Brazil IV - Restaurants

While there is no shortage of steakhouses in the city of Rio de Janeiro, vegan restaurants are far and few between. Luckily, thanks to Happy Cow, I was able to find one vegan/organic restaurant and even one raw restaurant.

Vegetariano Social Clube - Culinaria Organica is a fantastic vegan restaurant in the exquisite neighborhood of Leblon. Their menu is quite diverse and they have a fantastic selection of sweets. Quite honestly, I have had a salad both times I've dined there. Salads are very hard to come by in Brazil, as is any green vegetable. On this tangent, it's worth mentioning that garlic sprouts, locally called Nira, are one of the most common green vegetables I have seen at all different types of restaurants. Luckily, Vegetariano Social Clube offers more diversity.


(why did I take the picture from this angle?)

Universo Organico is a raw restaurant that is worthy of accolades by any standards. If they had a location in New York I would dine here more frequently than any other raw restaurant we already have here. The flavor combinations are sensational and they use very good quality ingredients. They even have a zucchini lasagna. Universo Organico is just a few doors down from Vegetariano Social Clube, but it's tucked inside the plaza of a theater, so it can be difficult to find.



Go to Rio!!!

Restaurant Tips

I just got down to West Palm Beach a couple of days ago. Since becoming a raw vegan 4 or 5 months ago, I've experienced looming dread about my impending holiday travel. In NYC it's rather easy to stay the raw course - one, because i'm in my everyday routine of cooking, and two, because there are a handful of raw food restaurants/juicebars/health food stores to support me on this journey. Middle America....well, I feel for you. It is truly much more challenging to remain a raw vegan in the land of Applebee's and Chilli's.

I knew that once I got down to West Palm I was going to have to go out to restaurants with family and friends. With some creativity I have been able to stay 90% raw at each of my restaurant dining experiences (without resorting to a "chef's salad").

Japanese Cuisine -
Nearly every city in the US has a Japanese restaurant nowdays. True, most guests are eating spicy tuna rolls with the mysterious "crunch" topping. But, it is also quite easy to order two dishes that will accomodate a raw lifestyle:

1) A "naruto" roll. "Naruto" simply means "without rice." If you ask the sushi chef to prepare you a naruto roll, he will thinly slice a cucumber and use it in place of the nori and rice to wrap up vegetables with. I generally ask for carrots and avocado rolled up. (note: this picture was pulled from Google images and obviously has some tuna in it).

2) Seaweed salad. This salad is almost like pomme frites at a French bistro. In Japan nearly all sushi comes with a side of seaweed salad tossed with sesame oil, sesame seeds, a scant toss of chilis, and some lemon juice. It's incredibly delicious and easy to come by.

Latin Cuisine-
In many parts of the country (Florida certainly), Latin or "mexican" food is very easy to come by. Although it might initially appear to be a vegan's worst nightmare, one of my favorite foods is cherished by nearly all Latin American cultures - avocadoes!!!! I generally ask for the freshest guacamole and eat it plain, or with corn chips (not raw, obviously). I've even been known to make a burrito with just guacamole. There's one restaurant in West Palm that I can't wait to check out called Roccos Tacos where they make the guacamole tableside with a mortar and pestle. Several of my favorite restaurants in NYC do the same and it's delicious.



In sum, don't be afriad to go out to conventional restaurants with family and friends. Just be creative with the menu and don't hesitate to ask for substitutions.