I am an omnivore. I’ll eat meat, I’ll eat veggies– let’s be honest, I’ll eat anything. However, I have many vegetarian and vegan friends, and attempt to be sensitive to their needs when we go out to eat. A little while ago, my friend Myrita (who tends towards the vegetarian end of the spectrum, sometimes vegan, and occasionally a raw foodie) suggested Loving Cafe for our trying-to-be-monthly lunch. Since I’ll try anything, I said, “Sure!”
The Loving Cafe, located on Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge, is an unassuming storefront near a veterinary clinic. When you walk in, you are greeted with a bright, open interior… and a portrait of the Supreme Master. Ooookay. The chalkboard behind the counter lists the menu and daily specials. We both skipped the regular menu (which consisted of salads and a lot of faux vegan “meat”) and looked at the daily specials. We both thought the raw alfredo sounded good, and the nice woman behind the counter gave us each a sample. It was really nice– not alfredo (sorry), but incredibly flavorful, and reminiscent of Parmesan cheese. Sold!
Raw food does allow food to be heated, but no higher than 110 degrees. The pasta was rice noodles (softened by warm water), and the sauce presumably made out of ground nuts, miso, nutritional yeast and other plant-based ingredients (based on several recipes I’ve seen online) was really good, and, along with the salad it rested on, very filling. They also included a slice of Vegan bread (which involves dehydration and nuts) which was essentially a savory granola bar. Not bad, not bad at all.
Keeping in the raw theme, Myrita got spring rolls and I got the deep fried version. Both were average, at best– the real star was the entree.
Myrita advised that I would feel really good– and full!– afterwards, and she was right. Honestly, I doubt I could ever go raw, but I would love to skew slightly healthier and include more raw and vegetarian meals into my diet. I would eat this dish every day. Seriously.
I guess this restaurant is run by followers of The Supreme Master, an opulently dressed Vietnamese woman who advocates “Go Veg! Save the planet!” and has her own satellite TV channel (that plays on a gigantic TV in the back). They seem pretty nice, but it is sort of disconcerting– I’m not used to religious content during my meals. Otherwise, the service was efficient and the garbage cans reminded us to not only recycle, but also compost (their disposables are compostable!). Very cool.
