As I approached the door to Juice NV (located in a beautifully appointed strip-mall in Henderson), I paused, convinced for a fleeting moment that I’d either be struck-down by lightning or go into cardiac arrest.  I mean, let’s face it – I haven’t exactly been the poster-boy for healthy living. 

Sure, I have friends who’ve tried, valiantly, to get me to try raw, vegan food.  One evening, in New York, Tom Silverman took me to dinner at Pure Food and Wine (all I remember is being flabbergasted that they couldn’t bring me coffee as the beans required roasting, and that was a no-no).  Another time, in Los Angeles, Andrew Wasser took me to lunch at Real Food Daily.  Now, I adore both of these gentlemen, and applaud their efforts to improve my eating habits; but it’d be a task that’d make Sisyphus cock a brow and say “Now that’s gonna be an uphill battle!”

Then, cold-pressed juice icons Alain Palinsky and Executive Chef Jermaine Jonas brought their New York savvy to Las Vegas, and joined-up with nightlife veterans Alex Cordova and Joe Lopez.  The result of this was Juice NV, and I’d been invited to a private tasting.  So – always on the lookout for a juicy topic, to share with my readers – I accepted and found myself in Henderson.

Upon entering Juice NV my first thought was how very tastefully the place has been designed.  There’s a very cool painting (mixed media - acrylic and collage), by local artist Gillean Clark, of Albert Einstein with the quote “A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.”  Underneath is a cheerful bicycle that’s been converted to a planter.

But it’s all about the product, so let’s talk about that.  After the de rigueur hugs and handshakes, the festival of foods began.  There were a duo of sandwiches served on sprouted-grain bread – Avocado and Pesto (avocado, arugula, and walnut pesto) and Walnut Tuna (spinach, walnut pate, and spicy cashew cheese).  Not a fan of avocado, I took a teensy bite (just to be polite, you understand) and before I knew it, I’d taken another, then another.  Walnut pesto – who knew?  And while my first thought after tasting the tuna was “Where’s the mayo?” it was far moister than I’d expected, and quite tasty.

Now, I know less about juicing than Prissy knew about birthin’ babies; so I’ll just say this – the juices and smoothies aren’t just refreshing, but they taste good.  Surprisingly good.  They eased me into it with their Chocolate Maca Almond Milk (made from almonds, filtered water, cacao, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, maca, and sea salt – it’s supposed to be great for après workout – and if I ever again workout, I’ll let you know).  Then I tried Beets by Waits (named for Wynn Las Vegas nightlife guru Jesse Waits, it’s made from carrot, red apple, beets, and lemon), and was again surprised by my lack of cringing.  Finally, they poured me a cup of Jump Start (apple, romaine, celery, cucumber, ginger, and lemon), and not only did I not pull a Wicked Witch and fall to the ground, melting; but I poured myself another cup!

But the real stand-outs, for me, were the desserts.  The Key Lime Cheesecake (made with neither lime nor cheese) consists of an almond, Brazil nut, and date crust, topped with a filling of cashew, maple syrup, avocado, lime juice and coconut butter.  And you know what?  I ate every bite and proceeded to lick my fork.  The Date Truffles, made with dates and coconut oil, and sprinkled with coconut flakes, are so yummy, in fact, that I daresay they might become a popular hostess gift with the dinner party set.  But at the end of the day, it’s all about the Chocolate Truffles.  Jonas has taken raw cacao and added maple syrup, shredded coconut, and pistachio; and the result is a chocolate treat that I couldn’t get enough of!  Move over, Godiva!

The late comedian, John Pinette, once quipped that vegans are just crazy people who, having given-up their stoves in favor of Play-Doh Fun Factories, grind-up 50lb bags of almonds that they then shape into the form of what they wished they were eating.

It's too bad, he never got to eat, at Juice NV!

Delicious Raw, Vegan, Organic All-Nutural Food
Juice NV

Click HERE for info

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The world’s greatest hip-hop collective returns this weekend with the second edition of the history-making WU-TANG CLAN: THE SAGA CONTINUES… THE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY