Bliss is a HIT!

You know that guy on YouTube who plays Gnarls Barkley's Crazy on the theremin? The creator of the internet phenomenon formerly known as The Ether and Æther Experiment is my good friend (and Dallas native) Randy George. Randy is in town working on a new project and contacted me about his recent conversion to raw veganism. So what better way to celebrate our reunion than to visit at the newest raw vegan phenomenon known as Bliss Raw Café & Elixir Bar?

Before heading to Bliss, I shared my limited knowledge with Randy about the raw vegan lifestyle. As you all know, I dabble with it from time to time. We discussed shopping lists, food prep methods, and briefly touched on the health benefits of superfoods. Randy had loads of good questions I couldn’t answer (mostly pertaining to salt), so I was anxious for him to chat with Bliss’ Tonic Elixir Alchemist, Brian Hudson (the guy is a walking encyclopedia). But what I was more anxious about was the chance to introduce Randy to the raw vegan gourmet creations handcrafted by the geniuses at Bliss Raw Café & Elixir Bar!

I was invited to attend a menu tasting prior to Bliss’ opening that left me craving more. I wrote a piece on the Dallas Observer’s City of Ate that briefly touched on the food, but the article was mostly about the ill perception some vegans have about the Dallas raw foodists—you know, about them being so Hollywood…"plastic," if you will. Well, the guys at Bliss are certainly not. My dear friend Lisa Petty of DallasEats wrote a wonderful piece that detailed the food quite eloquently. Check it out HERE!

The menu has changed a bit (and expanded) since my original tasting at Bliss. All of the items I enjoyed remain on the menu, but they’ve added some brilliant new dishes, and Brett Thompson (Bliss’ Dessert Chef) has revamped his original Strawberry Sheezecake I’ve had dreams about!

Randy and I arrived at Bliss on opening day to a full house. Clearly, the word was out. Several familiar faces were in the crowd, a few new ones, and some of my yoga buddies were there to fuel up on elixirs before their event at Chi Dallas. We decided to start with some elixirs as well, so I was happy to see that Brian’s Minty Hemp made it onto the final menu. Delicious and minty, just as I remembered! The elixir truly does taste like a York Peppermint Patty.

While I was curious to try Johnny Raw Appleseed’s new raw lasagna (made with zucchini and nut blends) for dinner, I had to go with the SunnBurger I raved about (now called the Bliss Burger). Blissful indeed. And I had to marvel at the artistry involved before devouring the brilliant creation! I recommended the Rawko-Taco plate to Randy...mostly because I wanted a taste of what I remembered to be a perfectly spiced paste of nuts and seeds filled in a dehydrated taco shell made of puréed veggies and spices. Lots of words to process here, I know...so imagine all the work involved! And thanks for sharing that taco, Randy! Oh, wait—you didn’t.

Dessert was out-of-control good! As I mentioned, Brett has revamped his original Strawberry Sheezcake recipe. Hard to believe, but the new sheezecake is even richer and creamier than before—and his new raw baklava is a winner, too! Next time I’ll try his Raspberry Swirl Sheezecake. Sounds pretty great, huh?

On our way out, Randy did get a chance to visit with Brian for a minute. They discussed the various health benefits of certain salts while I hit up the always-smiling Brett for some more sweets. Raw fudge nuggets filled with a raw chocolate sauce. Amazing—Bravo, Sir! Do let me know when you launch those new cakes next month, yeah?

We left Bliss totally blissed-out and headed back to my place for more raw food discussion…until nearly midnight. Randy is now more excited than ever about his new dietary path, and I’m thrilled that he’ll be able to return to L.A. and spread the word about our very own raw vegan culinary geniuses right here in Dallas!

Brian, Brett, and Johnny—you guys RAWK!

UPDATE: (5/3/09)

 

My veggie bike group planned our regular Sunday ride to Bliss this week. I won't narrate too much--just want to share some photos...and a little scoop.

International Fleet

Rawsagna and Ceasar Salad

Cinnamon Rolls

They were all out of the baklava and sheezecake I wanted (we didn't know they open earlier on Sundays, so we made it there just before closing). Luckily, Brett still had some of these scrumptious little goodies!

Nicole, Nicholas, and Eddie G

We stopped at this fun spot on our way back home from Bliss to get a photo with Ganesha. Let me know if you're interested in joining our veggie bike group. We ride at noon(ish) on Sundays from Uptown/Oak Lawn to a different veg-spot weekly!