Everything I read about Landmark seems more normal and rational to me than teaching kids that a guy herded two of every animal on the earth into a giant ark and that another guy lived 40 days inside a whale.
I find the employees at Cafe Gratitude to be excellent across the board. Clearly the owners are doing something right.
I am … Community. 4.5/5. Seasonal special. A tasty spread comprising puréed cashews and macadmias with processed broccolini and spinach. The broccolini give it a unique, mustardy kick. Served with cafe gratitude’s exceptionally flavorful sourdough buckwheat crackers.
I am … Honest. 3/5. Tempeh reuben. I didn’t like this very much. The flavors and textures were disjointed to me. There was too much bitter flavor (e.g., caraway) and not enough meaty savoriness. And the “creamy cashew Russian dressing” wasn’t very creamy.
let’s face it:
for the most part, for people that love food, calories and pleasure go together.
your info about Tender Greens explains why, when i ate meat, i was NEVER satisfied with only one of their meat salads.
i needed TWO salads at that place to be full.
for that amount of money, i could go to a nicer restaurant and actually be fed.
I am … Dynamic. [Cauliflower-yam samosas with chickpeas]. 4.5/5. Very good. Authentic Indian flavors, but unique and refined.
I am … Accepting. [“Sushi bowl” with sprouted brown rice, tempeh cubes, shredded vegetables, avocado, and wasabi-sesame dressing.] 4.5/5. Excellent. Every bite tastes so wholesome and satisfying. Great use of tempeh. I’d take this over the chirashi at almost any restaurant in LA.
I am … Content. 4/5. “Farinata.” Tasty and unusual choice for breakfast. It’s more runny than authentic Italian farinata, and polenta-like in texture, but it’s still good.
I am … Fantastic. 4/5. Raw cashew “crepe” with fresh berries and coconut yogurt. Once you get past the fact that the “crepe” is dense and chewy and not very crepe-like, this is a delicious dish.
I am … Giving. 1.5/5. “Ancient grains pizza.” This is slop and doesn’t belong on the menu. The texture is terrible. It reminds me of microwave pizza. The toppings are a mushy bore.
I am … Resolved. 3/5. Southern soul food sampler. Red beans, rice, tempeh, biscuit, etc. Nothing to write home about.
I am … Local. 4/5. Chef’s seasonal salad. This one with arugula, sliced citrus, vinaigrette. Satisfying. The accompanying crostini were exceptionally good.
I am … Ecstatic. 4/5. Brussel sprouts with maple-miso glaze. Good.
I am … Super. 2/5. Raw chocolate ball. Weird tasting.
There should be a Tinder just for food preferences - Post a photo of one’s favorite food instead of one’s face. (Though a picture of someone stuffing his/her face with said favorite food would be an acceptable alternative, I suppose.)
i’ve taken many people to cafe gratitude.
their pizza is the only dish that NOBODY ever likes.
the whole concept of their even offering something called pizza is strange.
to me, pizza is about gluten, tomatos and cheese.
somebody there was making decisions while high.
This is one reason I’ve never tried it (the affirmations).
The other reason is the whole Landmark Forum thing.
I like Ruhlman’s recent piece about “healthy” food (his blog post links to paywalled article, but I believe it’s possible to find the article online).
http://ruhlman.com/2016/01/on-healthy-food/
The cauliflower with cashew / cilantro pesto type thing at Bar Ama is delicious.
Personally, I think the cauliflower special at Cafe Gratitude is superior to the Bar Ama cauliflower.
I AM THANKFUL that I have not yet had the pleasure of trying it.
Just found this board, how you doing
Why?
I aspire to get skeptical foodies to realize that the quality of the food at many vegan and/or raw restaurants is excellent. And it’s healthy to boot.
completely concur with you on that, alkiegourmand.
don’t understand all the snark and intolerance about this one category of food.
I’ve been vegetarian for 24 years, vegan for almost all of it, and still eat more or less vegan outside the home. I have eaten great (and mediocre) vegan food at a lot of restaurants, both vegetarian and not. So, obviously, I am not intolerant about this category of food.
As mentioned above, my gripes with Gratitude are with the hokey affirmations, as well as with their association with Landmark Forum and their “encouragement” of their employees to take their classes (I did put my annoyance about #2 on hold long enough to try Gracias Madre a couple times, and liked it Ok for what it was). I’m sure I’ll try Gratitude some day, but so far, I’ve been living Ok without it for the past ~ 12 years.
Hope you enjoy the stay.