Raw Dish!

by Stephen Parker

A decade ago I was beginning to feel a deep connection to the importance of staying raw and it wasn’t always easy.  This was before raw restaurants had sprung up in any lasting way, and before dehydrators had come into vogue and definitely before the plethora of packaged raw food products we have today.  We ate mostly whole fruits, vegetables, nuts or seeds and various fresh recipes that a few of us passed around when we found one that we liked.

Around this time I was dating someone who had grown up with mentally unstable parents.  The guy’s mother by this time was living in a mental institution and over the years my boy friend had become very sensitive to anything that struck him as odd or possibly askew in someone’s mental makeup.  He was an artist but he still liked for everything to have a certain conventionality.

One night we had planned to have a sleepover at his apartment.  That was the extent of the plan because we both had demanding jobs and didn’t know when we may have to work late.  On this night there were no plans for dinner; we just knew that we’d end the day together at his apartment.

It was winter, cold, damp and I left work after a long day; I felt hungry and it felt important for me to stay raw that night.  My boyfriend lived in the East Village and back then the food store choices were the local delicatessens and a nearby mom and pop small organic grocery store.  On this particular cold January night I was struggling to find something raw and adequate for dinner and I ended up with celery, carrots, raw tahini, cucumbers and some kind of chopped raw salad.

Quintessence Co-Owner MunMy boyfriend arrived home and found me sitting cross legged on the end of the bed watching TV and happily munching my vegetables.  Upon seeing my plate he behaved in a much unexpected way; he was cold and remote and when I asked what was going on I was shocked and totally unprepared to hear him say that he thought my dinner was very weird, so weird that he thought it might be a symptom of mental instability. 

This seemed so bizarre coming from a guy who worked in the advertizing industry and who prided himself on being hip, cool and up to date on the latest fad or fashion. The evening did not go well after that. I felt angry, hurt and unreasonably judged.  I woke up in the middle of the night and started to leave and go back to my own home where I felt emotionally safe but we sort of talked through it and I stayed but not without some discomfort.

Not too long after that I heard about a restaurant that served nothing but raw food and was located near this guy’s apartment.  This was exciting news for me and after much arm twisting my boyfriend agreed to go.  It turned out the restaurant was cozy, candle lit, romantic and it had a high hip factor for the early 2000’s.  Importantly, the food was good.  I felt truly vindicated, not crazy, not weird, just a part of a small group of people who recognized that raw was the way of the future.

Quintessence Executive Chef Dan Hoyt in action teaching a "cooking" classThat little restaurant was Quintessence and I went there for dinner tonight after not having been there in probably three or four years.  I felt like I was seeing an old friend for the first time in a long while.  The small dining room has a subtle and very pleasant familiar aroma, fresh and mildly sweet.  On the way in I passed the co-owner and Executive Chef Dan Hoyt who was on his way out but he’d left things in very good hands. 

The menu has changed and grown.  I ordered coconut water to drink while my dinner companion and I chatted with the co-owner Mun who was passing through. I felt interested to hear Mun say that she longer eats an all raw diet and that she’s been hearing about other raw food coaches and similar formerly raw people who also no longer eat all raw.  She didn’t know the reason why for this reversal of eating habits but I’m always curious when I hear things like this because in the past when I’ve made non-raw food choices it practically always has nothing to do with nutrition and everything to do with comfort seeking, compulsive eating habits and emotional attachments to cooked food.  For me this is why established restaurants like Quintessence are so important.

Mock Tuna CevicheRaw food restaurants that have managed to remain open over time help people to develop dining traditions and positive attachments around raw choices.  On this particular night as I looked through the menu I saw new selections like my appetizer of Mock Tuna Ceviche along with established favorites that I know are dependable choices like my Indian platter entrée that included my most favorite Mali Kofta which Quintessence does a fabulous job with.  The Mock Tuna Ceviche was also terrific and visually impressive when served.  The dessert, the Split Banana Sundae was fair, not great.  I wouldn’t give it a high rating on the flavor scale.  It is beautiful when served but it’s rather bland.

Split Banana SundaeThe service was great.  Cole the manager took good care of us.  The servers were attentive and no one allowed empty dishes and glasses to accumulate on the table.  Revisiting Quintessence truly felt like I was reconnecting with something good and dependable.  Although Cole said business was a little slow, it seemed to me that there was a steady stream of diners arriving during the time we were there.  I felt glad to see “A Banana in My Pocket” author and film maker David Giardina come in to dine with a friend.  David is one man who without fail always has a cheerful friendly demeanor.

I am very glad to know that Quintessence is still around after ten years.  By the way, in case you’re wondering what happened to the boy friend who thought I was mentally unstable because the vegetables I eat for dinner happen to be raw; well he’s history, long gone.  Not so with Quintessence!

Quintessence is located at:

263 E 10th Street
(btw. Ave A & 1st Ave)
NYC
Phone:(646) 654-1823