Restaurant Review: Chaco Canyon

A friend, who is vegetarian, and I decided to make a trip down to Chaco Canyon (http://www.chacocanyoncafe.com/) near the U-District in Seattle and use the coupon I had in my Chinook Book (Seattle’s eco-friendly coupon booklet).

When we first walked in, it was such a nice surprise! The atmosphere was eclectic and sublime, hand-written signage on one side with cleverly pre-made signage on another. The menu list was belovedly long with all kinds of options from warm bowls to organic smoothies to raw dishes and desserts, even breakfast. The prices were so reasonable we considered ordering several items, but we decided on a dish each and, as usual, the dessert case was screaming my name, especially with the words 'gluten-free' written on most of the items. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

My friend ordered a warm quinoa bowl (pictured below) and I ordered the Cilantro Pesto Bowl (pictured on the left). And of course, we had to have a little dessert. To start. Everyone needs something sweet, even if it is the appetizer.

The nice fellow at the counter answered all my gluten-free questions (to which he provided a book full of the ingredients for each and every item) and gave me my chocolate coconut cupcake on its little plate and a numbered flag to track us down.

We found water and silverware (biodegradable and washable kinds) along a little bar in the middle of the room, along with bus-yourself stations. We grabbed what we needed and headed to a little table in the back corner.

One thing we noticed immediately was for the number of people in the room, it actually sounded quite, well, quiet. We dove into the cupcake, which was fantastic – slightly crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy, like a brownie, on the inside with a giant helping of raw ‘buttercream’ coconut frosting - and waited for our bowls to be delivered. We could have just sat and ate dessert.

In but the briefest moment later, they were. My friend’s bowl of veggies and quinoa glistened brightly with the faint aroma of nuttiness from the quinoa and tang from the tomato sauce. My beautiful green pesto bowl was filled to the brim with zucchini ‘noodles’ slathered in cilantro pesto deliciousness and speckled with black and white sesame seeds. The pesto had a clear zestiness to it with a nice crunch to the raw zucchini and sesame seeds, and just the right amount of seasoning to inspire any palate. And as with all raw food – or so it seems – there was more than enough left over. I always seem to fill up quickly with raw foods feeling satisfied and healthy afterwards. I retrieved a couple of eco-friendly take-home containers from their counter and we bussed our table, gathered our belongings and left happy, full and ready to come back again.

Thank you, Chaco Canyon, for offering so many options in a pleasing atmosphere that inspired both of us to try more raw foods. I would recommend Chaco Canyon (http://www.chacocanyoncafe.com/) to anyone interested in trying raw foods, experimenting in the organic field, or just wanting to try something different. They give you a clear idea that raw food is not just salads or cut-up carrots and celery anymore. This is great, inexpensive, delicious food that will tempt your taste buds to try more.
As my body happily sang through the rest of the day, I contemplated where to find a mandolin so I could have the option to experiment and make my own ‘noodles’ out of zucchini, carrots or well, anything.

Happy eating!