It's that sneaky time of year — not quite hot-hot summer, not quite chilly fall, and for whatever reason, the sniffles and sneezes seem to be popping up all over the place. Maybe it's the lingering smoke, or the waning levels of vitamin D from a sun starting to hide earlier and earlier in the day, but when the sicknesses of other people start to circle around, my mantra is: Get some wellness in thee. Immune boosters, plenty of sleep... and for mealtime, a little more focus on the healthful side.
That's what led me this week to visit NW Raw, the organic, raw, plant-based eatery located at the Westside Yard off Century Drive on Bend's west side. Owners Web and Karen Staunton had another location in Ashland that opened before the Bend location, but that has since closed. The Bend spot opened just over a year ago, and it's been on my list of places to try for breakfast or lunch. I shouldn't have waited this long.
Open from 8 am to 6 pm Tuesday through Saturday and till 3 pm on Sundays, the focus here is on menu items for breakfast and lunch — smoothies, smoothie bowls, cold-pressed juices, waffles, bowls and salads. Walking in from the entrance by the parking lot, I was instantly greeted by the lineup of juices and shots, including the Wellness Shot — ideal for this type of day. Featuring apple, orange, lemon, cayenne, ginger and garlic, that little glass bottle had plenty of potential for boosting my immune system, but with its zingy dose of fresh ginger, it certainly perked me up.
It being almost fall, I wasn't quite in the salad mood; nor was I ready for a full-on dose of carbaliciousness, so I found the hearty middle ground: the Rainier bowl, which starts out with ribbons of zucchini "zoodles." The raw noodles are topped with a wealth of yummy ingredients, including pesto, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and a pine nut and sage walnut crumble. On the side comes a ramekin of cashew cream. All of that combined made for a fresh, hearty and filling meal, of which I took half home.
Discuss raw, vegan meals in certain circles, and you're sure to hear gripes about them not being filling or flavorful enough, but that's a far cry from what you get here. The pine nut and sage walnut crumble, set along the bottom of the plate, offered just the right amount of heartiness to the raw noodles. The mix of fresh pesto and cashew cream gave the dish an unexpected richness. It hit the spot.
Also popular among the bowls is the Dirtbag, a bowl served warm with black beans, quinoa, guacamole, cherry tomatoes, cilantro and green onion, and more cashew sauce — this one nacho-style. The staff identified that as a big seller, but visitors don't have to do a lot of guesswork to find out what's popular on the NW Raw menu, since the hot sellers are labeled with a little leaf icon.
Wellness shots and cold-pressed juices — thought to hold onto more vitamins, minerals and enzymes, because they're not exposed to heat — aren't the only drinks on offer here, either. Get a wheatgrass, ginger or Blazer – a shot featuring wheatgrass and "liquid light" to focus on the wellness, or turn a lunch in to happy hour by partaking in one of the cocktails that come "boozy" or "botanical," depending on your preference. The Peak is a vanilla margarita with vanilla bean, lime and optional tequila. The Traverse (are you picking up on a mountain theme?) is a coconut pouchang (Chinese green tea) agave milk tea that comes with optional vodka.