They Like It Raw: Rockin' Raw Opens

My introduction to Rockin’ Raw, the neighborhood’s first raw vegan restaurant, was a mocktail called the “Maca Apple-Icous,” something like a milkshake with apple, ginger, honey, and maca. This Andrean plant has been shown to increase male libidos and is apparently Peru’s natural answer to Viagra. Soon after, flushed and a tad lightheaded, I found myself wishing I could sit with my date in the lush outdoor area where, rain or no rain, some very private tables sat partially obscured by trees. It seems raw food can provide some heat after all.
The husband and wife owners, Luis Salgado, of Peru, and Tere Fox, from New Orleans, serve raw interpretations of their native cuisines that walk a very fine line. Such dishes can be pleasant experiences, politely challenging you to think about tastes and what you like so much about them to begin with, or they can just remind you what you’re missing. Thankfully, and despite the silly moniker, the food here tips towards the former.

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