By Thomas McCabe
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Leaf Cuisine Restaurants
11938 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, Ca 90066
(310) 390-6005
 

14318 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, Ca 91423
(818) 907-8779
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There are two Leaf Cuisine restaurants in the Los Angeles Metro area. One is located in the heart of the city itself and the other is located in Sherman Oaks. Both restaurants are clean and cheery establishments that are staffed by friendly employees who always provide excellent customer service. The atmosphere at these raw food restaurants is warm and relaxed and dining at them is always a pleasure. These certified organic vegan, raw eateries enjoy a well - deserved reputation for consistently serving fresh and healthy raw foods that are delicious and very reasonably - priced.
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Certified by both the Green Restaurant Association and Quality Assurance International (QAI), which is widely known as the world’s leading source of organic certification, Leaf Cuisine Restaurants recycle extensively, compost and use no animal products of any kind. Staying true to raw food principles, Leaf Cuisine restaurants do not heat process their delicious living foods above 110 degrees F and most of the nuts, grains and seeds used there are soaked and sprouted.
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The food menus at Leaf Cuisine Restaurants are large and diverse. Raw appetizers served at these restaurants include Mock Salmon Nori Rolls, Raw Slaw, Taco Mexicano, Hummus with Flax Seed Crackers, Guacamole and Savory Seaweed Salad. Soups, which are served slightly warm, include Miso Carrot Ginger and Middle Eastern Lentil varieties. The extensive selection of salads are other great meal - starters, as well as main plates at Leaf Cuisine Restaurants. Among the many salads that are served at these eateries are Veggie Sunburger, Mediterranean Medley, Flying Falafel, Holy Moly Guacamole, Bedouin, Bombay, Fortuna, Supremely, South of the Border, Wakame Wonder and Garden varieties.
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Wraps are popular menu items at Leaf Cuisine Restaurants and are available in half and full sizes. Wrap varieties at these raw food restaurants include Garden Delight Wrap, Fortuna Fantasy, made with mock tuna, Supremely Caesar, Bombay Burrito, Veggie Sunburger, South of the Border, Mediterranean Medley, Flying Falafel, Bedouin Burrito, Wakame Wonder, Veggie Sunburger and Holy Moly Guacamole wraps.
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Some of the raw House Specialties served at these raw food eateries are Pad Thai, made with kelp and squash noodles, Pizza Margarita, made with a sprouted grain crust, Rawmesan and sun - dried tomatoes, Kale Salad, Harvest Sandwich, with an “Unturkey” patty and mango bread and Rawsagna, made with yellow squash, spinach, raw - cotta cheese, mushrooms and marinara sauce.
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A huge selection of smoothies and healthy drinks are served at Leaf Cuisine Restaurants. Smoothie options include Very Berry, Protein Dream, Blueberry Bonanza, Chocolate Milkshake, Immuno Blast, Mudslide Slim and Green Lean Scene. Other drinks that are available at these organic, vegan raw restaurants are Got Greens, Lively Lemonade, Carrot Juice, Coconut in the husk, E3 Live Shot, Wheat Grass, Orange Juice and Veggie Combo.
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The raw desserts served at Leaf Cuisine Restaurants are deliciously - edible works of art. Among the desserts available at these eateries are Strawberry Mouse Torte, Oraweo, made with coconut, cacao nibs and chocolate sauce, Chocolate Brownie, Apple Pie and Carrot Cake. Breakfast is also served at these top - rate organic vegan, raw food restaurants, with items such as Cinnamon Rolls and Apple Spice Oatmeal available.

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By Edmund Atanasio

Alive! 1972 Lombard Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 923-1052

Alive! is All the Way Live! 

We went to Alive! the other day and to say that I was reticent is putting it mildly. I must admit, I am not exactly what you’d call a disciple of this raw food movement. I am still very comfortable and quite used to food that has been cooked. I will take a boiled carrot (al dente, of course—I gotta have that crunch) over a raw one every time. I like sushi and steak tartare, but I’ll opt for the cooked versions over the raw ones every time. But, when we visited Alive! recently, we were more than pleasantly surprised. Described on their menu as a “serene and sophisticated dining destination for raw, vegetarian, animal-free cuisine using only the freshest local, seasonal, and organic produce,” we were anticipating a bunch of rah-rah tree-hugging environmentalists preaching “save the planet” while serving us this barely edible, extremely bland fare. Not so. Everything we sampled at Alive! was delicious, packed with flavors and featured organic produce and ingredients that are local, seasonal and regional. The restaurant’s modern Zen dining room and hidden urban garden made us feel supremely comfortable almost instantly. The knowledgeable and very professional wait staff at Alive! are true followers of the raw food movement, but they aren’t pushy about it—they know their stuff and can answer any and all of your inquiries about the food; but only if you ask, which is nice. Sometimes I like to be educated about what I’m consuming, and other times I just want to be left alone to eat it without a narrative. First we tried some of well-known specialties at Alive! These are the dishes that Chef Leland Jung is most known for, so we were anxious to sample them. I always like to experience a place’s signature dishes, so we had the open-face avocado peppercress sandwich (amazing!); their sun dried tomato shiitake mushroom torte (man-o-man!); the signature sweet sesame ginger zucchini ribbons with seasonal vegetables and walnuts; (oh, the flavors!); and then capped it off with an amazing candy cap mushroom cheesecake (I know, it sounds weird, but it is so incredible, you HAVE to try it!). Prices are fairly reasonable at Alive! with soups and starters running, $10–$12, and entrees going for $12–$20. I’ve paid a lot more for food that wasn’t even half as good as what you’ll encounter at Alive! They also have an extensive, very smart wine list at Alive! The restaurant has Chris Tavelli, Yield Wine Bar, San Francisco as their wine consultant, and he’s one of the best in the Bay Area, so you can be certain that the list is extensive, deep and top-tier in every way. The most amazing thing is that EVERYTHING we ate was 100% raw. The freshness of the ingredients coupled with the astute flavor combinations made for a very memorable meal. Now I can see why Alive! has gotten so many positive reviews and has been called a “leader of the Raw Food movement” in the Bay Area and beyond. We’ll be back here again and again, because not only is the food very healthy…but it’s also very, very good.