LIVE ORGANIC FOOD BAR 264 Dupont, at Spadina, 416-515-2002, livefoodbar.com. Rating: NNNN
The Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:30 am to 9:30 pm, Friday 11:30 am to 10 pm, Saturday 4 to 10 pm, Sunday 4 to 9 pm
The Minimum: $15
The Order: Raw pizza ($16), raw bacon cheeseburger ($15) and a Detox salad ($12)
The Damage: $48.59 + $6.95 delivery (orderit.ca) = $55.54
The Wait (ETA vs Reality): 70 minutes/40 minutes
The Haul: You never have to worry that your food will show up cold when you order in from Jennifer Italiano’s groundbreaking vegan bistro, because next to nothing on the card is cooked. Her nonpareil veggie burger finds a patty made from soaked chickpeas and raw beets dressed with rashers of eggplant “bacon,” faux macadamia “cheddar” and sesame-hemp mayo on a gluten-free bun, crunchy house-pickled cornichons and a handful of terrific baked root veggie chips on the side.
The DT salad of gluten-free kelp noodles, sliced avocado and pine nuts in cold-pressed olive oil and tahini manages the rare trick of being good for you and tasting good, while her raw pizza layered with dehydrated tomato, black pitted olives, cashew “chèvre” and arugula on a thin crushed-walnut crust is even better the next morning straight out of the fridge.
