Out-of-control yummy, part 1

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I had an amazing dining experience at Cafe Gratitude, an organic vegan/raw restaurant in Berkeley. I had never been to a vegan restaurant. As I was dining with a friend who is vegan (and I am off sugar and gluten), it seemed like a good choice. I had no idea I would still be raving about the food a month later.

They did a lot of wonderful things to create a great experience for diners. They've got an excellent catchphrase/tag line/mission statement: What are you grateful for?

All the tables are themed.

The gorgeous "place mat" is actually a board game called Abounding River. The owners created the game and then found an artist to realize their vision. The artwork is used throughout the restaurant in posters. This corner says, "Generosity."

Our water bottles said, "divine" and "peace." Don't know if this was inspired by "Messages from Water" (in the movie "What the Bleep! Do We Know?") but they were very beautiful and inspiring.

Every plate, cup, and bowl asks the question, "What are you grateful for?"

Tip of the day: A unique vision like this, realized with such attention to detail, can never be copied. You simply have no competition when you create the category.

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