Time Mag, May 13, 2002: When Rare Isn't Fresh Enough

May 13, 2002

When Rare Isn't Fresh Enough

BY JANICE M. HOROWITZ

Monday, May. 13, 2002

Would you like that well done, medium, rare--or raw? An emerging

group of chefs is creating fancy, fussed-over dishes that have never

met the flame of a grill or the zap of a microwave. It's the raw-

food revolution. In New York City, Quintessence, a popular downtown

raw eatery that fashions ravioli shells from uncooked turnip slices,

recently opened an uptown branch and plans to launch another next

month. North of Boston in Beverly, Mass., Organic Garden Restaurant

just expanded its raw menu to meet popular demand. In Larkspur,

Calif., outside San Francisco, the upscale Roxanne's debuted four

months ago to rave reviews for its ersatz sushi rice spun from raw

parsnips and pine nuts. Owner Roxanne Klein is collaborating on a

raw-food cookbook with famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter.

Purveyors of raw or " living " food follow strict culinary standards:

fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds--preferably organic--are fine,

but meat, chicken and dairy are forbidden. Some chefs ban all added

heat, while others accept temperatures of 120[degrees] or less, just

barely enough to warm. With no stoves, the tools of the trade

include food processors, juicers and dehydrators--along with plenty

of ingenuity. " It's like being in a maze and finding you're up

against the wall, " says committed carnivore Norman Van Aken of

Miami's Norman's, who, for fun, concocted a series of raw recipes

for this month's Art Culinaire magazine. " You have to be very

creative to make your way through. " One of Van Aken's recipes:

tostadas made from raw flaxseed and topped with a cilantro-orange

sauce.

There is a philosophy--of sorts--to the raw-food movement. Tolentin

Chan, owner of Quintessence, argues that valuable nutrients remain

intact when food is left in its natural state. O.K., that sounds

reasonable enough--but there's more. " Living food has a life force, "

says Chan. " Eating life force gives you life force. " Sushi, though

raw, has no life force, explains Chan: " Once the fish is cut, the

life force dies. " If you ever have a dinner date with an enthusiast

of the raw--or Yoda--now you know where to make reservations.

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