Upper Green Side

 

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the city, many folks just simply don’t have the time to obtain all the ingredients at a Greenmarket or CSA and prepare a meal. But this doesn’t mean you can’t still support local/organic food producers or eat in an environmentally friendly manner. There are many different ways to promote a cleaner environment in the restaurants at which you choose spend your money and the menu items you select.

We at Upper Green Side are happy to announce that we are going to start a local campaign to “Eat Out Green” which is a collaboration between UGS and the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). GRA certification is a way for restaurants to learn how to become more environmentally friendly. Their approach looks not only at the ingredients that go into the food, but also looks at energy conservation/efficiency, recycling/composting and helps them locate green products and suppliers in their area. We hope to create a network of GRA certified restaurants in the Upper East Side.

The GRA is a non-profit group that helps restaurants become more environmentally sustainable in ways that are convenient and cost-effective. According to their list, the only GRA-certified restaurant in NY is the Candle Cafe, right here in the UES, They are clearly the best option for Upper East Side Environmentally friendly dining out given their selection of local seasonal, organic, vegetarian/vegan and raw menu options. They now have two locations: The original more casual Candle Cafe is on 3rd Ave at 75th St. while the newer and more upscale Candle 79 is on 79th St. and Lexington Ave. Be sure to thank them for being certified with the GRA.

You can alert other restaurants to the Green Restaurant Association by leaving suggestion cards where you dine. We hope to that in the coming months we can convince a few more restaurants to get certification with the GRA.

Other restaurants moving in a green direction, where you can get healthy, organic food, some of which may be local (ask them, let them know that’s what you want!) include:

Better Burger, an organic burger joint with many healthy environmentally friendly options on 2nd Ave. between 84th and 83rd Streets.

Blue Green Organic Juice Cafe serves raw and organic food, including juice shakes on 74th St. just off 3rd Ave.

Gobo, an all vegetarian restaurant with organic wines available on 3rd Ave. and 81st St.

Sfoglia, an upscale traditional Italian restaurant whose menu derives mainly from local farmers and farmer’s markets. They’re located at on Lexington Ave. and 92nd St., diagonal from the 92nd St. Y.

Slice, an organic pizza place on 2nd Ave. between 73rd and 74th Streets.

If you are out at another restaurant you might want to look on the menu for local (often seasonal), organic or vegetarian choices on the menu, which are sometimes noted specially to highlight their quality.

If you know of any other places that feature local food, please let us know and we’ll list them on our Eating out Green page! And if you’re a restauranteur or grocer, check out what you can do to green your business.