Pure Food & Wine

10/03/09

Did I just ate a dinner?

by heidi2002nyc

Than was my first and last time there. I can pay a chef to make this meal from farmers produce at my home-or better make it myself.

It was sooo laud me and my husband could not hear each other at all!!! The sound was bouncing off all walls. Too many people.

We got testing menu. What a bummer, I saw people (next to us) paying less than us and having more to eat. Portion control??? this place is more like the teaser to my poor empty belly! so for that I call it overpriced. Considering that you have to eat something after this.

if you are going to have such a meal, don't finish it with big fatty and sweet dessert! Thats silly to try to fill us up with the last course!

WE ARE NOT COMING BACK!!!!

• Pros: good tasting
• Cons: beyond small portions, toooo laud

09/03/09

Great Place for Raw

by ts123

I have eaten here a handful of times and really enjoy the uniqueness of the food. I eat a mostly raw diet and to have this dining experience available to me is amazing. I have tried other raw restaurants but they don't compare.

Yes, it is expensive. I do understand what goes into a raw meal. It is a very time consuming process and the quality of the ingredients must be top notch. In this case, I understand but I still think they can do better by offering a few menu items that mey not be as time consuming. Also, the wines are on the pricey side.

Another option is to try Pure Juice and Takeaway which is the same owner and kitchen right around the corner.. a little more economical but very casual, not much seating...

I am giving it a 5 because I love the food and 4 would be too low a rating.

• Pros: I love the food here, garden is pleasant in nice weather
• Cons: pricey, a little bit too dark inside

05/29/09

How to make a great meal? There's food involved!

by Lobsterman27

Went here for an anniversary dinner with my wife--I should have read further into the reviews on this site before making that mistake.

We arrived enthusiastic and ready to have a great meal. The waiter recommended the tasting menu, telling us that it would be a "very filling experience." The first course on a "5-course tasting menu" was literally one bite! I'm no glutton, but I'm not anorexic either. Honestly, a one-bite course (no exaggeration) is just insulting.

While waiting for our next famine-sized portion, the wait staff seated another couple literally elbow-to-elbow with us. When I made the reservation, I had mentioned that it was our anniversary and specifically requested a romantic setting. We then proceeded to watch our neighbors get much larger portions of food, and snack on a huge bowl of olives, even though they did not order from the tasting menu and surely paid less than we did!!

Seriously, we sat there green with jealousy watching other patrons in the restaurant eat larger-than-elf-sized portions--served much sooner--and all the while I was thinking "this must be the most expensive snack I've ever had."

We waited at least 20 minutes for the next few bites. I know some restaurants think that slower service is good because they are not hurrying their customers out the door, but how hard is it to leave something on the table to eat? If you can't do bread, because you're a raw-food restaurant, just leave some olives like you did for the couple sitting two inches to our right. At any half-worthwhile restaurant, this would just be automatic, especially with the tasting menu.

And forget the wait staff. At a restaurant with a $70 tasting menu, you should get excellent service from experienced and attentive waiters. These guys seemed like they were just plucked from Frat Boys R Us. We didn't know what we were being served, because the kitchen picks your courses for the tasting menu. This would have been fine, except our waiters mumbled the descriptions of the food, leaving us totally in the dark.

Also, they served different menu items to my wife and me with each course. This would have been OK, too, except the courses they chose for my wife were typically about half as much food as they served me.

The tiny portions separated by interminable waits continued for over an hour during which we literally got about 7 bites of food.

Finally our last course arrived--a huge dessert. Now, why would I go to a raw food, health-oriented restaurant just to fill up on sugar and fat? But that's exactly how they structured it. So the vast majority of calories at our meal were devoid of nutrients.

If you must go here, DO NOT ORDER THE TASTING MENU!!! It is a total rip-off. Also, make emphatically clear to the wait staff that you are interested in EATING. That you came here for FOOD, to EAT not to look trendy while pretending to eat. Unless, of course, you're not interested in food. Then this place would be pretty much perfect for you.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Terrible service, overpriced, tiny portions

03/09/09

Got sick

by sweets509

First, I'm not the type of eater who has a weak stomach, nor do I have any food allergies and I have never gotten sick from food in my life. I went here for dinner with some friends who highly recommended this place. For some reason, right after my meal and in the middle of my dessert I got really really sharp abdominal pains. I ended up running to the restroom and throwing up! It was so bad that I had blurred vision and couldn't get up. I wasn't able to walk or move for a good hour and a half without getting dizzy. I have no idea what in the food gave me such a violent reaction. The food wasn't prepared well since I do not have any allergies. I ended up being sick for 2 days. Beware of this place since the food is raw and if its not prepared well, you might get sick. I am never going back here again. It was expensive and they should be more stringent with the sanitation on the preparation of the food since its served raw.

• Pros: Nice ambiance
• Cons: Raw food needs to be prepared better

01/11/09

pure food and wine : (

by msgeminig

sorry to say...i went to pure food and wine to have an interesting, amazing nice dinner..i am an experienced raw foodie....at one time i ate raw for 5 yrs..now i still do..but i also eat cooked vegan. i also have created my own recipes...so i'm very familiar with the raw food world.

* the "tamales" were a joke...i mean give me a break..it was cashew paste in corn husk.

* the food is soooooo over priced

* the salad was tiny

* the dessert wasn't special

* a true disappointment

the service was good..no complaints there

its a cute place....to many tables...you can clearly hear conversations from across the room.

11/13/08

Great Food and Ambience.

by gaiamcraft

Let me start off by saying that I have been coming here for a few years now. I love this place and I can't put my finger on the excat reason. Maybe it's the food, that looks small but leaves you full, that empties your wallet but fills you with a good conscience. Maybe it's from the amazing atmosphere to the attentive service. It's also definitly the desserts and the wine. It's extremely overpriced for some dishes, and perfect for others. The menu changes seasonally, so it's pointless to list what I like. But the Ice Cream (Vegan and Raw!) Sundae seems to be a regular item, and thank you for that. Better than any dairy based dessert I have ever tried. The corn tamales entree was extremely mouth watering as well.

I would recommend making reservations since this place is usually packed as soon as their doors open. That seems to be the only bad thing - even if it happens to be empty and you don't have a reservation, good luck getting seated. The hostess acts like she's doing you a favor. But the waiters are very nice and I always left happy.

• Pros: Menu, Ambience, Service
• Cons: Price, Too crowded

11/02/08

Horrible Service

by cpwnewyorker

I love well seasoned raw food so a friend suggested it for my birthday dinner. We hadn't made reservations and there weren't any seats available, so we agreed to sit at the bar. Shockingly, throughout our meal, we were asked to move our position at the bar -- not one, not two, but THREE times. Keep in mind, we weren't at a dive bar drinking $5 drinks, we were at an expensive restaurant. The stupid bar tender who was the person to ask us to move the third time explained that he was asking us out of consideration for others at the bar. I guess we were potted plants who deserved no consideration at all. This was definitely NOT $80 well-spent. Go to other delicious vegetarian joints, the overpriced food is definitely not worth all the drama.

08/01/08

AMAZING!

by osato

Friends and I went to Last night for the first time. Its extremely pricey but worth it. When I first saw the food I didn't think I'd feel full but I felt completely fulfilled. I got the zuchini flowers and I was very impressed. We also split the mint ice cream for dessert and it was unbelievable. If you aren't into raw foods or organic healthy lifestyle you might not see it the same way. I will definitely be back!!!

• Pros: artwork on a plate
• Cons: price

05/27/08

What a wonderful experience, a must do......

by PaRaw

I thought the food was outstanding. Yes, it was a bit pricey but I knew that beforehand, so I don't understand people complaining about the prices. We had our meal in the garden, what a beautiful setting. The wait staff was very attentive and helpful. We had the 5 course chef's choice and loved every dish that came out. Specifically, the thia wraps were fresh and the dipping sauce was wonderful. The ravioli wasn't like the real thing - it was better. The stuffed pepper and the taco were fabulous. The desserts (minted ice cream and lemon cheesecake) made me want seconds. I was afraid of leaving hungry but that didn't happen. We weren't stuffed (which is how I feel when eating the SAD) but pleasantly full, there was no stopping for pizza or something else later. The dining experince did take 2 hours, but hey, if I wanted a rushed meal then I would have gone elsewhere.

When I visit NYC again, I'll definately eat at Pure Foods again. Go and enjoy!

• Pros: Wonderful food, outstanding wait staff, garden dining, first rate place
• Cons: It was pricey but it was worth it.

05/07/08

Overpriced and Dissappointing

by villagefoodie

I have been to PURE a few times over the years and have always been impressed. Last night changed my mind forever. First our waiter told us the wine we ordered was out of stock, but then he took about 20 minutes to get our second choice. The "heirloom lettuces" were bland. There was nothing special about this salad at all. For $18 I want a ?wow? in my salad. It tasted like normal lettuce with some fig sauce poured on it. Ick. We didn?t even finish it ? and it was super small! One bite was enough. The next course took forever to prepare - how long does it take to "prepare" raw food? It was not especially crowded but we waited for about 40 minutes before our next courses came. My friend?s "truffled" ravioli with asparagus had SLIVERS of white asparagus and not hint of truffle at all! My saag paneer was some spinach in a suace and a rice with radishes. The presentation was lacking and the food was super bland. We left HUNGRY and went for pizza - after spending $125 for two people! Finally, the bathroom was in horrible shape- no toilet paper and piles of paper towels all over the floor as if no one had been in there to clean up for hours! We will NOT go back again. It is overpriced and lack luster.

• Pros: interestingly prepared raw food
• Cons: very expensive, bland food, uninspired, bad service