GRUB 411:

• PURE FOOD & WINE, 54 Irving Place @ 18th Street, 212.477.1010
• www.oneluckyduck.com, @purefoodandwine
• TYPE:  Raw Vegan (yay!)
• PRICE:  $$$
• OVERVIEW:  Pure Food & Wine is truly a shining example of how exquisite raw vegan cuisine can be!  You don’t miss the HEAT (or the meat)! Food was flavorful, delicious, and hearty with attentive service, positive vibes and enchanting outdoor seating.
• SEOULDIVA SAYS:   ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

FULL REVIEW:
Pure Food & Wine is a raw vegan restaurant…what does that mean?  They use only vegetables, no animal bi-products (dairy, butter, eggs), and they don’t heat any of their dishes over 118°F.
As you all know, I’ve recently decided to embark on a Raw Food lifestyle, not for weight loss or dietary reasons, but for health and overall mental clarity reasons.  Since making the transition, I feel like a different person. It’s as if I was sleep-walking through my life when I was eating cooked foods — always groggy, tired, sluggish, fog-headed and feeling bloated.  Now, it’s like I’m living my life fully awake.
I’ve been dying to try Pure Food & Wine for some time now, and I’m overjoyed that I’ve found a new fave restaurant haunt! Whether or not you are a raw foodist yourself, Pure offers decadent, rich flavors in their beautifully plated dishes. So much so, that you don’t miss any of the meat…OR the heat!
Sarma Melngailis (Pure Food & Wine’s owner) is like a posterchild for “modern raw foodists” — glowing skin, healthy, happy and inspiring.  Not only is Pure Food & Wine her baby, but she has her One Lucky Duck raw vegan empire, complete with a Take-Away Outpost around the corner from the restaurant that sells a variety of  raw vegan cookies, crackers and snacks! (follow her on Twitter @sarma)

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating.  I strongly recommend sitting outside, if possible — the ambience is so unbelievably charming, it’s a haven in the heart of the city.
Their kitchen is fascinating: no stoves, no ovens, no microwaves.  Just prep tables, food processors and dehydrators.  So interesting to see!
ALLERGY NOTE:  If you are allergic to nuts or coconuts, Pure may not be the place for you. Nearly all of their dishes use nuts or coconut meat to create that “hearty”/meaty texture.
Here are shots of their May menu:

• Appetizers
• Entrees

Here’s a play by play of our meal!
APPETIZERS:

• KING OYSTER MUSHROOM SCALLOPS in a Lemongrass Coconut Broth, mustard greens, micro wasabi. I saw “Lemongrass Coconut Broth” and came a-running.  One of the biggest things I think I’ll miss from my new raw food lifestyle is “ethnic” foods.  The “scallops” were actually mushroom stems.  The mustard greens gave a nice bitter balance to the dish, but the broth could have had a little more kick, IMO.  SEOULDIVA SAYS:  ♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• NORI ROLLS OF HOUSE-MADE KIMCHI and Dr. Cow Creamy Tree Nut Cheese, watercress, baby bok choy, hijiki seaweed, avocado, scallions. I had to fight my friend over who got to order this appetizer.  a) I wanted to see if their Kimchi skills were up to snuff (not bad, not bad), and b) I wanted to try another ethnic raw food iteration.  This was FABULOUS, bursting with flavor from the Kimchi (which some people still consider raw because it’s enzyme-rich from fermentation), and satisfying.  If I could eat this for lunch in a bento box, I would!  One thing to note for raw food purists: it was most likely served with Nama Shoyu soy sauce, which is a raw, organic, unheated soy sauce.  Regular soy sauce is not considered “raw” by purists since it’s boiled.  SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• HAZELNUT CROSTINIS WITH CRIMINI MUSHROOMS and Caper Bearnaise, caraway sauerkraut, local apple cider reduction. We were so thrilled that Sarma treated us to a complimentary appetizer!!  (thanks, girl!)  The description didn’t mention that this dish had some sort of raw vegan “cheeze” or spread on it as well.  Regardless, it was divine! The apple cider reduction was heavenly tart & sweet, and the cheese was just like the real thing! The one thing – the hazelnut “crust” was very loose and crumbled easily, so if you get this, be sure to pick it up with your fork!  SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• PORCINI RAVIOLI WITH TRUFFLE CREAM SAUCE, baby white asparagus, pickled ramp, parsley salad, porcini oil. We felt like saying, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Real Pasta!”  It was SO flavorful and decadent.  My friend even had to ask the waiter how they made the dish because she was hell-bent on re-creating it.  (btw, they used coconut meat for the “pasta”, along with coconut cream for the sauce).  It was divine and genius!  SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• SWEET CORN AND CASHEW TAMALES with chili-spiced Portabella, salsa verde, cashew coconut sour cream, avocado, raw cacao  mole. Holy YUM.  The insides of the tamales were chunky and meaty…TOOTHSOME (in a good way).  The stuffing almost tasted a little curried to me (maybe with tumeric?).  It was unreal to think that everything was raw!  My fave was the salsa verde (I could have eaten an entire bowl of that stuff!!)  Overall, I was impressed with the dish, but the stuffing was curried/sweet, and I would have preferred a more savory filling (being such a “salt” person).  SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• SPECIAL DESSERT Lemon Tart with fresh figs, almond “brittle” and peach ice cream. This was one of the special desserts that was offered…heaven.  The crust on the tart was deliciously hard and almost tasted like candy!  The lemon filling was deliciously tart and tangy…and doesn’t a fresh fig just look SEXY?   SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. Unfortunately, I didn’t snap a pic of the Dessert menu, but I think it also has some pistachios and some homemade ice cream too!  Heaven. It was light, refreshing and fluffy!  SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥