Psychic Lunch: Raw Dining in Minneapolis: the Ecopolitan

Tonight I walked into the Ecopolitan restaurant to be greeted by what can only be described as the aroma of REAL food. It's the smell that's only and always found in health food stores, and there never was a better case for aromatherapy than this. The Ecopolitan is a raw-food restaurant located a few miles south of downtown Minneapolis, a restaurant created from a renovated and classically-styled duplex. It's a little small for a restaurant and there are a couple of seats in the place that are tucked into what were once hallways. I can imagine there must be nights when the wait for seating would be fairly long as there's really only enough to fit, perhaps, 36 people at most.

Despite the limited seating, not a single thing about the restaurant failed to please. The focus of the restaurant is on good, healthy food and minimized impact - that is, a reduction of waste. The food is 100% vegan and organic, and although personally I don't advocate pure vegan diets for everyone, the food here can be TRUSTED. It's a feeling you don't get at a typical establishment, and it's a great change of pace.

The waitress brought out, along with the reverse-osmosis filtered water (without ice - yes!), a wine list with a selection of organic reds and whites, and while I was tempted to try something, I was more enticed by the array of fresh juices available, and couldn't help but go for the beet-carrot-apple-kale-ginger juice. (Which of course was fantastic)

After having logged into Foursquare (a mobile application for sharing and recommending venues and activities) to find that other visitors recommended the taco salad and avoid the thai noodles, I went with the former - the meat for this salad is made of spiced lentils and frankly, although the meal is naturally cold because it's raw, it tasted AND felt like a delicious taco salad should.

I found myself loving just being there as much as I enjoyed eating the food. What was especially great was how the staff came across as extremely knowledgeable and familiar with the food that they serve. They live the life and are happy to talk about it, which again is a far cry from a typical restaurant worker who might know how good the various meals of their restaurant chain taste, but can't say a word as to how healthy it really is.

My partner-in-dine in the kitchen

In addition to the restaurant, there is a selection of health products available for purchase - a store, if you will - and a juice bar in the back of the establishment. You can look right over the counter and see the chef making the food, and it was just great to see all the stacks of fruits and vegetables. Inspiring, even. There was a section of the store dedicated to coconut oil and they even had Tropical Tradition's brand of gold-label oil for sale, along with a "why use coconut oil" fact sheet.

All in all, I was impressed and shall return soon with my family. And now, I've thought of one complaint to leave off on; which is that there are not more restaurants like the Ecopolitan!