"Gourmet Raw Food Dining"   My Rating
296 Chia	Posted on: Saturday, June 27, 2009
	Review: Was here for lunch in late June 2009. I'm delighted to have had the chance to dine at CRU (finally) and to review it on HappyCow.net. I had been here a few years back when it was still Jade Cafe, an all raw food cuisine restaurant. While the space and decor is similiar, it's under an entirely different ownership and staff. The interior is small-ish but chic casual with plenty room for moving about. I was surprised to find that besides Raw food, there is also about 8 offerings that are Cooked food. My friend and I ordered only the raw stuff because that's what we had come for. The two of us shared the Dream Roll appetizer which were very tasty, $10 (jicama, avocado, kimchi, shitake mushroom wrapped in collard green and paired with nama shoyu sauce. Then we had the Pesto Ravioli raw main entree which was excellent, $16 (herbed cashew cheese folded inside jicama slices accompanied by arugula salad). Also we got the Pad Thai raw main entree which turned out to be a disappointment, $13 (kelp noodle in a spicy and salty red sauce). The spicy chili was very strong but had a nice kick which I didn't mind, but the sauce was just too salty. Neither of us could eat it. I ended up taking it home and re-creating it by adding some sliced raw zucchini, mung beans, and toasted cashew nut pieces, and that became a delicious dinner. Overall, the raw food at CRU tasted clean, refined, and flavorful. It's certainly one of the better choices for a gourmet raw food experience in greater Los Angeles (I had just eaten at Juliano's Planet Raw and SunPower Natural last week, Leaf Cuisine and Rawvolution several weeks back). I would love to return again to try the other raw dishes.   Pros: * * Cons: * *
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"Yummy Raw Goodness!"   My Rating
11 MichelleOJ	Posted on: Friday, June 05, 2009
	Review: Visited Cru with a couple friends for a post-workout dinner. First off, parking sucks. Had to walk a few blocks down a residential street before getting lucky. The place is small yet intimate. Filled up FAST for dinner but the waiter was really friendly and efficient and helpful. We split the mezze appetizer which was delicious & fresh & flavorful. Each ordered the potato curry w/side of quinoa- lovely & BIG! Completed our meal w/raw cheesecake w/sliced strawberries & raw vegan whipped creme- quite decadent, sweet, & wonderful! Delicious, friendly, lovely place. Prices are a little more than your typical vegan place but I've found Cru to be on par with most raw restaurants but with a nicer ambience. Great little place to have lunch or dinner with friends! :) And Cru does have a small selection of cooked items on the menu and we noticed that not everything on their restaurant menu is listed on their website so you may walk in and be pleasantly surprised by the nice variety.   Pros: Great Desserts * Friendly Staff * Nice Selection Cons: Not much parking * *
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"Cru"   My Rating
19 Vegyogini	Posted on: Wednesday, March 25, 2009
	Review: Cru offers the best of both the raw and cooked vegan world. The food is beautifully presented and just as delicious.   Pros: * * Cons: * *
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"YUM!"   My Rating
4 bran	Posted on: Friday, January 09, 2009
	Review: BEST RAW CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER! This cake is now available in WholeFoods and the Santa Monica Co-op if you don't want to make the trip to Silver Lake. I have taken a number of the cooking classes here and have loved everything that we made! Can't wait to take more of the classes this year. They are very friendly and share a lot of RAW info! And the classes are cheap!   Pros: Cheap Raw-Cooking Classes * Nice Folks * THE CAKE! Cons: Hard parking * Far from mi casa *
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"Pretty good"   My Rating
10 brittany	Posted on: Friday, November 14, 2008
	Review: Cru is pretty good. It's expensive for the portion size (as most raw places are), but the dessert are totally worth it. If you're looking for raw food on the east side, definitely the (only) place to go!   Pros: desserts! * * Cons: expensive * *
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"More vegan options as of Aug. 1st"   My Rating
4 ShantiDass	Posted on: Friday, August 08, 2008
	Review: As of Aug. 1st,they have taken honey out of most of their dressings. There's a sign posted on the front door along with a note on the menu's regarding the changes. They only use Nama Shoyu or miso in a few of their items now. The food is excellent and the waitstaff has no problem asking in the back which items contain which ingredients. The desserts are great. I love the mint chocolate chip ice cream. Yum Yum.   Pros: Great food * nice staff * Cons: Parking on street is limited * Seating is limited, prepare to wait * still using honey
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"Not Vegan!"   My Rating
3 Peanut4	Posted on: Thursday, July 17, 2008
	Review: They use Honey in many sauces. The servers don't seem to know which dishes. Good luck! Great Vegetarian food. Misleading to Vegans.   Pros: * * Cons: * *
0 of 1 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(1) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • Yes, Cru is not totally vegan. I just got confirmation from another person. Her cook works there (leaving in a couple weeks) and mentioned to the owner that honey is NOT vegan - the owner (and she is not the chef) just shrugged her shoulders.. response by Mir - report abuse -

"It's not Jade"   My Rating
4 vegangodde ss	Posted on: Thursday, June 12, 2008
	Review: Well As a former Jade Groupie, It's pretty tough to compare. I loved Jade It was one of the only restaurants I would go eat at when I would get a day off and I live far away. I have eaten at Cru about 6 Times. I keep trying to give it a chance. But this last weekend I went with three friends and I have been Dissapointed for the last time. I am pretty sure I will not go back. But Honestly If I had to choose one Raw place to eat I would probably go here or Juliano's and I am not a fan of either ones. It's just that They both Have an Idea about food but just don't quite know how to put the flavors together. I am a Raw Chef and a hard core foodie. I just feel like Cru keeps missing the mark. But I want to be constructive so.. for instance, the Fig tart on special was totally tasteless and had no flavor or sugar in it at all. It just tasted like blended dried figs and fat like coconut oil and then topped with a coconut lime cream. Very strange combo. I am shocked someone in the kithen made this and said"wow this is so great lets put it on special" and the Lemon ice cream with chocolate sauce? ok chocolate lemon is strange. Not one of us four ate either one. We left them on the table. There cashew cheeze taste like nuts and water. I understand some people use garlic and salt in everything and thats not good either but a little bit of flavor would be nice. It just really needs to be stepped up. Thats all I am saying. As a foodie All i can say is I am not at home thinking about anything on your menu. And I still think about Jade's food often. They have been closed for a long time. But sorry for the review I just hope the chef reads it and realizes that you cant just throw things on a plate and think cause its raw were going to eat it..Hope to see a little bit more effort put into layers of flavors cause thats what its all about. Flavor sensations in the mouth.....from light..bon appetite   Pros: good portions * well priced * not to dehydreated Cons: a bit flavorless * no parking * just ok service
2 of 6 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(1) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • just curious.. you say you are a raw chef and hardcore foodie, where do you work and prepare food at ?. response by stephen - report abuse -

"AWESOME RAW CUISINE--FAVE IN CA"   My Rating
28 VeggiePink oKat	Posted on: Monday, December 17, 2007
	Review: First of all, don't listen to that nay-sayer DLouise, that person apparently has some weird agenda as I noticed they posted several bad things towards Cru. I have been to Cru a dozen times with my Mum and even invited my extended family who is as non-veg/non-raw/non-health foodist as they come and they LOVED it too! Try the "raviolis", hummus or avocado wraps, and the raspberry-chocolate torte if it's the special for dessert. The chef was very nice, my hat's off to her for her creative dishes, her food inspired me to go home and make my own raw "raviolis".   Pros: Excellent food * healthy cuisine * creative Cons: no parking * *
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"raw delights"   My Rating
10 ivorygate	Posted on: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
	Review: I have been to raw restaurants all around the world, and Cru is in my Top 3. The atmosphere has an almost rustic aura to it, classy but not too stuffy. The menu is ecelctic and pleasing to the eye, and the spicing of the food is not overdone. The desserts were worth having seconds by their own merit. When in California again, Cru will be a frequent stop for me.   Pros: ambiance * food quality * prices Cons: * *
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"Totally Overrated"   My Rating
5 lorihs	Posted on: Sunday, September 23, 2007
	Review: The reviews were great so I thought it would be a great resto to go for my birthday. I won't make that mistake again. The server had a too cool for school attitude and the food was not all that. I enjoy raw food very much, and I though the food was mediocre. I would not reccomend this place to anyone.   Pros: * * Cons: food mediocre * staff are incompetent * parking nearly impossible
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"Ravin' About the Raw"   My Rating
7 alyssa	Posted on: Wednesday, September 19, 2007
	Review: What a great little place! My boyfriend and I went here for a special date and loved it. Small but romantic with nice fusion music. We loved every bite, espcially the fig pate appetizer, the ravioli cruda and the cesar salad (delicious dressing AND it came with avocados!). I would suggest making reservations because they get busy.   Pros: fabulous food * nice decor * good music Cons: limited parking * *
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"Wonderful experience!"   My Rating
5 BubblyAdel a	Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
	Review: This was my first time at a raw vegan restaurant, and I absolutely loved it! It's a bit pricey, but that's because it's more of a refined restaurant (and they've got to be able to pay their coslty LA rent). I went with my cousin who is a devoted meat-eater, but he loooved it! We sampled various dishes, drinks, & desserts, and everything was incredibly tasty. The wait staff is helpful, the other guests are friendly, the interior is decorated nicely (pretty fresh flowers on the tables), and even the restroom is trendy! For individual food recommendations, the ravioli is very yummy, but it's $15 for a small serving. If you want something larger & very filling, go for one of the wraps (about $8 or so) because it's a big portion & it comes with a side of chips & dip. All of the desserts are amazing, the ice cream is delicious, and my chocolate maca smoothie disappeared in seconds.   Pros: wide selection * friendly service * delicious food Cons: some costly items * some small portions *
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