Raw Rag™

Denver establishments with healthy food

Unable to locate a list of local restaurants and stores that sell food that's good for you, I have decided to create my own list.

Please contact me with any suggestions for additions.

Establishments below profess a commitment to selling meats, poultry, and eggs that are free of chemicals, such as antibiotics and hormones; and/or other offerings, including produce, that are of the highest quality (e.g., organic).

If you have any questions or doubt about something you are purchasing at any of these places, be sure to ask and verify. They should be happy to address your concern and interest.

I will be adding to this list as I learn of more healthy food in Denver.

• Chipotle
• Whole Foods Markets-They all have places to sit and eat, so are more than grocery stores. Locations such as Belmar are like several restaurants under one roof.
• Eco-Burger
• Tony's Markets
• Govinda's Buffet
• Modmarket-In an e-mail, Anthony Pigliacampo wrote to me (and I quote with permission): "We are SUPER picky with our meats.  The people we buy our steak from told us that we are the only non 5 star restaurant they sell it to. Our chicken is very high quality too. Why anyone buys the saline, antibiotic filled stuff is a mystery to me."
• Watercourse Foods
• Marczyk Fine Foods (recommended in Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms)
• Oliver's Meat Market-Unfortunately no Web site but at least a Facebook page
• Here's what Cheeburger Cheeburger says about its beef on their Website: "100% all-natural Angus guaranteed to have no additives, no antibiotics and no added hormones according to a verified 120 day affidavit." (They don't explain the details of the affidavit process.)
• City O' City
• A representative from Steuben's wrote via e-mail that their meat and poultry are "antibiotic or hormone free."

Note: When I initially contact a non-vegetarian restaurant or market, the first question I ask is something like this:

I have a question, please. I wanted to check to see if your meat and poultry are raised without antibiotics and hormones? Thank you.

After that response, I typically will then ask about other ingredients. Sometimes I ask several questions in the initial contact.

When I ask a server or clerk, I follow up to verify the response.

For example, the very kind and skillful waitperson at Racines told me their meat is all chemical-free. I have e-mailed them to verify. If appropriate, I will add them to the list after hearing back. [Added later: As of the evening of January 14, I have not yet heard back from Racines.] [Added February 16, 2011: I have still not received a response to my inquiries to Racines; the last one was sent this week via their Web site.]

Despite several e-mails, I have not yet been able to get Smashburger to confirm that their meat is chemical-free.

Is the raw food movement losing steam?

Thoughts  about what this spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association has to say? (See quote below.) Wonder where one could find accurate numbers?

From "Carlisle sees growing demand for restaurants that serve raw, organic and locally sourced food" (PennLive.com):

The raw movement is still fresh in [Pennsylvania].

However, state trends show diners are growing more aware of food’s impact on health. Demand’s up for local-source and gluten-free foods, healthy children’s meals and sustainable seafood, [Patrick] Conway said.

Nationally, the trend is in its infancy. And it may never fully mature.

“It was a much stronger trend several years ago ... than it is now. Similarly, the organics trend is starting to wane. General trends are leaning toward overall health and nutrition,” said National Restaurant Association spokeswoman Annika Stensson.

Raw eateries remain so rare that only seven were noted in E: The Environmental Magazine’s November list of top raw food restaurants in the U.S.

There’s good reason they aren’t prolific, said Jonathan Watts.

Click to read the rest.

 

Denver chefs grow their own food: “If you’re not growing stuff to eat, you’re not a great chef"

A nice article in the New York Times describes efforts made by some Denver chefs to keep their offerings local. I attended a social entrepreneurship event last night and met a man from Seattle who told me the local fare is increasingly being sold in restaurants in his city, too. From the article, we learn that many cities are favoring the "farm-to-table ethos."

Excerpt from "Denver Chefs Head for the Garden":

[A]n increasing number of hometown chefs are not only celebrating Colorado’s farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers and foragers, but also growing produce and other food themselves. Their restaurants, many of which opened in the last few years, are bringing Denver in line with the farm-to-table ethos already consuming so many American cities. And the ambitious chefs are taking advantage of the urban gardens multiplying all over town.

Frank Bonanno, a veteran Denver chef and restaurateur, [his blog] recently bought land in the suburbs that he hopes will supply “favas, lettuces and haricots verts” to his four downtown restaurants. “If you’re not growing stuff to eat, you’re not a great chef,” he said.

Image credit: Westword.

New, lower price for raw-food dinner at Denver's Root Down

Tuesday night is still raw-food time for dinner at Root Down, but there have been two changes: The price is now $35 (instead of $42) and the number of courses has been reduced to four (from five). Click to read my last post about this raw-food event.

Last week, we took a Sunday-morning walk around the restaurant environs. The neighborhood is eclectic, and the park right across the street affords a photogenic and expansive view of the Denver skyline.

Tomorrow night's menu (from a Root Down e-mail; join their mailing list here):

Prepared by Chef Daniel Asher (Raw Food Certified).

Four Course Raw Vegan Dinner 

Tuesday, July 27  |  6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
All Organically Sourced/Completely Gluten Free
 $35/per person

Coconuts & Slaw
Fresh Young Coconut Juice and Meat,
Served with Asian Cabbage Slaw

Wild Greens
Arugula, Lambs Quarter, Quinoa Greens,
Valencia Orange, Spiced Almonds, Heirloom Tomato,
Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

Linguini San Sabastien
Squash Pasta, Okra, Corn, Cremini Mushroom, Broccoli,
Gold Cauliflower, Creamy Beet Alfredo

Champagne Mango Mousse
Fresh Berries, Chocolate Peppermint Glaze

Call for reservations: 303-993-4200.

Location: 1600 W. 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO.

Time: 6 - 10 PM.

The raw-food Tuesdays will be offered through the summer.

Image credit: la denver dish.

Raw in Santa Fe: Those chile peppers may increase your fat oxidation (and perhaps help you lose weight)

I lived for a few years in Santa Fe, and took to the New Mexican cuisine immediately. The chile peppers, the blue corn chips, the pico de gallo, the posole, the atole . . . I have missed those dishes and many more since moving north. Colorado restaurants don't quite duplicate New Mexico tastes. And imagine my shock when I learned that Denver servers do not know what you mean when you respond "Christmas" after they ask you whether you want red or green chile with your meal.

In Santa Fe, the people who serve you at restaurants know that Christmas means you want both: red and green!

Because I like the New Mexican cuisine so much, one of my goals is to learn how to convert my favorite dishes to raw. I have looked for a class to teach me how to do that conversion, but so far have found nothing. However, I did learn of a restaurant that serves raw dishes in Santa Fe when my friend recommended it very highly. The place is called BODY Cafe (333 Cordova Road - map PDF). Click to peruse the menu PDF.

Chiles are everywhere in New Mexico, not only in the food, but also hanging from

Restaurant in Minneapolis serves all-raw: Do you think raw takes much time to prepare at home?

(Click to enlarge photos of food.)

A decade-old Minneapolis restaurant Ecopolitan [menu PDF] is mentioned in a kare11.com (Twin Cities) article on raw food. From "Eating raw; diet trend growing in popularity":

MINNEAPOLIS -- There is a restaurant that has been in the heart of Uptown for ten years.  It was the first of its kind in the city. 

It is the raw-food only dining spot, Ecopolitan.  Yes, raw food.

Raw foodism is a lifestyle in which the 'foodist' eats only foods in their natural state.  That means nothing can been cooked, or even heated beyond 113 degrees farenheit.

The belief is that foods that are plant-based (think vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains) are in the form nature intended and likely better for the human body than anything that has been altered from the natural state (think cooking, processed foods, etc.).

At Ecopolitan, the chefs and servers are so well versed in the raw food fare that it seems, while dining inside, there is no other way to eat.
...

While cheese isn't allowed, the 'cheese' is actually a walnut puree with a laundry list of herbs, vegetables, spices and yeast.

...

To mimic is key.  For many of the raw foods wonders are its mock foods.

Fries made of jicima, meat substitutes made from nuts and sprouted grains.

The raw foodists are nothing if not imaginative.

And according University of Minnesota Medical Centet Nutritionist Heidi Jo Greenwaldt, not only do those dedicated to diet have to learn how to be crafty, they also have to have some time.

I am not sure I agree with Greenwaldt. My experience has been that it takes less time to prepare raw food than to cook. What are your thoughts?

(This photo is in the middle of my blog post as I see it in TypePad but, in my Safari browser, it shows up as aligned left and there seems to be no way to center it. I mostly appreciate TypePad as a blogging platform, but find these occasional glitches frustrating.)

Image credits: Ecopolitan.

New Denver restaurant does not include any raw food items on its menu BUT . . .

Unfortunately another restaurant has opened in Denver with nary a munchable nod to raw food enthusiasts. Munchable, no. But sippable? Yes.

Although there are no raw solid-food items on the menu, the juice bar at Wild Bangkok Bar and Grill does have plenty of liquid offerings for the raw foodist. If you are looking for a place to meet for Happy Hour within walking distance of the 16th Street Mall, this might be the place.

For an hors d'oeuvres to accompany your smoothie, you could have, hmmm, the dinner salad? Maybe soon local restaurants will begin to include just one or two items for the raw foodies?

Oh, well, the drinks look excellent.

From the menu [pdf]:

Juice Bar Menu

• Green Apple
• Carrot
• Orange
• Grapefruit
• Celery
• Juice Combo (up to 3 items)

Juice Blends

• Super Cleansing-Carrot, apple, celery, beet, wheat grass, parsley.
• Detox Shock-Apple, lemon, ginger and a shot of wheat grass.
• Monster Green-Spinach, kale, apple, celery, parsley.
• Popeye’s Blend-Spinach, carrot, apple.
• Immune Support-Carrot, ginger, garlic, orange.
• BKK Lemonade-Lemon, grape , apple.
• Sunrise-Carrot, orange, beet , lemon.

Specialty Smoothies

• Colorado Workout-Mixed fresh fruit, ginseng, mixed berry juice, banana, protein powder
• Wild Patpong-Acai, blueberries, banana, pomegranate juice
• Ayatthaya Acai-Acai with organic soy milk, banana, strawberries
• Chiang Mai Delight-Watermelon, lime juice, mint
• Puket Tropical-Strawberry smoothie with banana, pineapple/coconut juice, spirulina

Does not look like your pedestrian Jamba Juice fare, does it? Have you tried the juice bar at Wild Bangkok Bar and Grill? If so, let us know what you thought in the comments below. Thanks.

Note-The location: 1630 Welton Street Denver, Colorado 80202. Phone: (303) 623-4999.

Image credit for photo of 16th Street Mall: denver.org.

New: Denver restaurant offers 5-course Raw Food Night on Tuesdays

You may note that I have added an event to my list of recommended links over to the right. Denver restaurant Root Down is now offering five courses of raw food on Tuesdays nights. News of this addition to our Mile High cuisine is exciting. If ones wants to eat out, Denver has a dearth of raw food options, so I applaud this idea of chef Daniel Asher.

From Westword blogs:

"I've been doing raw food for six years and was shocked when I moved from meat-and-potatoes Chicago to healthy Boulder and saw that there was such a big gap in raw food restaurants," says Daniel Asher, chef of Root Down ... .

A former vegan, and later, vegetarian, Asher, who's also a certified raw food chef, joined the kitchen of Root Down last spring, and since then, he says, customers have expressed an interest in raw food ... .

... "I wasn't sure what to expect, but so far, people are really jazzed up about it," he says. "Its almost as if people have been waiting for something like this to take root -- for a mainstream menu to offer raw food."

I wholeheartedly agree with him; people have been waiting.

And from Examiner:

[C]hef Daniel Asher will create a new menu each week ... . For those of you who have not experienced raw vegan cooking – you will be surprised at the brightness of flavors and the increased texture of each dish.  Raw menu items