Quintessence

09/10/08

Good Raw Food, but not the only place in town.

by gaiamcraft at Citysearch

What a shame that I can no longer issue this place 5 stars, but I put in 3 just for old times' sake. I used to have lunch/dinner here at least a couple of times a week. The food was great, the service was friendly and helpful, and I always left happy and so did all the people I brought here.

What happened? By the lack of attention to food and new waitstaff, you would think management changed, although I do not believe that that is the case. I gave this place several chances, but after so many years, I had to give it up with sadness in my heart. After bringing back sandwiches with black avacados, waiting 30 minutes for a drink, rising prices, and having to deal with waiters that can barely speak English, I have had enough.

I still walk by in hopes that it has changed for the better because it really does have many redeeming qualities. So, hopefully someone will have better experiences.

• Pros: the ambience, also some food in particular: cheesey broccoli, rolls, tacos, juices.
• Cons: service, price, wait time.

07/26/06

Eat it raw: "Om" cooking and a menu with a mission to lift you up and clean you out.

by Contributor at Citysearch

As Quintessence might have you believe, it serves the closest thing to miracle food since the Communion wafer. The menu promises "ultimate healing power" in vegan dishes made of ingredients like hi-alkaline filtered water and mineral-packed sea salt. It's uncooked, unprocessed and unpasteurized. Dishes include Peter's Pot, a soup of tomato, yellow pepper and cucumber. Other favorites are the nut loaf, topped with creamy mushroom gravy, and Juliano's Livioli, a turnip stuffed with a rich basil-and-nut filling.

12/15/05

Not a Vegetarian - But I was IMPRESSED!

by Bridget_Jones at Citysearch

Ok. I'm not a vegetarian but if I could eat here everyday - I would be converted. I am AMAZED at what this place can do to not just to vegetarian food, but to RAW, VEGAN food! I've tried everything on the menu and yes, it's expensive - but I must say - everything was fantastic, no, it's better than fantastic - it's AMAZING! If I lived closer and could go here everyday I'd be living a RAW, vegan lifestyle. My only complaint is that they don't have more locations. OPEN MORE LOCATIONS!!!!!!

• Pros: Healing Foods, Delish FOOD, Meateaters Will Love!
• Cons: Expensive, not enough locations

08/29/05

User review by chaevans

by chaevans at Citysearch

The salads are wonderful. I've asked the owner how he makes them but he won't reveal the secret sauce he uses. He actually recommends using the dressing as a facial. Go figure.

07/20/03

mm, non-cooked food...

by roboppy at Citysearch

As a raw foodist, I was very happy to come across a restaurant where I could try something different besides a salad. While I would only go to Quintessence very occasionally (some choices can be quite filling and heavy), the food is very innovative and an amazing display of what can be done without the use of stoves and ovens. While the choices are meant to recreate different types of cooked food, to me the raw versions are completely different and stand deliciously on their own. My only complaint is that sometimes the food can be heavily seasoned, but then again most cooked food is heavily seasoned too. Also, the restaurant is very small, but in a way that makes it cozy. Everything is delicious, but make sure to try the coconut shake!

• Pros: yummy!, healthy
• Cons: not much room, too much seasoning

04/02/03

Guilt Free Eating

by mangiamangia2008 at Citysearch

I am most definitely not a vegeterian but I love this restaurant. I always leave feeling satisfied and not too full. The desserts are my favorites, the 3 layer choclate cake, the apple pie and coconut pie.... If you're going the first time get the sample appetizer to get a taste of the variety. They use to serve a great lemonade. Service always seems a bit frazzled but they're very nice.

03/21/03

Exceeded My Expectations

by sethnyc at Citysearch

Vegtables RULE! (almost as much as pork fat) I began with a sampler platter of vegan nori rolls and the veggie "burrito". Followed by a Mexican platter that featured nut loaf "meat" with Mexican spices on a bed of romaine with a generous helping of guacamole, "refried" beans and a side of garlic black rice (it wasn't cooked but the texture was like al dente pasta). Afterwards, pecan pie with "whipped cream" (tasted like heavy whipped cream but was actually coconut and stevia extract). I cannot describe the intensity or complexity of the flavors. The creators of these dishes have achieved nothing less than culinary alchemy, taking the most humble of ingredients and forming tastes that are more than the sum of their parts. The food was presented beautifully and the service was easygoing and attentive.

I recommend this restaurant to everyone who wants to experience RAW cuisine for themselves.

• Pros: Good Service, Intimate setting, Zen-like decor
• Cons: Poor music, Limited beverages

02/05/03

Scrumptious!

by jreneac at Citysearch

I visited the UES branch and was amazed at the taste and quality of the food. The atmosphere was serene, the staff friendly, the food so good it makes me want to go RAW. The soup was flavorful and heated me up from the inside out with its spiciness. The avacodo/olive dim sum were wondeful drops of richness. My only complaint was that the juicer was noisy in such a small space.

• Pros: Tasty, Healthy food, Serene Atmosphere, Friendly staff
• Cons: A bit small, The loud juicer

01/23/03

Raw Food-- an intestinal treat

by lbh17 at Citysearch

The restaurant itself was very beautiful. Peaceful, serene, feng shuied perfectly. The food however, was not amazing. It was very salty. I think that for a strict raw foodist however, the food would be pretty good. The recipes were interested. I ordered the Sesame sea salad which was amazing. I shared my friends Peter's Pot soup and it was very good too. Every meal comes with hot ginger tea which is nice on the stomache. For the main course, I ordered the burrito dinner and my companion ordered the nut loaf, which is like meatloaf made out of nuts-- that was very salty. So salty in fact that it was inedible. In fact, I found all the food to be too salty. The combinations were interesting and they did a good job of combining raw food, but hard rice-- PLEASE!!!! Might be better in summer when you want cold food.

09/25/02

Incredible

by skaterfeet at Citysearch

I am not a vegan nor a raw foodist, but this place blew me away. The "burrito" was one of the most flavoral things I've ever eaten, and the coconut "cream" pie was light and earthy without being dowdy. The bean dim sum was a bite-sized burst of rich flavor. The place is small, the staff is nice and anyone interested in sampling some of the best vegan food in town should check this out.