Before people hunted animals for food, they were satisfied with the simple challenge of lassoing an apple off a tree or coaxing a corncob into a bear trap. Engage in old-fashioned eating with today's Groupon at 118 Degrees in Costa Mesa. Choose between two options:

• For $20, you get $45 worth of organic, raw cuisine and drinks.
• For $59, you get 10 pre-prepared organic meals (a $125 value).

118 Degrees serves only living cuisine that's been prepared at 118 degrees or lower, preserving both its life and its life-enhancing nutrients. The menu is littered with plant-based delicacies crafted with ingredients from local organic growers. Start a palate party with garden dippers, an assortment of julienne veggies, tahini cheese, and avo-lime sauce on a flax wrap ($6). For lunch, veganivores can consume living lasagna, which features strata of marinated Italian veggies flavored with creamy ricotta, sweet basil marinara, and crispy tomatoes ($10), and dinnertime diners can savor sweet-corn tamales served warm with marinated portobello mushrooms, rojo salsa, guacamole, and napa slaw ($14) paired with an organic wine. The restaurant's bright ambience showcases modern style, propping peach-colored chairs at square-topped tables or at a bar, and potted plants watch over each seat with leaves wide open.

Home-based diners opting for pre-packaged meals can select options from a condensed menu of enriched edibles typically found on the restaurant menu, such as pizza, kelp noodles, and empanadas. Due to the seasonally-shifting nature of the menu, the dishes selected feature fresh rotating toppings like beets and carrots during the winter or crushed peanut shells and used bubble gum during baseball season. Call to register for your meal packages, which are ready for pickup on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays.

Reviews

Orange Coast and OC Weekly featured 118 Degrees, and OC Menus named it No. 1 on its Top 10 Vegan Eateries list. Gayot named the restaurant one of the Top 10 Orange County's (CA) Heart-Healthy Restaurants. More than 190 Yelpers give it an average of three stars. Citysearchers give the restaurant a five-star average, and 76% of Urbanspooners recommend it. OpenTablers named it Fit for Foodies and Great for Lunch and give it a 4.1-star average:

• Holistic philosophy aside, 118 Degrees looked as posh as any steakhouse, complete with orange velvet chairs and a wine list. – Edwin Goei, OC Weekly
• It was a unique and delicious dining experience. – Chanel R., Yelp