Organic Restaurants - NYC

The farmer's market in Union Square is great to take home goodies - I don't know of any particularly famous farm-to-table restaurants in NYC though - nothing like Chez Panisse that I know of, though I've no doubt there are many less high-profile eateries

Candle Cafe, Candle 79 and Cafe Blossom ( which has an outpost in Chelsea) are three restaurants on the Upper East Side that serve organic cuisine. I have eaten at Candle 79 and didnt think much of it though its wildly popular with the swish set,

Thanks ladies! I've been pretty careful about food in recent years; but, I just finally watched Food Inc. and it made me sick from every angle. Now, I'm going to be extra diligent and the more info the better!

@uptowngirl: what's the "swish" set?

@JenMac I had the same Food Inc experience. Sadly, it wanes. I should probably watch it again. There are some good organic places on Union Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn - Rose Water, for one, and there is also a little Italian place that I've been meaning to try. Also try Sun In Bloom's Kitchen on Bergen. Do you know of any in the Williamsburg area? I'm trying to think of some in Bushwick - or just on the north-Northside in general, but can't come up with much.

A lot of times organic groceries will have sandwich counters, as well as prepared salads and pastas and whatnot. And is it just me, or does it seem like organic grocers are popping up on every corner?

Did you see the segment about Brooklyn Grange on NY1? If not, this is the place: http://brooklyngrangefarm.com/
It's not a restaurant, obviously, but it's kind of cool.

@JenMac the swish set i.e. the Ladies who lunch crowd. Candle 79 was way too expensive for me and the food was simply ok.

@BroadwayBK the Brooklyn Grange sounds great but I think NYC has a lot of CSA programs-Community Supported Agriculture programs. Remember reading about one in Jackson Heights and found a link for one in Chelsea-
http://www.chelseacsa.org/

Brooklyn Grange sounds really awesome! I'll definitely check it out when I'm back in NYC. I've heard Candle 79 was pretty expensive, although a lot of places in this city are.

@uptowngirl You mean me? That's cool that there are so many community rooftop gardens! I actually didn't know...

A community rooftop garden is a great idea! A pity many rooftops are not really in use in plenty of pre-war co-op buildings!

What do you guys think about starting a community rooftop byob bar? I could go for one of those. It would have to be on a building where a bunch of drunken hipsters lived, though.

@BroadwayBK LOL but we would be actually starting a new trend here and that's a good thing in a city like NYC..

@BRoadwayBK But don't most places that house drunken hipsters already have community byob bars?

on the roof, though? I mean, there are house parties but you have to know someone, etc... I mean just a rooftop that you could hit up whenever you wanted.

This is sorta back to the organic food thing but can I just say that I'm obsessed with Chop't. It's a little pricey, sure, but the salads are huge! And, everything is organic, free range, grass fed, etc. That place is awesome.

@everyone don't you just hate the fact that organic stuff is so much more expensive than regular stuff? really thank god for Trader Joe's organic milk, eggs and stuff or my grocery bill would be huge!

@uptowngirl Yeah I can't resist the TJ's organic stuff and my grocery bill is pretty substantial compared to thers, but I just can't go cheap on food!

My roommates think I'm crazy for buying food that costs a little bit more than non-organic stuff - but I don't mind paying more for quality. One of the good things about living in Bushwick is that - in my neck of the woods, at least - when you do find organics in the grocery isles they are often on sale. When I'm out on a big grocery trip, though, I just head to the TJ's in BK.

Trader Joe's is amazing! I don't even care that it's crowded. And, the wine shop? Get outta town!

My mama always said food is the one thing you can't go cheap on. If you want to save money, you can hold off buying new clothes, but you need to make sure your food is the best quality possible no matter what the price. I guess I go by that pretty much, and don't try to save at the grocery store.

Fair enough, @uraniumfish. If it goes into your body, it might as well be the healthiest, freshest stuff you can get!

I do mind that TJ's is always crowded - it's the one reason why I always put off going there. The line moves really fast, I don't mind standing in it, but when I'm actually shopping I hate having to maneuver around the line and all the other shoppers. Shopping there is really hard work.

The TJ's in Manhattan is stressful because the aisles are so narrow you can hardly get through. But the Brooklyn location is a lot better. Even when it's crowded you can still make your way around with a shopping cart okay.

@DBLack I love TJs and dont really want to go elsewhere to shop but I hate when folks yak on their phones and block the narrow aisles at the 14th street location.. what is so important that can't wait until after you have finished your grocery shopping?

What about the new Chelsea Tj's? Anyone popped in there yet?

@JenMac not really convenient for me as I am an East Side dweller though I must say my friends who live on the West Side are very happy but they are bound to be ecstatic when the TJ's opens on 72nd and Broadway in the fall..maybe that store will work for me as well..bet all these openings will reduce the stress on the 14th street location which has ridiculous lines outside the store on the weekends.

@Everybody I think I've mentioned Trader Joe's owner, one of two billionaire brothers from Germany. Apparently he is now dead:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100728/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_germany_obit_albrecht

@Uraniumfish may he rest in peace- His legacy will live on at TJ's and the many Aldi stores in Europe.. so thankful for them..

@Uraniumfish you will not believe the craze for oragnic groceries in China and the prices!!!! they are astronomical.. $20 US for a kg of chicen.. how I miss TJs...

@uptowngirl Yea, the Aldi brothers did do something important, which was to make decent quality food available to even poor people. Those Aldi stores in Germany are a real lifeline for a big swath of the population.

What! I didn't even know there was a new TJ's in Chelsea. Apparently I am not only living under the J train, but a rock as well.

The Chelsea TJ's is open already? I knew it was coming but that seemed so fast...

I'm moving to the west side so I am pretty darn excited for the Chelsea angel.

@Uraniumfish at the height of the recession the sales of Aldi and Lidl went through the roof in London as almost everyone began to do their shopping there. Even my sis in law who only ever shops at pricey Waitrose moved to Aldi and boy was I shocked for this is someone who when she lived in NYC used to do all her shopping at Grace's Market Place on the Upper East Side which is a tony gourmet store in the 60's.

@DBlack I can appreciate the extra aisle space at the Brooklyn TJ's, but I'm not sure I would say it was less crowded in shopping population.

@BroadwayBk will the opening of the fourth TJs on the UWS later this year help I wonder?

I think having more TJ's in the city will definitely relieve the stress on some of the stores - but it seems like that one on 14th is always full of NYU kids and will always be crowded as long as they are around. Now that I think of it, I can't really think of any store that stays as busy as Trader Joe's, which seems packed night and day, 7 days a week. Maybe the Union Square Whole Foods?

@NeverSleeps Union Square Whole Foods is also super packed and they don't have nearly the same kind of efficiency in the check out section,it seems.

@Uraniumfish You think so? I actually prefer waiting at Whole Foods, and I like how most of the checkout floor is dedicated to the line and the registers. That way you don't have to wind all the way around the store and the line for checkout doesn't take up any aisles.

@NeverSleeps I guess that's a good point. At TJ's I can just get in line the minute I arrive and shop while waiting in line, since it winds all through the store. A bit much. Maybe the perception about Whole Foods not being as efficient just has to do with having had a couple of excruciating experiences waiting in line there at peak hours. What I had to go through for some dried fruit!

The Whole Foods at Houston is way way better on this point, by the way, and I looove the upstairs eating area. I also love the upstairs cosmetics and supplements section, though I don't shop there nearly as much as I should.

I love love love the Whole Foods takeout at Columbus Circle. My grandma and I go there lots! The nearby Morton Williams also has good takeout - less healthy, but cheaper.

@BroadwayBK But at the Trader Joe's at Union Square, you can barely make your way through the aisles. The one in Brooklyn is often teeming too, but I've never had trouble moving around in it.

@Everyone the trick is to visit TJ's at Union Square on a Wednesday morning that's when the store is the least crowded.. the staff let me in on this secret now that's the only time I ever go there but then I work from home and can adjust my schedule to meet my grocery needs.. I am hoping the 72nd and Broadway store makes things easier for me somehow..

@Uraniumfish Getting in line right when you enter TJ's is a great idea - but don't you miss out on some stuff? The frozen food aisle with all the chocolate treats on the shelf above, perhaps?

@uptowngirl That's interesting - I wonder why Wednesday in particular is the slowest morning.

@NeverSleeps the reason they gave me was that shoppers eschewed the store in favor of the Union Square Green Market on Wednesdays.

@DBlack The aisles are wider at the BK TJ's - but it's not like they are grocery cart friendly. I'm a driver, I'm totally spoiled when it comes to grocery store shopping. But I don't really like to get a lot of stuff at TJ's because it's such a pain to maneuver around with too many groceries.