Springtime in NYC: Seasonal Dishes & Where to Find Them
Ah, springtime in New York City! The sun is finally shining, flowers are blooming and—perhaps most importantly—seasonal menus are changing. Yes, that means an abundance of ramps, parsnips, fiddleheads, arugula, rhubarb, chard… the list goes on. With so many restaurants in this city focused on local seasonal produce, we share a few of our favorites.
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Family Meal at Blue Hill
Micheline-starred Blue Hill at Stone Barns is something of a destination restaurant. And while the widely-acclaimed restaurant stuns with its bucolic setting and farm-to-table cuisine, a three-hour train ride up the Hudson makes a trip to this restaurant something of an event. Lucky for us, there’s Family Meal at Blue Hill—Stone Barns’ Manhattan outpost. The Greenwich Village bistro offers an equally veggie-heavy menu from acclaimed chef Dan Barber. And—like its sister restaurant—Family Meal’s ever-changing menu is built around whatever happens to be peak at its Tarrytown farm.
75 Washington Pl; (212) 539-1776
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Gramercy Tavern
Another Micheline-starred favorite, the iconic Gramercy Tavern is the second-ever from NYC restaurateur Danny Meyer. While we love dining at the bar in this classic Flatiron space, you’ll find veggies-a-plenty on the seasonal menu offered exclusively in the Tavern’s dining room. At $175 a person, this five-course seasonal tasting menu focuses on New American cuisine, specializing so heavily on seasonality that the menu continually evolves with the season. And while that may mean you never know what you’re going to get, you can be sure nothing will disappoint.
42 E 20th St; (212) 477-0777
Via Carota
Yes, there will be a line. But this walk-in-only restaurant is worth it. Serving Italian food with such an emphasis on vegetables that the entire middle section of their menu is devoted to it, Via Carota is one of the best places in the city for reliably fresh produce. So, if you find yourself on a three-hour waitlist, be sure to stick it out… Go get a drink, take a stroll through West Village… Soon enough, you will find yourself in an intimate, dimly-lit space enjoying a bounty of seasonal veggies alongside some of the most delicious pasta dishes in the city.
51 Grove St; (212) 255-1962
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Union Square Cafe
Danny Meyer opened the flagship of his empire, Union Square Cafe, at the age of 27. While a look at the space that launched his lifelong career in food and beverage might be reason enough to visit, it’s the Union Square Cafe’s diverse and locally sourced menu that has us hooked. Serving American cuisine with a focus on—you guessed it!—seasonality, you never know what you’re going to get, but you’ll be sure to find accessible favorites served in a well-decorated and timeless setting.
101 E 19th St; (212) 243-4020
Estela
Another walk-in-only, Michelin-starred space, Estela is Soho bistro with a focus on Mediterranean-inspired small plates. The atmosphere itself is lively, stylish … while the menu focuses on mostly-organic, seasonal dishes. Like the others on this list, that means an ever-changing array of options, ideally enjoyed alongside a glass of one of their many organic wines.
47 E Houston; (212) 219-7693
PHOTOGRAPHY unionsquarecafe.com
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ABC Kitchen
Jean-Georges’ self-proclaimed “hippie restaurant”, ABC Kitchen is another favorite specializing in seasonal cuisine. The focus here is on sustainability and this goes well beyond the produce—much of the furniture in their dining room is made from salvaged materials. With reclaimed-wood tables, chandeliers and antique touches, the space manages to retain an artfully decorated feel while screaming sustainability (even the menus are made from recycled paper and the place mats are compostable).
35 E 18th St; (212) 475-5829
WORDS Hillary Sproul
PHOTOGRAPHY @unionsquarecafe