Restaurant Review:

So I probably shouldn’t have begun my indoctrination into raw foods with the preceding meal of a McDonald’s McRib sandwich.

Don’t judge; I’ve heard it all before, and every person who loves food has their guilty pleasures. Mine just happens to be an indistinguishable meat that is for a limited time only pressed into a shape that looks like mini baby back ribs.

So I thought it would be not only palate cleansing, but soul cleansing as well to jump in to this lifestyle.

Fortunately, I couldn’t have found a better place. Chef/owner Jenny Ross has been involved in the raw foods lifestyle for 10 years and has had her restaurant 118 Degrees open for three. She is widely credited as one of the people who has introduced Orange County to the raw/vegan food movement.

It is a lifestyle that Ross would certainly like to see more people live, but while she is enthusiastic about the cause, she comes off more as educated than preachy when she discusses it.

“It would be beneficial to everyone if they incorporated some sort of raw food into their lives,” Ross said. “Of course I would like to see people eat 100% healthy, but even 60-40 is good.”

The name of the restaurant comes from the temperature that is commonly accepted, at which the natural enzyme value and nutritional contents of raw plant foods begin to break down and become useless to the body.

Foods are either put in a dehydrator or blended, and nothing is heated above that magic number.

Funny, I was being raw before I even knew it. I love uncooked vegetables and often tell waiters when veggies are a side dish that I want them uncooked. They look at me like I am from Mars, but I won’t touch cooked broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or squash.

One of the concepts that I really like about the restaurant is that Ross doesn’t try to mimic food that contains meat. She instead opts for dishes that are truly unique and filled with flavor.

About the only imitation Ross attempts is when she calls her blends of fresh herbs, nuts and seeds cheese.

The rest of the menu is pure innovation.

The appetizers I had were fried avocado mini tostado, butternut squash soup and coconut ceviche.

The fried avocado was spicy with the peppita sauce, but if you don’t mind your lips burning a bit, it is quite good.

The ceviche was my favorite of the three. The young Thai coconut that Ross has imported is incredibly fresh and the mango cilantro and green onion complement it well.

What I really liked was there was no bitter lime sauce that is usually associated with ceviche.

The butternut squash soup I liked, but to be honest I like my soup hot, so it was hard to get past it being served less than lukewarm.

The entrees I tasted were more satisfying. The topaz pizza had a pistachio pesto with Italian vegetables that was quite good. The sun-dried tomatoes really made the dish.

The vegetables are what make most of Ross’ creations so good.

She makes sure they are seasonal and fresh, and the menu will go through some transformations depending on what is available.

One dish I hope that stays year-round is the macadamia coconut curry wraps. Again, young Thai coconut is used, mixed with sweet yellow curry and vegetables. The red sauce is made with tomatoes and is a nice addition.

I also enjoyed the Florentine lasagna. Again, a variety of vegetables are used with a sweet basil marinara.

One item I recommend is the merry monkey smoothie. This concoction was so good it made me forget milk. A nut blend mixed with banana, almond butter, cinnamon, vanilla and agave, it made me think I was sipping on an expensive coffee drink. It really enhanced my meal.

My percentage of raw food might not meet the goal Ross has set of 60% daily, but even if I get to 20%, that is better than before. And, who knows, this lifestyle could definitely not be for a limited time only.

118 Degrees

Address: 2981 Bristol St., Costa Mesa

Phone: (714) 754-0718

Website: www.shop118degrees.com

Cuisine: Organic

Specialty dish: none

Alcohol served: beer and wine

Entrée price range: $12 to $21

Family friendly: yes

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Rating: ***

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.