Ecopolitan & French Meadow Bakery

Date visited: Saturday, September 15

I have to be totally honest: We went to Ecopolitan (612.87.GREEN; 2409 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis) with a back-up plan. I was the only vegetarian in the group of foodies who set out on a raw foods adventure on Saturday night, and my three dinner companions and I weren't completely sold on the idea of a no-cook meal. We figured we'd sneak down the street to French Meadow Bakery (612.870.0907; 2610 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis) if the Ecopolitan menu wasn't up to snuff.

But after being seated in Ecopolitan's dining room -- which is really just the dining/living area of a converted house -- and ordering vegan organic wine and some fruit juice, we settled into the concept of raw foods. We ordered a pate sampler with mushroom, walnut and pumpkin seed pates and then decided to split an order of Rawvioli (sliced radishes filled with cashew cheese) and Macadamia Alfredo (a pasta that was made from thin slices of butternut squash served with a sauce of cashews and macadamia nuts).

We were surprised at how filling the food was -- we were full and satisfied after eating the appetizer and two pasta dishes. We were also impressed with the complexity of the flavors and the creativity and inspiration that went into making the meal. While I won't be going raw anytime soon, I will be eating at Ecopolitan again.

As for French Meadow Bakery, we couldn't pass it up since we were in the neighborhood. So we stopped in for dessert. I split the flourless chocolate cake (which is like a really big, rich truffle) and the Killer Chocolate Torte (which lives up to its name), and we ordered a bottle of WineHaven's Raspberry Wine -- the perfect foil for all of that chocolate. (Random notes: French Meadow serves half-priced bottles of wine on Saturdays and Mondays, and that particular bottle of wine came from Chisago City, MN and more than a pound and a half of raspberries went into the bottle.)