So, in my continued quest for healthy and yummy food, today I paid a visit to the (in)famous Cafe Gratitude. I first learned of this place when a friend of mine wrote about it in her novel, and I swear I thought she had made it up, it was sooooo crazy. But no, it is quite real.
There are so many aspects of this place that are really laudable, but really it like some bizarro New Age raw food experiment gone completely, completely awry. Just click through their website if you think I am kidding. But I did that before going, and it was nothing like the real experience. Believe me, I did this today so that none of you ever, ever have to.
First, the hostess. “Find where you want to sit, and I’ll follow you around and give you your menu.” She can’t just HAND me the menu and let me find a table. So I wandered through the front room, the back room and almost out to the patio and she’s trailing me like a puppy dog. Finally after perusing the entire place I decide I want to go back to the front room, which is quieter, less crowded and has smaller tables. She gave me my menu with an annoyed look like, “It sure took you long enough, and why didn’t you sit here the first time you saw it?”
The menu. Not only do they give everything a faux-New Age cutesy name like “I Am Satisfied,” rather than “small green salad” or “I am Sensational” for a bogus “pizza” (with no crust and no cheese) made with hemp seed – not only that, but they FORCE YOU to SAY “I’d like “I am Sensational,” or they will not bring you your food. You can’t just mumble, “Hemp seed pizza, please.” I AM NOT KIDDING. I had already learned this from reading some Yelp reviews, and I did not want to get into a whole power struggle with my server, so I just sucked it up and said, trying to snort back my laughter, “I Am Satisfied, I am Thriving, I am Refreshed.” (translation: small salad, small mushroom soup, small lemonade with agave syrup)
I could tell they were getting their hemp panties in a twist because I was Twittering into my iPhone rather than doing seated yoga while I waited for my food, but I did not care.
Finally it arrived. The mushroom soup, while pretty tasty, was only lukewarm. I should add that 90% of the food at Cafe Gratitude is raw, ie. uncooked. Even the pizza. (whyyyyyyyyyy do they even bother to call it pizza? I suspect just to completely enrage people. A buckwheat “flatbread” (ie cracker) topped with “cashew parmesan” (It’s crumbled nuts!!!! It’s NOT CHEESE!) and cold tomato sauce is not, by any stretch of any imagination, pizza.
I think they really believe that to heat a food is to mortally harm it. Thus, my soup was borderline room temperature. I really like my hot food hot and my cold food cold, so this was annoying. Then my salad came. It was no more than a handful of greens with some shredded carrots, oil and vinegar, more nut “cheese” and two delicately placed “teriyaki almonds” on top, as decoration. Almonds are very key ingredients over at Cafe Gratitude. All dairy products, like milk shakes and ice cream, are made with almond milk. What, they think almonds don’t hurt when you milk them? They think almonds don’t have SOULS just because they don’t have eyeballs, or footprints? Please. My lemonade was the favorite part- lemony, sparkly, sweetened with agave which I have been curious to taste (one of the very few natural sweeteners with a low glycemic index) with a nice sprig of mint. Mmm! It WAS refreshing!
I happened to be sitting nearby the barista, who would prepare a drink, and then bellow out, “MARISAAA! YOU ARE REJUVENATED! (wheatgrass cocktail)” or “AMY! YOU ARE ECSTATIC! (vanilla latte)” It was actually too surreal for words.
This place takes Mindful Eating and shoves it down your throat. After I ate, my server took my dishes and said, “Our question of the day (QUESTION OF THE DAY?!?) is, ‘What makes your heart open?'” My jaw almost dropped to the ground. But again, not wanting to get into a scuffle or accumulate too much bad karma, I said, with a straight face, “My daughter.” (which happens to be true) She said, “Awww!! Great answer!” and glided (glid?) away.
She returned with my bill. I glanced at it. Then I took another look and my eyeballs almost popped out of my head. Unfortunately, I had not paid close attention to the pricing on the menu, so distracted I was by all the “I am Blissful” menu items.
My bill for a “small cup” of lukewarm soup, a “small salad,” and a Very Small Lemonade, however refreshing, came to $23.
I was like, not amused.
Nor were the blue-haired grannies who were sitting near me. They had been escorted into CG by their two ratty-haired twenty something granddaughters. They looked absolutely bewildered, appalled and frightened by the place (and rightly so). After getting a long-winded orientation to the menu by the server, I heard one of the granddaughters say, “Grandma, it’s ALL VEGETABLES.” And no, they don’t really cook them either. It’s going to be a long luncheon, ladies.
What could I do? I paid. I left. I went home and looked up the menu for world-renowned Chez Panisse, which is just a block or two down the street. Guess what? Their salads and soups (for the DINNER menu!) was the exact same price as this vegan nuthouse.
Mindful: I “checked in” with my stomach about 45 minutes after lunch, and I was a ravenous, gaping cavern of hunger. I was So. Not. Satisfied.
Went home and had some nice Irish Cheddar with Guinness Stout. (the stout is cooked into the cheese; it’s awesome) Felt better immediately.
March 21, 2009 at 12:36 am
“What, they think almonds don’t hurt when you milk them? They think almonds don’t have SOULS just because they don’t have eyeballs, or footprints? Please.”
Ah, you are familiar, I see, with The Secret Life of Plants which details the private agonies suffered by the vegetative world when its denizens are cruelly wrestled from the earth to serve our base needs. Oh, the horror!
March 21, 2009 at 12:36 am
I *hate* Cafe Gratitude. It’s so bogus. You’d be better off eating organic celery from the farmers and dipping it into homemade peanut butter–raw and organic and vegan. And it wouldn’t cost you $20 (annnnd it would taste MUCH BETTER). Btw, I am not against being vegan. I have been to Millenium and really enjoyed my meal there.
Their attitude is so saccharine. A friend took me here and I was SO PISSED at her for insisting we go here.
I *wish* I had gone with you–because then I would have at least had a great time laughing my ASS OFF at the stupidity of Cafe Gratitude.
Okay. See? Cafe Gratitude brings out my inner rage.
March 21, 2009 at 1:09 am
Jadepark, I know, Millenium has dignified, beautiful vegan food. And if their salads cost $9 it’s because it’s truly worth it, in presentation, atmosphere, service. They don’t ask ridiculous and intrusive questions.
If I keep thinking about it too much I’m going to have to start taking Diovan again.
March 21, 2009 at 8:05 am
Oh.my.god. I wish I could have gone with you – this place sounds like a trip! “Nut cheese?” Why don’t they just call it minced nuts?! Although I am craving a fresh lemonade now!
Great review!!!
March 22, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Hilarious! Please go back. I wanna hear your next review. 🙂
March 23, 2009 at 1:31 pm
that sounds unsatisfying and annoying!
jeez– part of the pleasure of eating is eating what you enjoy! thanks for the review… i will remind myself of that if i ever think i would like to go there.
i much prefer saul’s anyway!
April 5, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Wow Ito, I AM RELIEVED that you put so many of my thoughts about Cafe Attitude in writing. In a strange twist of fate I happened upon the place one day after couples therapy, and had the strange idea that we could choose our own topic with no help from the servers, who insisted on reading us the chosen question regardless, in their breathy, I AM SENSUAL way.
June 3, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I hear the food is really good, but I can’t deal with the vibe. A friend went and had the “pizza”, and you’re correct, he was pissed. I don’t understand what he was expecting, but raw vegan food just isn’t going to taste like Zachary’s, ffs!
April 10, 2011 at 4:12 pm
So funny. When I heard about this place I liked the idea. I love the idea of being grateful, but I couldn’t see anything on the menu I would like to eat. So I am grateful to you for this so that I know that I should just embrace the idea and not actually try eating there. 🙂
As I am sure you are aware some foods are more nutritious when cooked. Or at least some of the different vitamins/nutrients get “unlocked” when the food is cooked. Tomatoes are one of those foods that are really good for you cooked.
You are funny. This is a great post. Thank you for sharing.
June 9, 2014 at 3:05 pm
You are clearly an idiot. Cafe Gratitude is a raw food restaurant so it would be logical that the food was not hot – this is how they retain nutrients. Also, kudos to them if they took away your phone. I don’t think people want to sit next to you while you are practicing being unpresent and sharing your empty life on social media. You should review fast food in that seems more your speed.