118 Degrees, the new hip and healthy dining spot in Tarzana serves nothing but raw vegan food. No dairy, no cooking, just plant-based deliciousness including fruit, nuts, seeds, veggies, and sprouted grains.
But don’t go thinking the idea is better than the execution. From organic beers to amazing desserts, no matter what your standard food default (yes, even In n’ Out) diners will find themselves enjoying incredibly drool-worthy as well as good-for-you dishes.
Chef Jenny Ross co-owns the establishment with Sharyn Wynters, and both women share a strong belief in the health properties of the food they serve.
The restaurant hews completely to living food, all of it prepared at 118 degrees or lower. As our charming server Kelly noted, “Warm entrees and soups come warm at 118 degrees out of the dehydrator. Our fried avocado is not actually fried, it’s sliced, rolled in ground flax seeds, and warmed in the dehydrator until it’s crunchy.”
One of the first things that Wynters and Ross did when taking over the existing restaurant space was removing the stoves and the microwaves. They’ve also redesigned the dining area into an airy, vibrantly green indoor space and large outdoor patio, with antique mirrors, succulent plants, and soft faux “grass” covering benches.
But what you really want to know about is the food, right? Dairy free, soy free, wheat free – and packed with flavor. We started with an appetizer, the house made Cheese and Crackers.
The house-made cheeses were terrific: pistachio pesto, chipotle cheese and tahini cheese. Each was soft, spreadable, and delicately spiced, and came served with house bread, crackers and cucumber. We tried kamut bread and carrot crackers. The carrot crackers, crisp and sweet, were my favorite.
Above and below are what were to us, the restaurant’s signature dishes. The exceptional flavors and beautiful presentations were a delight. Above: pistachio pesto stuffed mushrooms. Below, cucumber salad with cucumber, corn, sprouted quinoa and tahini cheese served with a light zingy lemon vinaigrette.
Okay, maybe there were a few other “signature dishes,” these taken solidly from the entree portions of the menu. Below, “fried” avocado tacos. Beautifully spiced, light, and yet completely satisfying, the house-made flax wrap tortillas are filled with tahini cheese and “fried”avocado, cucumber, baby mixed greens, and spicy tomatillo salsa.
Below: the sign says it all. Co-owner Sharyn Wynters tells us she has been on a journey with raw food cuisine for forty years. Which may explain why she appears to be in her late thirties: her body is thriving. “I had cancer at age 25, and my whole cure was enzymes and raw food long before it was fashionable. I traveled around the world looking for this type of food,” she reports. “Ten years ago I went to what was then Jenny’s 118 Degrees restaurant in Costa Mesa. I was eating the coconut ceviche, which is an incredible dish, and I became friends with Jenny. We met again, speaking at various events about healthy foods together.”
Finally, Wynters, who is a skilled natureopath, says everything fell into place. “Last March I said, let’s have a restaurant in Los Angeles. I wanted it to be in my own neighborhood, Tarzana, to be of service to the community.”
Above: Wynters’ favorite on the menu, the raw lasagna. The lightest and yet incredibly robust lasagna you may have ever eaten. Ingredients: layered zucchini, tomato, macadamia creamy ricotta and sweet basil marinara, with basil cheese and marinated portobello mushrooms.
It’s fortunate that the main courses are not heavy, because the desserts are incredible and beg to be tried. Healthy desserts? But, yes. The fudge brownie, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate banana butter pie made with almond butter use only the healthiest yet sweet-tooth-satisfying ingredients. “Cacao, avocado, coconut nectar, and crusts made of hemp seeds, walnut and coconut,” are some of the ingredients that Wynters describes.
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We noted an absence of several tried and true vegan raw food elements such as cashew cheese and agave in the dishes, and asked about that. According to Wynters, they only use pepitas, walnuts, pistachio, and macademia nuts, no cashews or peanuts due to the possibility of fungus or chemicals in those nuts. Impurities in agave also rule it out.
With a supreme attention to detail and health – and most importantly of all, perhaps, to our readers, flavor – 118 degrees should be no degree at all away from your next dining experience.
The restaurant is located at 18636 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, CA 91356
- Genie Davis, all photos: Jack Burke
