An Event-Full Raw February 2014

Whew, what a month! February was about exciting events, birthday, emotional ups and downs, and a raw anniversary!

More than anything else, this post is about some amazing foods I was fortunate to try. As a aside-note, however, yes, I am an Aquarius, born in February, so it was my birthday and my 3rd anniversary of having lived the raw lifestyle!!! Yay! : )

I went down to L.A., Thousand Oaks and Costa Mesa in Orange County, to be specific, to attend and educate at two of my favorite events of the year: the Raw Living Expo, and the Longevity Conference. Yay, it was such an amazing two weekends back-to-back. Can't wait for next year's…

While I worked a lot at both, I did have some time to explore, listen to some wisdom being shared by speakers and enjoy a couple of special dinners.

At the Expo, I was invited to the VIP Gala Dinner prepared by the hotel staff trained by a chef from the Bay Area....and I managed to take some photos of the several courses we were all served...

On the menu was:

Sesame Flatbread, Garlic Herb Boursin, Hickory Honey Fig coulis:

Black Sesame and Hemp Crusted Teriyaki Mushroom Fillet with Cauliflower Mash:

Cacao Crusted Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Maca Rose Cream Caramel and Mulberries:

I must admit, even though I've never been into raw cheeses, of all the items, the Garlic Herb Boursin was my favorite!

And this was just the beginning…I also had a wonderful evening with a few friends at Au Lac. I had heard so much about this restaurant for years and I couldn't wait to try their food! The amazing dishes are created by Chef Ito, who came by our table to greet us in person!…What a sweet guy! We shared many dishes and, I must say, it was an memorable experience! Everything was incredible!….A welcoming atmosphere, wonderful people, nice servers, and very yummy food : )

I'm tempted to start with the dessert but I'll just show you what we had in order…

Song Salad….absolutely divine. I wouldn't eat at Au Lac without ordering it. How often do you get a chance to have a salad made of watercress? It is so delicious:

Kelp Noodle Chow Mein…as if it was cooked Chinese food….without the frying though! ; ) Incredibly soft "pasta". No crunchy kelp noodles that you might have had at other restaurants:

Curried rice….served over avocado. My goodness, it is so delicious. I highly recommend it:

BBQ Pizza….with macadamia nut cheese:

Cali Roll….of course, it is clean and delicious. It's so easy to make though that I would never order this in a restaurant. Here's how to make your own rolls, which I call "California Rawlls" (Rolls). 

And now, the desserts! If you feel full and there is just no way you could have any dessert after dinner, it might be a good idea to order some to go. They're just too special to pass on. 

Donut Holes….a MUST try! Warm, with the center melted…they're so incredible:

Chocolate to feed your soul (too). I don't think they were any special, but I make my own chocolate so, you know, what can be better than home-made?? They're still yummy, and the smeared-on decoration, colored with spirulina, etc (I'm guessing) is such a "PET" (pretty, edible thing) on the side.

…and, since there was a birthday-girl among us, we had to celebrate with a plate of cake! Again, order some if you can. They are all well worth it:

So, you get the idea…. It is a place to go visit!!! The good news is: I've heard that Chef Ito is opening up a second restaurant in Hollywood in about three months!  Yay, two of them to go to. Never too much of such yummilicious food created by such a kind man! : )

Alright, enough for now, I just thought I'd check in ; ) while I'm working on a surprise for all of you out there….

Have a rawsome day/night/time….till next time.
Lots of love,
D.