What I really love about living in New York is the diversity of restaurants. New Yorkers truly have every type of cuisine available to them—and often within walking distance of their apartments. As New Yorkers become more food-savvy, they are also starting to look beyond their plate and increasingly asking themselves the following important questions: how was the food produced? What’s in my plate? Is my food helping to conserve natural resources and have minimal impact on the environment?
However, eating sustainably or responsibility is not easy and requires a lot of research. But don’t worry, I have done the homework for you.
Eating clean, sustainable and organic food has always been a struggle for me during week days. Packing lunch, especially when you have kids and a busy schedule, can be really challenging. If you do not want to compromise the quality of ingredients and get all the benefits of a freshly made meal anywhere, any time, I highly recommend IONutrition, a natural meal preparation company, focused on health and nutrition, offered by Fresh n’ Lean.
Meals are made from the fresh high-quality ingredients with no GMOs, no additives, no hormones or antibiotics. Basically, just food, the way it’s supposed to be. The proteins include all natural cage free poultry, wild caught fish, grass-fed beef and bison. Meals are refrigerated but never frozen thanks to an eco-friendly insolated packaging. You can take a look at some of the meals on their Instagram account. Delicious!
Sustainability
is a core value proposition at Marshall. And guess what? The food is simply
amazing. The restaurant burns no gas and cooks only with replanted apple and
cherry wood from local orchards. The team buys wind power for it electricity
needs. By sourcing the food from local farmers, the wine from local wineries,
and liquors from local distilleries, the owner aims not only to reduce the
amount of carbon emissions from shipping, but also to support the local
community. The owner of the restaurant is very passionate about
sustainability. The Hudson Valley Burrata is simply the best I have had.
Crave Fishbar
Crave Fishbar sources and serves locally caught seafood in a
sophisticated yet fun environment. It is a sustainable, eco-conscious
restaurant and bar, using seasonal, organic when possible, ingredients that
reflect the team’s commitment to the environment and, especially, marine life.
The restaurant has deep relationships with Long Island fishermen which have
been nurtured and supported through its sister restaurant, South Edison, in
Montauk, NY. Crave was actually the first NYC partner of the
Monterey Bay Aquarium, a national leader in ocean sustainability, as well as
one of the charter members of the JBF Smart Catch Program. In 2016,
Crave Fishbar joined just a few other restaurants worldwide and became a
certified B Corporation, solidifying its commitment to using its business
as a source for good and to better our community. The food is fresh,
creatively prepared, of the highest quality and has been harvested with
integrity.
This place is my favorite neighborhood restaurant. It serves affordable, healthy, plant based and organic food. It also has a great selection of natural wines. 99 % of the food is organic which is very impressive. The dishes are very creative and sophisticated. Plus, the atmosphere at Le Botaniste is very relaxing. My favorite dish is the exotic Tibetan Mama Rice Bowl.
L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon in New York
If you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special events or you are simply looking to enjoy top local and regional products in an elegant and sophisticated restaurant, try L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon in New York. Legendary French Chef Joël Robuchon is a man who needs no introduction. In fact, he holds 32 Michelin stars—more than any chef in the world. L’ATELIER’s name refers to a craftsman’s workshop, emphasizing Chef Joël Robuchon’s hallmark of elevating the simplest of dishes into something extraordinary using pristine ingredients, immaculate technique, and abundant creativity.
As Chef Joël Robuchon said, “it’s easy to make it complicated, but it’s complicated to make it simple.” His Modern French cuisine is characterized by quality, restraint, and technique. His philosophy: Begin with the best possible products, prepare them simply and with exacting precision, and allow the flavors of each individual ingredient to shine. As a result, the menu features many of Chef Joël Robuchon’s classic dishes, utilizing ingredients sourced from top local and regional purveyors including Wulf’s Fish, Four Story Hill Farm, D’Artagnan, Murray’s Cheese and more. The passionate Chef Christophe Bellanca and his team also make weekly trips to the Union Square Greenmarket to seek out the highest quality seasonal products, and incorporate them into the menu. My favorite dish was the La Caille: Caramelized free-range quail, foie gras, potato purée. Bon Appétit Bien Sur!
The wine list features over 800 references, including many rare and exclusive bottles, as well as a selection of popular and approachable wines. The lovely sommelier, Sabra Lewis, will make you feel like the only person that matters in the entire restaurant.
Vegan divas
Vegan Divas is an upscale vegan, animal free, non-cholesterol, organic, low calories and delicious line of baked goods and desserts. The products are basically 100% clean.The founder had a clear goal from the beginning: “It has been my dream to create gourmet pastries with the quality, taste and presentation similar to those offered by the best gourmet bakeries but as healthy baked goods. These days you don’t need to be hippie to be healthy anymore!”, Fernanda affirmed. Their focus is to cater to vegans and non-vegans. Surprisingly, 90% of their clientele is not vegan. Vegan divas caters to the Clinton Family and The Clinton Foundation and recently made the cakes for Anne Hatthaway at the set of the movie “The Intern”. Fancy!
Tu-Lu’s Gluten
Free Bakery
When the bakery was created in 2009, there was not a single 100% gluten-free bakery in Manhattan. Hard to believe, right?! The founder wanted to create baked goods that taste just like the “real thing”. Everything tastes delicious. The bakery mostly uses a combination of rice, tapioca, potato starch but some items have GF oats, flax meal, almond flour, etc. They also use all natural fruit jams from Italy to create delicious icing flavors for their cupcakes, which are delicious. Best cupcake I have had in NYC. Seriously.