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Going organic is the newest craze. People everywhere are wincing their way through wheatgrass shots in an attempt to be healthy and nurture the environment. But being healthy doesn’t require your taste buds to shrink and disappear. At Hillcrest’s new “Cilantro Live” you can experiment with the fresh food trend in a new way.

When you walk into the Fifth Avenue restaurant, you may feel like you took a wrong turn and ended up in Mission Valley’s Ikea. The restaurant is sparse – a wall of hanging plants, small tables with white chairs of questionable sturdiness, and white orbs of light suspended mid-air – but the people dining look content, laughing and eating their plates of, well, you’re not quite sure.

It takes a while to get used to the menu at Cilantro Live (what is a “live salad” exactly?). Then you realize that it’s the same kind of menu at your favorite soup, salad, and sandwich place – just without any cooked ingredients.

Try the “roma rawviolis” for an organic twist on an old favorite, or throw your taste buds for a loop with the “buenos vidas” wrap (lettuce wraps, served with a cilantro pate, wild rice, cheese, and salsa fresca). Entrees range from $8-$13 and are surprisingly filling.