No Love At Euphoria Loves Rawvolution

After a delightful yoga class, I found myself craving raw food, as I so often do after an invigorating exercise class. Luckily, Euphoria Loves Rawvolution was right down the street and I had a groupon voucher for the restaurant for $9 for $18 worth of food and drink. I was excited to use it, as I had never been there before. I had no idea what to expect, so I was a little surprised to see the restaurant had a cafe vibe. Many of the diners were relaxed, reading newspapers and magazines.

At first, I thought the restaurant was counter service, but then saw a sign that indicated to seat yourself. I found myself at a large table by the door, since all the small ones were taken. I sat there for what felt like hours, while the inattentive waitresses ignored my presence. Finally, a waitress came over and asked if I was dining in. I'm not sure why she assumed I was loitering, but she rudely handed me a menu. I scanned it over to find many enticing options. Nevertheless, I made my decision quickly, but once again found much difficulty flagging down a waitress. When one finally came over, I placed my entire order: appetizer, entree and dessert, in fear that I would not be able to get their attention again.

I waited a while more before my entree came out. I was a little confused at why they had brought the entree out first, rather than the appetizer. Nevertheless, I began to eat it. I ordered the Mexican Pizza ($10).

The pizza was actually really good. It's not the best raw pizza I've had, but it was still delicious. The pizza was so flavorful, with the smooth guacamole and the savory chunks of meaty soyrizo. There were pieces of sweet tomato that contrasted the sour cream topping. There was also a strong taste of beans that added a saltiness to the pizza. The "bread" base was a little odd and was too soft and chewy. The accompanying salad was very light and refreshing and complimented the pizza very well.

Next, I had the appetizer: Pesto Tomato Sliders ($6).

These were also very tasty, although they were so uninventive. They did not represent sliders in the least bit. The chefs could have at the very least stacked the tomatoes to create a sandwich. Nevertheless, the pesto was very creamy and scrumptious, having the perfect mixture of saltiness and sweetness. The tomatoes were also very fresh and juicy. The salad in the center was delightful, with a creamy ranch-like dressing.

Lastly, I had a scoop of chocolate ice cream ($4).

This ice cream was decent, although definitely not a good depiction of how amazing Vegan ice cream can be. It was creamy, but lacked the smoothness that ice cream should have. It did not taste very chocolately and lacked much sweetness. It was very chunky, with a strong taste of nuts. Hence, there was also a slightly bitter taste.

The food at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution is mediocre and nowhere near as good as its competitors. In LA, I have high expectations for raw restaurants, since there is such a high demand for it. The service is also terrible. I hated being ignored by the waitresses and even worse, being given my entree and dessert to eat together. If I return, it will only be to get some food to go. I doubt I will return, however, unless they have another deal on groupon. I do not recommend this restaurant and find it to be overpriced, especially for the sub-par quality of the food and small portions. I think I will stick to my favorite raw restaurants, all of which have even better deals on restaurant.com.