Just Food Conference NYC

Local foodies check out Just Food's conference in New York City the last weekend in February filled with workshops, panel presentations, a jobs fair and a local food and business expo. Tickets are $30 a day, available online.

Just Food is a non profit promoting New York City CSAs, community gardens, access to local food for shelters and food pantries, as well as offering trainings in urban agriculture and community food preparation.

Paola's Restaurant—Inconspicuous Italian

 

I had no idea the treat I was in for as I settled into eat at Paola's with a very dear old friend of mine. I had been in New York for almost two weeks working on the grueling task of emptying a wreck of an apartment while staying at a friend's place. On my walk between the apartments I unwittingly passed Paola's every day, never noticing it behind its subdued facade. When my friend suggested it I was surprised at the address she gave, "Really? It's on 92nd and Madison?" certain there must be an error.

Low and behold, the address was correct and Paola's, whose entrance is on 92nd Street, not Madison (which explains how I missed it—sort of) is a sizable restaurant specializing in Italian food. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant is abuzz with people so reservations are recommended.

What many of the customers are likely unaware of is Paola's commitment to using fresh and local ingredients whenever possible. While the political issues of local food are understood, it is the freshness, quality and taste that drive the restaurant to prepare as much of its dishes with New York produced ingredients as it can. 

Vegetables and seasonal fruits come from the Union Square farmer's market (worth a trip if you have never been), as does some of the meat. One of the owner's of Paola's works some land in upstate New York, producing a small amount of vegetables for the restaurant and the future goal is for the restaurant to have its own farm where the restaurant can source a high percentage of its food.

Diners looking for gluten-free options will find plenty at Paola's including gluten-free pasta on request as well as specialty dishes that are senza gluten. My dish samplings included sumptuous spinach and ricotta on a bed of house-made tomato sauce and delectable grilled artichokes— a house specialty with origins from Rome's Jewish ghetto where fried artichokes are still a popular delicacy. The Carciofi alla giudía (Jewish-style artichokes) have a taste and texture not ordinarily experienced with this edible thistle—crunchy and succulent—it leaves you wanting more, as it should be.

While Paola's is not for those on a tight budget, you can certainly eat for under $30 if you order one course, but I warn you it is hard to only have one.

Paola's
1295 Madison Avenue (entrance on 92nd Street)
New York City, NY 10128
www.paolasrestaurant.com
212-794-1890
Open for Lunch: 11:00 am to 4:00 pm; Dinner: 4:30 pm to 11:00 pm
Prices: Antipasti $12-18; Pastas $20-22; Main/Secondi $22-40; Brunch $12-26

Organic Burgers in New York City

Hankering for an organic hamburger in New York City?

You can find the largest variety of organic burgers in New York at BareBurger, with two locations in Manhattan, one in Queens and one opening in Brooklyn this summer. BareBurger's generous menu includes many foods that are 100% organic and they are good about making the appropriate distinctions between organic, natural and grass-fed. BareBurger serves meat, vegetarian and vegan burgers, as well as other dishes. 100% organic meats are beef, bison, sausage, and the vegetarian burger and vegan portobello mushroom burgers are 100% organic. Pasture-raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats are elk, ostrich, lamb, chicken, and bacon. All the cheeses served are rBGH-free (growth hormone-free), three of which are 100% organic. All the milk, butter, eggs and ice cream are 100% organic as well, making for some fine old-fashioned tasting milkshakes. The meats at BareBurger come from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with the exception of the bison and elk which come from Montana. They offer a few bun options and for people needing to avoid gluten, they offer a lettuce-wrap (100% organic!). Peanut allergy sufferers take note: the french fries are cooked in peanut oil.

The Green Table, tucked in the middle of Chelsea Market, the renovated former Nabisco biscuit factory on West 15th Street, specializes in organic and local foods from area farmers. They serve organic meat as well as organic vegetables and beverages. The farms they purchase from include Hawthorne Valley Farm, a biodynamic farm in upstate New York, Flying Pigs Farm, Old Chatham Sheepherding, and many others. The beef for Green Table's burgers comes from Wrighteous Organics in Schoharie NY about 175 miles north of the city and is distributed by Dickson's Farmstand Meats, an organic and natural butcher a few doors down from The Green Table in Chelsea Market.

Local Food Lesson Learned: one of my traveling companions wanted to trade out the spicy tomato chutney and fresh kim chi served with the burger for lettuce and tomato—not possible, at least not in April. Since The Green Table specializes in local and seasonal fare, fresh tomatoes are not available this time of year in New York. Even though it made my companion a little grumpy, I was delighted at this clear ideological line. As consumers we have gotten used to having what we want, whenever we want it (like an organic hamburger in New York City). Fresh, young spring greens were served with the burger and my friend had the chutney on the side. The rest of us enjoyed the kim chi (crunchy and fresh, not long-fermented) and the tomato chutney slathered over our burgers resulting in savory, spicy, perfectly cooked burgers. Vegetarians can find a number of organic dishes at The Green Table too.

And while we are talking about organic milkshakes, if you are visiting the Metropolitan Museum (5th Avenue and 82nd Street), you will be delighted at the relatively new food concession stand/van parked outside. Cake and Shake serves up cupcakes, savory cakes and milkshakes made with organic ingredients (if you can not eat cow-dairy or wheat/gluten, I am afraid there is nothing for you to enjoy), open seven days a week.

The Green Table, Chelsea Market, 9th Avenue between 15th & 16th Streets, New York; Tel: 212 741 6623; open Monday to Wednesday 11:30 to 9:00 pm, Thursday & Friday 11:30 to 10:00 pm, Saturday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, Sunday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

BareBurger, 535 Laguardia Pl. (south of Washington Square Park between Bleeker and W. 3rd St. on the edge of NYU) 
Manhattan; and 514 Third Avenue (between 34 & 35th Streets), 
Manhattan; open 11 am to 11 pm, till midnight on Friday and Saturday and open at 10 am on Saturday and Sunday; and 33-21 31st Ave, Astoria, Queens; and coming in the summer of 2011—Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Traveling Raw

“It’s alive!” my teenage son jokingly howled as he took a bite of food we were sampling at a restaurant recently. There was no monster from the black lagoon or flies in his soup, but rather a medley of “raw” dishes prepared to gourmet standards at New York City’s One Lucky Duck café near Union Square.

"Raw food" usually conjures a pile of uncooked vegetables—or "rabbit food" as some people like to refer to it—but that evening we were eating tortillas, spicy Thai wraps, lasagna, chocolate ganache and almond-buttercup ice cream. Our meal was varied in its flavors, textures, scents and presentation. Other than the Mediterranean salad and the chunks of avocado in the delicious guacamole that came with our tortillas, nothing we ate could have been remotely described as “rabbit food” (although I have nothing against “rabbit food.”)

While the term "raw" provides a short, quick description of uncooked food, it is not the most accurate term for the burgeoning world of foods prepared below 118ºF. The term "live" is much more apt as it properly describes the important elements of this style of eating, where the enzymes, nutrients and beneficial bacteria of foods are kept vital and accessible when prepared below temperatures that destroy these essential compounds.

Live-food is more than salads and juices. Live-food involves understanding ways to make food more digestible and assimilable. This means knowing how to unlock nutrients and generate healthy fermentation. Nuts, for instance, become much more digestible when raw nuts (those that are not roasted) are soaked for one to four hours. Legumes, such as lentils, are best soaked and slightly sprouted, as are seeds—making them "live" as if for germination.

Many cultures use natural fermentation as a food-storage tool as well as to create healthy foods eaten daily such as traditional sauerkraut or kimchi—a term referring to countless variations of fermented vegetables and spices, considered a traditional, staple dish in Korea. Live-food chefs and devotees have developed a variety of techniques and recipes which successfully transform piles of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds into gourmet meals, both delicious and satisfying.

Skeptics might question the ability of live-foods to satiate, but research has found that live-foods nourish the body more efficiently than their equivalent in cooked food. For example studies have shown that soaking and sprouting can increase the nutrient content of beans, nuts and seeds by 300 to 600 times.

In addition to increased nutrients, live-food meals are usually free of common allergens such as gluten, eggs and cow-dairy. However people with nut allergies might find the diet challenging since many live-food recipes rely on nuts. There are variations on the live-food theme and not all live-food advocates are vegan (animal-product-free). You can find live-food enthusiasts who consume raw fish, raw meat, and cheeses and milk from unpasteurized milk, but many live-foodies stay clear of animal products and so the diet tends to be suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Live or raw food is not a new concept. Cultures all over the world utilize aspects of live-food production and have done so for millennia including the aromatic (some would say stinky) cheeses made from raw milk in France and other countries, Korea’s kimchi, traditional kefir (fermented milk) in Eastern Europe and Middle Eastern countries, Himalayan gundruk (fermented vegetable leaves), countless local, small-batch fermented beverages around the globe from beers to kombucha (fermented tea), and of course the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables in tropical climates. Some of the basic components of the health-acclaimed Mediterranean diet involve live-food with its emphasis on local, fresh fruits and vegetables, olives and extra virgin olive oil.

In the United States live-food has been promoted for decades by health enthusiasts such as Ann Wigmore and Max Gerson who have advocated eating live-food as a form of cancer prevention and treatment. Other live-food proponents past and present include Weston Price, DDS, Norman Walker, Gabriel Cousens, MD, Victoria Boutenko, Donna Gates, David Wolfe, and numerous brilliant chefs. Naturally detoxifying, some health benefits that have been associated with live-food diets include weight loss, increased energy, reduction of inflammation, and longevity.

Before you start experimenting with live-food cuisine on your own I suggest going to one of the restaurants listed below to see what a live-food meal can be like. You might be surprised at the fresh, clean sensations, the spectrum of flavors and the lack of post-meal gut distention. That said, be forewarned that meals in restaurants specializing in live-food are not cheap. Live-food requires a huge amount of prep time and uses perishable foods including avocados (big in live-food menus). Anyone who has tried to keep a bunch of avocados on hand to ripen knows how challenging and potentially expensive that can be.

If you are experimenting at home be apprised that live-food represents an utterly new way of preparing food that takes a bit of adjustment. It is not simply replacing conventional products with organic, or processed with unprocessed. Your kitchen world shifts to soaking (a large part of raw food prep) and planning ahead (not a bad thing). Equipment needs change from pots and pans to blenders, food processors and a dehydrator—the last being the most foreign to many kitchens and cooks.

You will also have a radically different grocery list. Stocking the pantry will be expensive at first, but once you have the basic foods, you will find it less expensive than meat-based diets or processed foods. The most challenging is keeping fresh greens on hand in the winter. Kale is one of the healthiest and most economical, lasting a fairly long time in the fridge. Easy live-food dishes to begin with are salads, smoothies (made with fresh, raw ingredients only—not mixes), and blender-made soups.

Vitamixers are the gold standard for live-food preparation but are expensive running in the $500 range. If you already own a good blender or food processor those will work. An electric coffee grinder, such as the compact model made by Braun, is good to have on hand for grinding seeds. When looking for a dehydrator—if you get that far—the key is to look for one with adjustable temperature controls and a thermostat since you want to keep items below 118 degrees. Some dehydrators have no controls and dehydrate at temperatures too high for live-food preservation. The Excalibur is the most popular dehydrator among live-food chefs with a price tag around $200. A less expensive option is made by Nesco for around $70.00.

Chefs and restaurants devoted to live-food menus are few and far between, at least outside of California and Hawaii, so travelers trying to adhere to a live-food diet may find it challenging when on the road. Even large cities like New York have less than a handful of restaurants specializing in live-foods. See the resources at the end for some of the raw food restaurants in the United States and the UK.

Entering the realm of live-foods can be exciting and health rewarding, but also frustrating and challenging. While many jump in with both feet this can be overwhelming unless you are fully prepared with the proper basic foods, equipment and determined commitment. For others it is helpful to go easy and gently, building your live-food repertoire, discovering the dishes you love and hate, and listening to your body. This last being the most important—listen to your body, unearth what you hunger for and what truly nourishes you.

Restaurants

Boston area
Prana Café serves all raw, organic, vegan foods. Prana, 292 Centre St., Newton Corner, MA; Tel: 617-527-7726; Web: www.eatatprana.com; open every day from 9 am to 4 pm, open for dinner Sunday to Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 pm.

The Organic Garden Café has a mostly raw/live-food menu. Organic Garden Cafe, 298 Cabot St, Beverly, MA 01915; Web: www.organicgardencafe.com;open Tuesday to Thursday from  9 am to 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 8:30 pm, and Sunday 9 am to 7 pm.

The Revitalize Café serves all raw, vegan dishes using locally grown produce. The café does not use products that contain gluten, soy, refined sugars, honey, grains, mushrooms or animal products. Dishes available to eat in or as take-out. Revitalize Café, Tannery Marketplace, 50 Water St., Newburyport, MA; Tel: 978-462-0639; Web: www.revitalivecafe.com; open 7 days a week, Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm.

Experienced live-foodies will be sad to learn that Alissa Cohen’s Grezzo live-food restaurants in Boston and Newburyport are now closed.

Connecticut
Catch a Healthy Habit serves raw, vegan, organic, gluten-free foods. Catch a Healthy Habit Café, 39 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT 06824; Tel: 203-292-8190; Web: www.catchahealthyhabit.com; open Monday and Tuesday from 8 am to 3 pm, Wednesday and Friday from 8 am to 7 pm, Thursday 8 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday 9 am to 7 pm, and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm.

Florida

Help Yourself is an extremely environmentally conscious restaurant serving mostly, but not exclusively, raw foods. They make excellent juices and use local coconuts. On Mondays they host an organic food market. Help Yourself, 829 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040; Tel: 305-296-7766; Web: www.helpyourselffoods.com; open every day from 8 am to 4 pm with an organic market on Mondays from noon to 7 pm.

Los Angeles
Planet Raw is an exclusively live-food restaurant using all organic ingredients with the exception of its Thai coconuts. It prides itself on its sustainability practices including the use of biodegradable packaging, beeswax candles, clay-painted, non-toxic walls, and environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Planet Raw, 609 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA, Tel: 310-587-1552; Web: www.planetraw.com; open 365 days a year, Sunday to Thursday from 9 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 12 midnight.

New York City
One Lucky Duck and Pure Food and Wine are partner restaurants sharing a kitchen. Pure Food and Wine is a fancy, expensive restaurant serving lunch and dinner. One Lucky Duck, around the corner from Pure Food and Wine, is the funky sister serving desserts, smoothies, juices, and all lunch menu items from Pure Food and Wine. All dishes at One Lucky Duck are available to eat-in or take-out. Pure Food and Wine, 54 Irving Place (at 17th street, 1 block east of Union Sq.), NYC 10003; Tel: 212-477 1010; Web: www.oneluckyduck.com/purefoodandwine; open for lunch from 12 noon to 4 pm, dinner from 5:30 to 11 pm.
One Lucky Duck, 125 E. 17 St, NYC 10003; Tel: 212-477-7151; Web: www.oneluckyduck.com; open 7 days a week  9 am to 11 pm. Also at Chelsea Market, 425 W. 15 St (or enter on 9th Ave.), NYC; open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 9pm, Saturday 10 am to 8 pm, Sunday 10 am to 7 pm.

Caravan of Dreams serves organic, natural meals and half the menu is live-food. Caravan of Dreams, 405 East 6th St. (at 1st Ave), NYC; Tel: 212-254-1613; Web: www.caravanofdreams.net/#/Restaurant; open Sunday to Friday from 11 am to 11 pm, Saturday open until midnight—lunch and brunch are served until 5 pm.

Rockin’ Raw serves live, organic, vegan food employing a variety of cuisines including Peruvian and Creole. Rockin’ Raw, 178 North 8 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211; Tel: 718-599-9333; Web: www.rockinraw.com; open Tuesday to Thursday from 12 noon to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 12 noon to 11 pm, and Sunday from 12 noon to 10 pm.

Texas
Beets Café serves all raw dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Beets Living Foods Café, 5th Street Commons, 1611 W. 5th St., Suite 165, Austin, TX 78703; Tel: 512-477-2338; Web: www.beetscafe.com; open Monday to Wednesday from 8 am to 8 pm, Thursday and Friday 8 am to 9 pm, and Saturday 10 am to 9 pm.

Vermont

Vermont Fiddleheads Café serves smoothies, juices, sandwiches, desserts, kimchi and other fermented foods, that are all vegan, organic and local when possible, with free WiFi available. Vermont Fiddleheads Cafe, 18 Worcester Village Road, Worcester, VT; Tel: 802-223-2111, Web: www.vt-fiddle.com/rawfood/fiddle_heads_cafe.php; open Open Tuesday to Friday 12 noon to 6 pm, Saturday 12 noon to 4 pm.

London, England

Vantra Restaurant serves mostly, but not exclusively, raw foods. It is 100% vegan and most ingredients are organic. Vantra, 11-13 Soho Street, W1D 3DJ, London, UK (near the Tottenham Court Rd tube/subway station); Tel: (011 44) 20-7287-6060; Web: www.vantra.co.uk; open Monday to Saturday from 12 noon to 11 pm, Sunday from 12 noon to 8 pm.

Vitao Restaurant serves mostly, but not exclusively, raw foods. It is 100% vegan and most ingredients are organic. Vitao, 74 Wardour Street, W1F 0TE, London (near the Leicester Square tube/subway station); Tel: (011 44) 20 7734-8986; Web: www.vitaorganic.co.uk; open Monday to Saturday from 12 noon to 11 pm, Sunday from 12 noon to 9 pm.

The InSpiral Restaurant serves mostly, but not exclusively, raw foods. It is 100% vegan and most ingredients are organic, including 100% organic cocktails at the bar. InSpiral, 250 Camden High Street, NW1 8QS, London (Camden Town tube/subway); Tel: (011 44) 20 7428-5875; Web: www.inspiralled.net; open Monday to Thursday 10 am to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am to 2 am, Sunday 10 am to 11:30 pm.


Raw Food Health Centers

Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, Dr. Gabriel Cousens;
Web: http://www.treeoflife.nu/home-index/

Hippocrates Health Institute, founded by Ann Wigmore & Viktoras Kulvinskas;
Web: www.hippocratesinst.org

Raw Resources

Supercharge Me—The Movie, by Jenna Norwood; Web:  www.jennanorwood.com

Ani’s Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food, by Ani Phyo (Da Capo Lifelong Books 2010)

The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity, by Donna Gates (Body Ecology 2006), Web: http://bodyecology.com/

Green for Life, by Victoria Boutenko (North Atlantic Books 2010); Also by Victoria Boutenko: 12 Steps to Raw Foods; and The Green Smoothie Revolution

Living Raw Food: Get the Glow with More Recipes from Pure Food and Wine, by Matthew Kenney & Sarma Melngallis (William Morrow 2009)

Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, by Gabriel Cousens, MD and the Tree of Life Café Chefs (North Atlantic Books 2003)

Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life, by Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert (Regan Books, 1999)

Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow, by Matthew Kenney & Sarma Melngallis (William Morrow 2005)

Also by Matthew Kenney, Everyday Raw; Entertaining in the Raw; Everyday Raw Desserts

The Sunfood Diet Success System (North Atlantic Books 2008); Superfoods (North Atlantic Books 2009), both by David Wolfe; Web: Web: www.davidwolfe.com

Green Day in NYC: Part 2

PART 2

......there I was at Dickson's Farmstand and remembered my poring spouts. I walked towards the Tenth Avenue entrance of the Market and found what appeared to be a not so large storefront stacked with glassware. I felt a pang of disappointment thinking this was an outlet store for cheap glassware and dishes. How wrong I was. Beyond the glassware, the store opened up into a beehive of customers and kitchenware.

Bowery Kitchen Supplies, for both professionals and home cooks, is an orgy of cookware and utensils. I found not just one, but four choices of pouring spouts for my olive oil tasting and managed to get out of there with only my six spouts - it was close though, as every aisle and shelf had either a useful, beautiful or intriguing item calling my name.

By this time I had worked up a hunger and while there were numerous choices I opted for The Green Table specializing in organic and local foods from area farmers. They serve organic meat as well as organic vegetables and beverages. The farms they purchase from include Hawthorne Valley Farm, a biodynamic farm in upstate New York, Flying Pigs Farm, Old Chatham Sheepherding, and many others. For people such as myself that must regrettably steer clear of caffeine, The Green Table offers a refreshing Iced Upaya, which is spiced Rooibos (pronounced roy-bus), a South African legume tea.

Satiated, I left the Market and headed east on 15th street passing The Rudolf Steiner Bookstore offering the largest selection of Steiner-inspired books in New York City, and The Tibet House, an educational center promoting Tibetan culture including a lending library, art gallery, and courses.

Fifteenth Street dead-ends into Union Square Park which seems to have perpetual green market stalls as well as craft and gift vendors. Consider Bardwell Farms makes especially fine raw milk goat cheese from goats fed on pesticide-free pastures in Vermont and you will find their stand towards the north end of the park.

On this fresh September day their was a two-day open air exhibit, Sukkah City 2010, with twelve unusual and creative Sukkahs. Sukkahs are temporary structures built as part of the seven-day Jewish agricultural and harvest festival Sukkot. Traditionally Sukkah’s must be constructed using natural materials especially on the roof, and celebrants eat meals and sometimes sleep in the Sukkah for the duration of the festival. View the Union Square Sukkahs here.

One last stop before making my way back to my lodging was to Astor Wines & Spirits, south and east of Union Square. On my way I stopped to quench my thirst at Le Pain Quotidien, a Belgium chain of restaurants serving natural and organic foods with locations all over Manhattan. This one, at Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, was right on my route and I could get a take-out Mint-Lemonade made with organic agave nectar instead of sugar.

Astor Wines is a large store stocked with a huge assortment of wines and liquors, including organic varieties. I was on the search for organic gin to go with my just purchased organic Q-Tonic. I was in luck. Midwest organic grain farmers are getting into the specialty liquor market and there were multiple brands of organic gin as well as vodka.

I opted to try Farmer's Gin, since they serve it at The Green Table. It is made in the United States with certified organic grains as well as Juniper, Elderflower, Lemongrass, Coriander, and Angelica Root.

As soon as I am home I will rustle up some organic limes so I can  mix up a fully organic gin and tonic - results to follow....

Green Day In NYC

PART I
The train from Vermont to New York City is neither high-speed or even regular-speed, but tragically a slow-speed, making public transit between bucolic Vermont and New York City limited and difficult. Fortunately the Dartmouth Coach has started a daily service to New York City making the trip not just easy, but luxurious.

After arriving and  relieving myself of my bags, I set off to enjoy the afternoon - a glorious September day in Manhattan - sunny, with a slight breeze and bright blue sky.

My first stop was Kitchen Arts & Letters. If you are a cook or foodie who loves books this is your spot. Floor to ceiling cookbooks, wine guides, food memoirs, books about kitchen design, nutrition and food storage cover this not very large store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. You can find DVDs of Julia Child’s television show that I vividly remember watching as a young girl on New York’s Channel 13. I was really too young to appreciate the knowledge she was imparting, but coming from a home where no one cooked anything except frozen fish sticks and grilled-cheese sandwiches, I marveled at her kitchen prowess, her voice (which I loved) and found her comforting - like a relative I should have had but didn’t.

Kitchen Arts & Letters has two full shelves of books about the politics of food - not just the more well known books like Food, Inc. (which if you haven’t, you should read - or see the film), but a variety of lesser known but no less important titles.  They also have books for travelers - books highlighting food in different countries as well as right there in New York such as a guide to New York Markets (very useful). Beyond the cookbooks and wine guides, the serious cook will find out-of-print and foreign books available as well.

Next stop was the Idlewild independent bookstore, already a favorite haunt of mine, not just because they sell my Traveling Naturally Guides, but also because they are a specialized store focused on one of my favorite subjects - travel. Organized by country, Idlewild sells not only an excellent selection of guidebooks, but also literature from each country. People living in the city can take advantage of their ten-week language immersion courses concentrating on conversation.

Out of Idlewild I headed west on 19th street to 9th Avenue. I could have stopped at any number of restaurants and shops along the way. When I was a kid in New York, West 14th up through the 20s was not such a great area. Now it is a happening scene. Beautiful tree-lined residential streets are mixed with interesting, often trendy, stores and eateries.

Instead of getting distracted, I kept my focus. I was on the search for olive-oil pouring spouts for a Spanish olive oil tasting I am hosting next week and a cook-extraordinaire, cookbook-writer friend of mine had tipped me off to a kitchen supply store in the Chelsea Market on 9th and 15th St.

The Chelsea Market, a former Nabisco factory, was transformed in 1997 into foodie heaven. Specialty, gourmet and green eateries dot the refurbished factory intermixed with stores selling  books, liquor, housewares, and gifts. The Oreos may be gone but there are plenty of devilishly delicious treats to eat at almost every turn.

Chelsea Market Baskets offers an eclectic selection of baskets, gourmet treats, chocolates, housewares and baby items. I was delighted to see they carried three favorite products of mine. LA Organic olive oils from Cordoba, Spain (not Los Angeles as the name might imply); Askinosie chocolate made in small-batches with organic sugar and goat milk – it is incredible!; and Q Tonic, the best tonic water I have found made with organic agave syrup (no sugar or high fructose corn syrup) and real quinine.

I did not shop at Dickson’s Farmstand meats, but went in to survey the organic offerings. Set up as an old fashioned butcher shop, Dickson’s sells organic and local meats including beef, lamb, pork, goat and poultry, all raised without hormones, animal by-products and prophylactic antibiotics. If you want fully organic ask for which meats are certified........


continued tomorrow in Part 2...

One of the Seven MUST-Read Eco Travel books

The Green Earth Guides are listed in 7 Must-Read New Eco Travel Books - Read the full story here.

Stay tuned as I am putting the finishing touches on Traveling Naturally in Switzerland - what a country!! and I am about to enter the world of Apps! A whole new way to convey and receive information in this fast moving digital world and excellent for traveling.

I am heading to New York City next week and looking forward to visiting some of my favorite haunts like the Babycakes Bakery (I don't even like cupcakes but I dream about  theirs! Gluten-free no less), Idlewild Travel Book store - a treasure trove of good reads, and Food Liberation, a cute little health food store with an excellent gluten-free section and delicious fresh smoothies and juices.


Food Liberation, 1349 Lexington Ave (and 90th St.), NYC 10128; Tel: 212.348.2286

New Independent Travel Bookstore in New York City: Another Place to Visit Near Union Square

Idlewild Books, just two blocks north of Union Square, is the brainchild of David Del Vecchio, a former press officer at the United Nations. The store is filled with guidebooks (from over one hundred countries) and all manner of literature from classics to thrillers grouped by country so you can get the full flavor of a destination. A friend of mine recently went to the Czech Republic and Hungary. She was able to find authors from and books about these countries. On return she said that the fiction helped her understand the cultures immensely – far more than her guidebooks, which while helpful for practical information about specific sites and public transport, could not offer the deeper, emotional perspective of the novels.

Light and airy, Idlewild has places to sit while you browse your potential purchases, and friendly, informative staff to help you explore the literary terrain of your destination or interest. Look for maps and other travel accessories as well in this store where you could spend an enormous amount of time imagining all sorts of adventures. For those of you not in New York or not able to get there, you can browse and order online. The only downside to Idlewild is that you want to buy every book in the place!

Idlewild Books, 12 West 19th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues), NYC; 212-414-8888; www.idlewildbooks.com. Open Monday to Friday from 11am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12-7pm

A Few More Green and Natural New York CIty Tidbits

For the aroma or aromatherapy nut, there is a small, but delightful store in the west village of New York City called Enfleurage, which offers essential oils, both common and exotic, as well as books and diffusers, and other fun aroma products.

Enfleurage, 321 Bleeker Street, NYC (bet. Christopher & Grove Streets, just west of 7th Avenue); 212-691-1610; www.enfleurage.com; Open Monday to Saturday 12 to 8pm, and Sunday 12- 6pm

For eating healthy on the go try the Le Pain Quotidien, a Belgium chain of restaurants serving organic and natural foods. You can go to the Le Pain website (http://www.lepainquotidien.com) to find the seventeen! locations in New York City.

Outdoor Living: New York City Film Screenings in the Fresh Air

A delightful way to spend a summer evening full of fresh air, camaraderie, and culture is to attend an outdoor film screening. France and Switzerland have well known outdoor summer film venues, and you can happily find the same in New York City. Like their European counterparts, shows are subject to weather and held only in the summer months. While the 2008 season is over, keep the following venues in mind for summer 2009.

In Bryant Park, located at 42nd St and Sixth Avenue behind the Main Public Library with the Lion Statues, you can find the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival with screenings on Mondays from the middle of June to the mid-August. The Lawn opens at 5pm, movies begin at sundown, see www.bryantpark.org for movie details.

Special Note: From April to October you can attend free Yoga and Tai Chi classes in the morning at Bryant Park – check the calendar at www.bryantpark.org for details.

The Central Park Movie Festival runs daily for a week or so in August. It is free and screenings start at 8pm (gates open at 6pm), at 69-70th St and 5th Ave in the Rumsey Playfield. Check http://www.centralpark.com/pages/activities/movies.html for details.
Central Park is also home to the Delacorte, an open air Theatre near the 79th street Park entrance where the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park is performed. You can also go to Summerstage, a free, outdoor music and performing arts festival held in Rumsey Playfield. See http://www.summerstage.org for a full schedule.

At the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park you can see films on Thursdays at sundown through the summer. Information at: www.brooklynbridgepark.org under Movies With A View.

Movie Nights on the Elevated Acre – a special spot in lower Manhattan- are free and held on Tuesdays at 8pm during August at 55 Water St between Old Slip and Broad Street. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. See www.rivertorivernyc.com for a full schedule.

On the Hudson River, at Pier 54 at West 14th and West Street you can view films on Wednesdays. On Pier 46 at Charles and West Street you can view on Fridays. See www.hudsonriverpark.org for summer schedules.

Rooftop Films: Underground Movies Outdoors has been been screening movies on rooftops and other outdoor locations since 1997. They now have thirteen venues in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Roosevelt Park. Check the website for the summer schedule:
www.rooftopfilms.com

In the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, the Summer Screen Series is held at the McCarren Park Pool on Tuesdays and the gates open at 5:30. See www.summerscreen.org for details.

Shopping Recycled: Second Hand Stores in New York City

Like any city in the world, shopping in New York City can be outrageously expensive, and more times than not, have nothing to do with anything “green”. Take heart, although not advertised and usually on less traveled streets, there are numerous second-hand stores throughout the city. Some are simply second-hand or consignment stores, others are run by non-profit organizations that use their store’s revenues to fund humanitarian work helping people suffering from HIV and AIDS, the homeless, and other issues.

Thrift shops tend to be located together in clusters as you will see from the addresses below. On the Upper East side there are many thrift stores along 2nd and 3rd Avenues in the 80s. These stores tend to be more expensive than the stores downtown or uptown. The Chelsea area of Manhattan is a hot spot for thrift stores around west 17th street.

Any of these stores can be a treasure trove for the shopper who likes to reuse and recycle goods, as well as for those who simply like the hunt for a good bargain or special trinkets. Happy hunting.

Chelsea- West 17th Street Area:
Angel Street Thrift Shop, 118 W. 17th St. (bet. 6th & 7th Avenues), NYC, 212-229-0546, http://angelthriftshop.org. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm. Angel Street helps people dealing with substance abuse, mental illness, HIV and AIDS.
Housing Works has seven locations including at 143 W. 17 St. (bet. 6th & 7th Avenues), NYC, 212-366-0820, www.housingworks.org. Open Monday-Friday 10am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday Noon-5. Housing Works supports housing, health care and advocacy for homeless people with HIV and AiDS.
Uja Federation Thrift Shop, 17 W. 17th ST. (bet. 5th & 6th Avenues), NYC, 212-727-7512, www.ujafedny.org. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm. The Uja Federation works on sustaining and strengthening Jewish communities around the world.

In the area:
Salvation Army, 208 8th Avenue (at 21st Street), NYC, 212-929-5214, www.satruck.com - search the website for all of their stores.
Goodwill, 103 W. 25th St. (at 6th Avenue), NYC, 646-638-1725, www.goodwill.org - search the website for all of their stores.
City Opera Thrift Store, 222 E. 23rd, NYC, 212-684-5344

Upper East Side (not a complete list):
Irving Institute for Medical Research, 1534 2nd Ave (bet. 79-80th Sts)
Memorial Sloan-Kettering, 1440 3rd Avenue (bet. 81-82 Sts)
Arthritis Fund, 121 E. 77th St.
Cancer Care, 1480 3rd Avenue (bet. 83-84 Sts)
Council Thrift Store, 246 E. 84 St.
Grandmother’s League, 1459 3rd Avenue (82-83 Sts)
Housing Works has two stores one on 77th and 2nd and another on 90th and 2nd.

Other Second Hand Stores:
Other clusters of Thrift stores are in the East and West Village, the Gramercy area (East 20s), Harlem, and the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
RePop, 68 Washington Avenue (bet. Park & Flushing), Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, NY, 718-260-8032, www.repopny.com. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm, Sunday 11am-6pm. They have a large variety of goods, 95% of which are recycled or second-hand.

Used Books: Many of the second-hand stores sell books and there are also many used bookstores in New York. Here are a couple of stores with a large selection of used books:

Most famous- The Strand, 828 Broadway (12th Street), NYC, 212-473-1452, sells what seems like acres of used (and some new) books. It has been in existence for over 75 years, www.strandbooks.com. Open Monday-Saturday 9:30am-10:30pm, Sunday 11am-10:30pm

Housing Works Used Book Café, 126 Crosby St. (at Prince between Broadway and Lafayette), NYC, 212-334-3324, www.housingworks.org. Open Monday-Friday 10am-9pm, Saturday and Sunday Noon-7pm.

Enjoying the Country in the City: Green Space and Markets in New York City

While many people think of New York City as a hunk of grey concrete, there are many things “green” in the city. Two recent posts (see archives) have talked about some great green eating in the city. Public transportation and walking are the only way to get around, and for the brave, bicycling. While the downtown “Village” of Manhattan, and the boroughs (Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island) can be a little confusing to navigate, the center of Manhattan is very simple. It is based on a grid and numbered with ascending numbers going uptown or north. Below Central Park (south of 59th Street) most of the avenues are numbered and ascend from East to West. On either side of the park some of the avenues are named. For a native New Yorker these are ingrained as to which are West Side and which are East side, for visitors it is best to carry a map.

For literally green areas of the city there are over 1700 parks and recreational areas, the largest of which is Central Park, designated a National Historic Landmark, with 843 acres and 26,000 trees, the park runs 2.5 miles long by .5 miles wide. Strawberry Fields, named in honor of John Lennon, covers 2.5 acres within Central Park on the West side between 71st and 74th Streets. Strawberry Fields, considered a “Quiet Space” in Central Park, has a mosaic inscribed with the word “Imagine”. One hundred and twenty-one countries recognize Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace. Central Park is filled with trails and sites, ball fields, theaters, flowers and more. See the web site below for full information.

New York City has numerous Farmer’s Markets, called Greenmarkets. Thirty markets operate seasonally sometime between April and November, while sixteen markets are open year round. Some of the larger year round markets include:
Union Square in Manhattan between 14th-17th streets and Broadway, once a haven for drug dealers and users, is now a refurbished mini-park, home to the Union Square GreenMarket. Accessible by many subway lines and buses, the Union Square GreenMarket is open year round from 8am-6pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Farmers sell a variety of fresh, local foods including in-season specialties such as cherries and peaches, as well as vegetables, meats, dairy products, crafts and plants.
At the north entrance of Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Grand Army Plaza hosts a GreenMarket on Saturdays year round from 8am-4pm.
The Bowling Green GreenMarket is held at the southern tip of Manhattan at Broadway and Battery Place on Tuesdays and Thursdays around the year from 8am to 5pm. See the website information below for a full listing of all the GreenMarkets with their days, times and locations.

On sunny days the green spaces of New York come alive with walkers, joggers, bicyclers, roller bladers, sunbathers and others enjoying the country in the city. The GreenMarkets are always bustling, so arrive earlier rather than later for the best selections. You will find it almost hard to believe you are in one of the largest cities in the world!

To find Parks throughout New York City go to the following link for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation - http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/park_list/index.html
You can also find free wifi hotspots in city parks including seven in Central Park, two in Prospect Park, and throughout Union Square, Washington Square and Battery Parks. For information specific to Central Park see the Central Park Conservancy - http://www.centralparknyc.org - for maps, events, sites and hours.


At the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) – www.cenyc.org - you will find full information about Greenmarket Farmer’s Markets throughout the five boroughs with a downloadable map at: http://www.cenyc.org/files/gmkt/map.pdf . The Council also provides information about recycling throughout the city, as well as how to generally live a greener lifestyle using non-toxic alternatives to common products.

Groovy Green Spots in New York City

New York City is full of Groovy Green spots. Here are a few I recommend. The Spring Street Natural Restaurant is located on the corner of Lafayette and Spring in lower Manhattan and has been a haven for natural foods enthusiasts for over twenty-five years. Menu options include organic vegetables, fish and chicken, as well as vegan dishes. Fresh-pressed juices are available and they have a full bar.
The Counter Restaurant is an organic wine and martini bar with a vegetarian bistro. They serve organic and biodynamic wines, as well as martinis made with organic vodka and other ingredients. They have an organic rooftop garden overflowing with herbs, fruits and vegetables that they use in their dishes. They serve delightful brunch and dinners, and did I mention the chocolate fondue?
The New London Pharmacy has a large selection of natural and not so natural products, but their supreme green line is the Organic Pharmacy, a UK based business making organic and pure skin and body care products, as well as supplements and medicinal herbal remedies. Be forewarned, the line is very expensive due to the high quality of ingredients and the fact that it is imported from England. The New London Pharmacy also sells other natural products including the Dr. Haushka line, and other European and American brands.
The Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) is dedicated to art from the Himalayas and they have breathtaking collections from Tibet and neighboring countries. The RMA hosts numerous events from films, music and workshops to children specific activities. The focus of their Fall 2008 calendar is Bhutan. The gift shop is filled with crafts made by Himalayan artisans, including Buddhist monk and nun dolls handmade by Tibetan Buddhist Nuns. The museum is serene and beautiful, enjoy!

Spring Street Natural, 62 Spring Street, NYC, 212-966-0290; www.springstreetnatural.com; Open Monday-Friday for breakfast 9am-11:30am, lunch 11:30-4:30pm, and dinner daily from 5-11:30pm (Fridays and Saturdays until 12:30). On Saturday and Sunday brunch is served from 10:30-4pm.

Counter Restaurant & Wine Bar, 105 First Avenue (between 6th and 7th streets), New York; 212-982-5870; www.counternyc.com ; Open Monday-Thursday 5pm-midnight, Friday 5pm-1am; Saturday 11am-1am, and Sunday 11am- midnight.

The New London Pharmacy, 246 8th Avenue (between 23rd & 24th streets), New York; 212-243-4987; www.newlondonpharmacy.com; Open Monday-Wednesday 8:30am-7:30pm, Thursday-Friday 8:30am-8:30pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, Sunday 10am- 6:30pm

The Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street (between 6th & 7th avenues), New York; 212-620-5000; www.rmanyc.org ; Open Monday and Thursday 11am-5pm, Wednesday 11am-7pm, Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am-6pm, Closed Tuesdays. Entrance is $10 for adults, kids under 12 are free, college students with i.d. are $2, Friday from 7-10pm is free.

Gluten-Free Desserts in New York City

I don’t even like cupcakes – never have - but I am now a devotee of the gluten-free cupcakes at the BabyCakes bakery in New York. Somewhat hidden in lower Manhattan, four blocks south of East Houston, 1 block south of Delancey Street, between Orchard and Ludlow, in the northern beginnings of Chinatown, Babycakes serves up yummy baked goods, lemonade, coffee and tea. This place is tiny but sells goodies that don’t make me sick – all some combination of Gluten-free, vegan and refined-sugar-free. Their delicious lemonade is made with Agave nectar – refreshing like regular lemonade but without the sugar-sick feeling afterwards. Take note- a few products are made with Spelt – these are not gluten-free, but tolerated by some people. All items are labeled.
While I am not so crazed as to order these online for overnight delivery – it can be done. Check out the website, or savor the treat for when you are visiting New York City. For travelers: a few blocks from Babycakes there is a new, large Whole Foods Market at 95 East Houston Street, open 8am to 11pm, seven days a week. See http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/ for detailed directions and other store locations.

Babycakes, 248 Broome Street, New York, 212-677-5047; www.babycakesnyc.com; Open Tuesday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-11pm, Sunday 10am-8pm
The Babycakes Cookbook is coming out in April 2009 (ISBN: 978-0307408839) available through the Traveling Naturally Bookstore (see link at bottom of the blog page) powered by Amazon(of course).