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05/21/2008
Raw food’s well done at Grezzo
Dehydrated Bell Pepper There’s no stove at Grezzo, the new raw vegan restaurant in the North End. At this showcase of “living” food, nothing is heated above 112 degrees. In theory, if you planted dinner, it would sprout and grow. Additionally, the kitchen eschews “dairy, animal products, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, cooked vinegars, sugar, peanuts, canned food (and) processed ingredients.” Everything is organic. While the Grezzo (“raw” in Italian) menu is written in the vernacular of cooked foods, “cheese” isn’t actually cheese, “steak” is meatless and the “brownie” is unbaked. They’re all made from vegetables, fruits and nuts - sliced, chopped, diced, pureed, marinated and dehydrated. It’s fresh-tasting fare that is inventive, pretty and filling. You won’t go home hungry. Owner Alissa Cohen is one of the country’s best-known raw diet devotees. She ascribes multiple health benefits to such a nutritional approach. Bostonians have responded enthusiastically. The 28-seat, candlelighted restaurant - with nutmeg-colored walls, cranberry chairs and copper-topped tables - has been crowded since it opened in February. “Mouthfeel” is a term coined to describe the texture and flavor of foods. Each of us holds preconceived ideas of what certain things should taste like. At Grezzo, the challenge faced by Cohen and chef Leah Dubois (the Roo Bar, Hyannis) is how to approximate the mouthfeel of familiar foodstuffs using raw “cooking” techniques. They aren’t always successful. You’d never mistake the chewy “patties” in the Grezzo sliders ($12) for burgers. They’re made from pulverized sunflower seeds and red bell pepper, seasoned with Indian spices and dehydrated. But they’re delicious topped with tomatoes, homemade pickles and watercress dappled with faux “blue cheese” dressing. Native tomato “ravioli” ($13) are more precisely sandwiches of marinated tomato filled with macadamia “boursin” and topped with peppery sprouts and a drizzle of chili oil.
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