I know Scrims are a controversial topic, but every Material implementation I've seen has them (including Music, Maps, and Photos). Pesto doesn't, and it feels weird. It also gives the impression that a tile should be tappable when the Drawer is open (which clearly isn't true).
Marking as needing research while we consult the design :)
I think you meant https://www.google.com/design/spec/layout/structure.html#structure-side-nav
@jgunaratne did we remove the side nav from pesto?
Yes, the side nav was removed from Pesto several months ago and replaced with a bottom nav bar so this is no longer an issue. The designers requested this.