Four of us went out to dinner on Saturday night at Counter, and enjoyed a great meal. However, the restaurant had changed since I’d been there in the past. It had cheese on the menu.

Now, I assume it’s the usual reason why a formerly vegan restaurant becomes vegetarian: the customers demand dairy, business is staying away, the chef feels his (it’s usually his) creativity is being stifled. Which might be fine, except that, after dinner, we literally went around the corner to Caravan of Dreams for dessert. Caravan went upscale a few years ago and changed its menu, too. However, it went in the other direction: Its menu is substantially raw-food.

Well, Caravan was packed and the joint was hopping. The prices for both places are comparable. Counter probably has more alcohol available, and Caravan has a crunchier vibe. But why would one restaurant feel the dairy pinch and the other appear to be thriving without it? Could it be Counter got a failure of nerve? Or is raw food just beyond “hot” right now? Who knows?

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