salsa and raw, organic hummus.
Then there are the entrees, which are as diverse and healthy as humanly possible. There is a veggie burger made with beets, carrots, sunflower seeds and parsley topped with cheese made out of almonds. The “perfect pasta” is in fact a perfect salad of sorts—zucchini tossed with marinara, pesto, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Of course there are wraps, salads and pizzas galore, and don’t forget the hot veggie and tomato soup. It’s filling and refreshing, even when the temperature hits 110.
For those slightly frightened of mock salmon and neat loaf, the smoothies are a harmless option. The list of veggie smoothies includes Cal-C-Yumm, made with parsley, kale, carrot and apple, and a Liver Mover, made with beet, carrot, cucumber and coconut water. The fruit smoothies sound a bit more appetizing—the Berry Good is made with apple, banana, berries and date while the Vanilla-bana has bananas, organic vanilla, date and almonds. Then there is the wheatgrass shot, which is not the most delicious item on the menu, but it is an amazing immune system booster.
Going organic every day is a difficult transition made even more difficult by the lack of resources and support in the Valley. Las Vegas was recently ranked No. 9 on the list of top 10 least healthy cities in the United States. Surprising? Not exactly. In a town where fast food restaurants abound and walking or biking to a destination could result in a heat stroke, living well can be a struggle. Go Raw Café is the site of classes that educate aspiring culinarians on the pleasures of eating nutritious (and meatless) meals.
Organic food is admittedly pricy, so it’s surprising that two bowls of soup, half an entrée and a glass of “JGB” juice (made with cinnamon, cloves, honey, fruit juice and ginger) is around $20—not bad for the healthiest meal this side of the farmers market.
With decent prices and two locations in the Las Vegas Valley, this quaint café is an easy and nutritious alternative to fast food burgers and corporate restaurant chains. So take a few steps toward a healthy lifestyle and unclog your arteries one bite at a time at Go Raw Café.
Go Raw Café
Westside location
2910 Lake East Drive
702-254-5382
Hours
Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Sunday
Eastside location
2381 E. Windmill Lane
702-450-9007
Hours
Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
