Vegan/vegetarian
Adventures in Raw Food – Boston’s Grezzo, part 2 of 2
If you didn’t know any better, the pamphlet on the tables at Grezzo in the North End might scare you off. It lists 40 reasons to eat raw, ranging from something like “It makes your skin GLOW!” to somewhat dubious ones like, “Cooking kills off 50% of essential enzymes in food.”
Nothing is heated above 112 degrees, so if you order tea, the water is warmed, not boiled.
Health claims aside, the creativity required to make conventional dishes is mind-boggling. Pasta becomes ribbons of squash. Bread becomes dehydrated sheets of vegetable pulp. Brownies are made out of mashed dates. Dairy is redone (surprisingly successfully) as macadamia or cashew pulp.
After tasting some raw home cooking in Mary’s kitchen, I’d been itching to try a restaurant version. Grezzo, as far as I know, is the only all-raw, easily accessible place in the Boston area. Prices are reasonable – in the low 20′s for entrees, 10-12 for appetizers, but definitely a splurge for a college student. The nice thing is that their portion sizes are large, plus eating a lot of creamy nut paste is not a joke. You’ll definitely feel filled up.
I was introduced to Grezzo originally from my friend Mark, who insisted on renting a ZipCar to transport us there. We ended up getting really lost several times and arriving an hour late. The space is pretty small – about 20 seats altogether – and I got seated next the door which blew in gusts of arctic air.
I left my camera at work, and had a mini panic attack as I contemplated eating a meal without photographing it. The horror!!
California Maki Roll - quinoa "krab" salad, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo
We decided to get two appetizers each rather than entrees. I sampled the California maki (“krab” salad, quinoa, avocado), which was stunning – creamy, intensely flavored, and far preferable to run-of-the-mill avocado roll. There’s no way that soy sauce was raw, however. The spaghetti carbonara was dense, rich, and creamy, with uncooked peas adding a pleasant crunch. One of the interesting things about raw food, I’ve found, is that raw food flavors are much more intense than their cooked counterparts. Particularly for things like onions, garlic, and greens, they’re actually naturally spicy.
Mark, during the course of dinner, convinced me not to run for a position on the Crimson.
Then they massively messed up.
Adventures in Raw Food: Part 1 out of 2
I like subversive shit.
The creativity required to make pepperoni pizza without any bread, pepperoni, or cheese seems like nothing short of magic. I love mental gymnastics.
Mary, with one of her creations, all photos courtesy of her Flickr
I was first introduced to raw food when I had dinner at Mary’s house. Mary was a vegan chef who cut an imposing figure by anyone’s standard: she was 6’3″ with blue eyes, a buzz cut, and a very open, matter of fact speech. We had a friend in common (who eventually ended up going to Romania to translate a novel). On Mary’s calendar: a trip to Burning Man.
One of Mary's salads
On the menu that night: raw tiramisu, raw ice cream (made from soaked and ground cashews), and vegan kim chi pizza. On the side, Mary tried to make a batch of vegan marshmallows, which failed, and had me sample some pickled daikon, a kind of Asian radish.
Who moved my vegan cheese? – Peace o’ Pie in Allston
In my free time, I like to club cows and steal milk meant for adorable, doe-eyed little calves from their udders.
No. Not true. But I do eat real cheese. I have no qualms about dead animals and animal products. But I did, however, eat at THREE vegan places last weekend, with no morals attached. I’ll talk about one now.
So how is vegan pizza at relatively newly opened Peace o’ Pie in Allston? Suprisingly awesome, that’s what it’s like. It’s right next door to vegan powerhouse Grasshopper (which I also ate at) and it’s a small, brightly lit and cheery spot that has a sign declaring, “Please do not consume non-vegan food in here,” or something like that. I mean, is it really that offensive if I bring in a latte? Ummm. Ok.
The key here, kids, is that the crust must really hold the entire operation. Vegan cheese, no matter how artfully made, will never even begin to approximate the salty, gooey, stringy pleasures of the real thing. (I’d say this slice could use some more salt to compensate for the relative tastelessness of fake cheese.) Peace o’Pie, in this respect, wins. Their crust is on the thicker side, a good amount of pleasant chew and crunch in the crust, and has a rich, organically-made flavor all its own. I’d say it could be a little thinner and have a bit of extra sauce, to add some moistness to what’s a drier pie with the fake cheese and all, but very good overall.
Their cupcake was also a surprising win, made moist with pumpkin puree and Earth Balance vegan butter spread. The crumbs were all melding into each other in the most fabulous way, with a wisely small measure of frosting since the cake batter was so rich. Who knew that vegan baking could be better than the kind that exploits cows? My friend happily inhaled two.
Also pretty funky: instead of parmesean cheese, you get a shaker with walnut crumbs and nutritional yeast. It tastes terrible on its own, but lends a bit of extra flavor that helps spice up the (relatively inoffensive but unremarkable) cheese.
The Blue October Pizza at Zing! Pizza
I love a well-made pizza pie as much as anybody else, but I often seek out pies that stretch the definition of pizza (see: my entry on Veggie Planet). If I’m going to go the traditional pizza route, I place huge stock in the crust, which should never be soggy from the sauce nor be overpowered by the cheese, and should have the right amount of crunch (especially thin crust) or a touch of buttery flakiness (Oggi’s).
I serendipitously wandered into Zing! by accident one warm spring evening. I’d decided to trek up to Porter Square, saw the sign, and ordered up a slice of their Blue October which is very similar in basic ingredients to Veggie Planet’s Brunch for Henry pizza. Since one of the pizzas was on the smaller side, the super sweet employee threw in another slice for free – so I ate essentially half a pizza for only a few bucks.
Then I doused some leftover in a shower of red chili flakes, just because I love things that bite me back.
How was it? Really, truly delicious. The butternut squash “sauce” isn’t overpowering at all, and pins down the swirling loops of caramelized onion, mozz, spinach, and bleu cheese with subtly sweet, silky undertone. The thin crust (a nice crunch, of course) nicely showcases the toppings, which have that fortunate quality of surprising you with something a little different in each bite – so good its transcendent of whatever you think of its toppings independently.
If only you were a little closer to Harvard Square.
Find it!
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Zing! Pizza
1925 Mass Ave
617 497 4300
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Delightful, delicious Veggie Planet Pizza
Vegan Peanut Curry - with butternut squash instead of broccoli
Veggie Planet has made me sing songs of joy ever since I first visited a few months into freshman year and tasted the sweet revelation that is Lunch for Henry. Whenever people ask me my favorite restaurant in Harvard Square, the answer is invariably Veggie Planet… I prefer the cramped climes and uneven, sometimes crappy service to slick bars and charming beverage directors. It is the most dollar per happiness that you can find in Harvard Square, and being a poor student, that kind of economic calculation is irresistable. Veggie Planet is the kind of secret that I constantly push new people to discover – it’s the place I drag new and old friends to, and yes, I do judge people based on what they think of the food here. Which I don’t do so much. Or try not to, at least.
A few of my favorites:
- Portabello Redhead: mushrooms, red romesco sauce, feta cheese, caramelized onions
- Lunch/Dinner for Henry: butternut squash, goat cheese, caramelized onions
- Caesar on a Big Cheesy Crouton: Caesar salad with chopped kalamata olive and fried tofu croutons a cheesy flatbread crust
- Vegan Peanut Curry: a spicy curry on coconut rice with a smattering of peanuts, broccoli and fried tofu croutons
Roasted vegetables with brown rice - I killed this baby with a heaping of Sriracha hot sauce, and immediately regretted it... my taste buds are out of practice.
I tried this dish for the first time… was not too enthused about it. I also overloaded on the hot sauce, which was completely my fault. Too much hubris after writing this column for the Crimson.
Tiny tables, small stools, music fliers everywhere... Veggie Planet makes me extra happy and Asian.
