Tuesday, January 12, 2010

"Local" Returns to It's Roots




My friend AM recommended this newly opened East Village restaurant specializing in locally grown meals. As many restaurants are riding the 'locavore', farm-to-table, know-your-butcher, wave, harvesting peak seasonal ingredients from nearby farms and buying specialty food items from the people who love their craft, they also seem to be conflating this philosophy with haute cuisine. Before agribusiness, local was all there was. Even if one was hungry, that scraped up meal was still from around the corner and not doused in herbicides ore pesticides. So why should going back to the way things were have to cost so much? Something to think on...

In the meantime, there's a little place in the East Village called Northern Spy Food Co. that is offering the same quality meals, albeit in a homier setting, for the responsible eater who doesn't necessarily have a gourmet budget. It isn't pennies, but definitely worth every penny for beautifully prepared nourishing meals that are not only sustainable, but satisfying.

Kale salad with clothbound cheddar, butternut squash, almonds and lemon dressing; wonderful roasted Bobo chicken; red quinoa with radish and sherry dressing; wild hive polenta with mustard greens, mushrooms and creme fraiche; Farmer's salad with artichoke hearts, turnips and arugula; homemade concord grape and quince seltzers.

Northern Spy Food Co.
511 East 12th Street (btwn Ave. A and Ave B.)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-5100

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