First Bite: Avo

I was as torn as a Natalie Imbruglia song before even eating anything from Avo, the raw vegan restaurant that recently opened right off Charlotte Ave., near Centennial Park.

As a vegetarian, I (duh) love vegetarian and vegan restaurants because I feel so free when I can order anything from a menu without having to ask about every single ingredient. Meat, lard, bacon grease, chicken stock — they're always lurking in dishes, even in things that appear to be meat-free. (Did you know they put lard in all the biscuit dough at Biscuit Love? Sad but true. Thankfully, their vegetarian grits are delicious. UPDATE: This is not true after all! I had bad info! An update from Biscuit Love confirms that only the biscuits that come with the ham bar are laden with lard. Hooray!)

But at the same time, I don't always like vegan and raw-food places because, while menus often promise some kind of comfort food like mac ’n’ cheese or pizza, what's actually served is so far from what I pictured in my mind it's hard not to be disappointed. If it wasn't baked in an oven, it's not lasagna! Unless there are strings of gooey mozzarella cheese hanging from the corners of my mouth with every bite, don't you dare call that shit pizza!

Ahem. So you can see why I'd approach Avo with a combination of hesitation and excitement. But despite Avo being a raw-food restaurant (nothing is warmed above 118 degrees), their efforts to deliver fulfilling, comforting food during lunch was still really successful (they also have dinner and brunch, the latter of which features a Cinnamon Bun à la mode .... intriguing).

I had the lasagna ($13), which came as a hearty square stacked with tender, marinated slices of zucchini, pesto, fresh spinach and a surprisingly creamy cashew hempseed "ricotta." It's topped with a tangy sun-dried tomato sauce and a sprinkle of seeds to give it a little crunch. It was delicious. The flavors were mild, but still really fresh and pleasing, and I'm forever thankful for whatever magic had to be worked in order to turn cashews and hempseed into a light mixture that's as clean-tasting and creamy as any fresh ricotta. The side of dressed greens that it was plated with were also tasty, though the pile was almost too massive to finish. 

The pesto noodle bowl ($10) was good, too — my friend (and Scene art director!) Elizabeth said that although the zucchini noodles were crunchy, they "were cut thin enough that it could MAYBE ALMOST satisfy a pasta craving." And the helping was huge. There was way more zucchini than Elizabeth could finish herself, and even with some help from the rest of the table there were still leftovers. (On a personal note, I refuse to eat pasta without cheese so on my next trip I might ask for this with a side of that cashew ricotta.)

We were also lucky enough to snag one of the last Summer Pizzas (apparently they sell out early and often). While another co-worker (well, former co-worker — we miss you so much already, Abby!), really liked it, she said it wasn't quite as good as the lasagna, which she loves. Also, the sprouted crust seemed a little unwieldy, though I suppose it's hard to craft something as light and crispy as a great pizza crust when you are working with whole food and no oven.

Avo's menu also currently has Raw Pad Thai (kelp, daikon and zucchini noodles tossed in homemade spicy almond sauce with fresh herbs and vegetables, $11), as well as several different salads, including tabbouleh, a daily special, a vegan Caesar and a "build your own" option where you can choose from dozens of vegetables, nuts, fruit, "cheese" and dressings. And they serve a variety of fresh juices and kombucha to drink (I stuck with water — I can't drink something that has a "mother" floating around in it). 

While the cool and completely satisfying dishes are a perfect meal for our insanely hot August days, I'm more interested to see what Avo offers when produce becomes less bountiful in the winter, when even vegans and vegetarians start to crave starchy, warm comfort foods. Based on this one visit, I bet it'll be something delicious, even if it is at room temperature.

Avo

Locale 3 C1TY Ave.

615-329-2377 

Open Tues-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sun 10 a.m.-4 p.m.