Healthy
Healthy eating at the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Friday Night Dinner
Dinner at NGI
I think having a kitchen full of chefs-in-training cook a healthy meal for you is a splendid way to end a week. I was invited to come check out one of The Natural Gourmet Institute’s Friday Night Dinners, which is held weekly in their classroom on 21st Street. Well, a classroom transformed into a candlelit dining room.
Friday night dinner menu at The Natural Gourmet Institute
The menu is a three-course vegetarian meal which incorporates fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic produce. When we sat down, we had skewered grapes with chili flakes and a hibiscus drink already ready for us:
Skewered grapes
Dosas at Hampton Chutney Co. in Soho
This is probably the closest I’ll ever get to the anything-Hampton:
Hampton Chutney Co.
Inside Hampton Chutney Co.
I’ve always intended to check out Hampton Chutney Co., but I somehow find myself planting myself inside Ruby’s nearby (any excuse I can make for their Blueys sandwich and pumpkin salad I guess). It’s kind of a shame I do that, because the whole area is lined with so many different restaurants. On a recent shopping trip to Soho though, I finally decided to stop in and try some of their dosas (think a rice-and-lentil flour crepe stuffed with savory potatoes and other veggies).
Giveaway: A gift bag from Lichi Super Fruit!
Lichi Super Fruit diet supplement
Lichi Super Fruit Probiotic and Total Body Detox
If any of you are looking for ways kick-start your fitness goals (and there’s no judgment if the beach is your motivation), you’ll love this giveaway! I’m partnering up with Lichi Super Fruit to give away a full diet/detox program that works to improve your skin and lose weight from the inside out. We’re giving away a gift bag that contains their Lichi Super Fruit Diet Supplements, Probiotic Supplements, and Total Body Detox.
Super Fruit Diet - natural and loaded with vitamins to improve skin tone and texture, increases vitality, and aids in weight loss.
Cabbage Patch in Beverly Hills
If I could create the perfect lunch spot, it would have the following:
Fresh and flavorful ingredients
A gourmet approach to the food – in concept and execution
An affordable price-point (under $14, with lots of options somewhere around $5-$10)
Prime real estate – walking distance to cute shops…and close to a Barneys
A talented, yet humble chef who is recognized for his skills, as well as his charm
Needless to say, this is a tall order. So, I was surprised to discover that something like this actually exists, when I was invited to a tasting at Cabbage Patch in the 90210.
Chef Samir Mohajer of Cabbage Patch
Fig & Olive in Meatpacking
The Meatpacking District may be best known for its night life, but that culture totally spills into their restaurants. There are doormen, lines, people dressed to the nines and menu prices that lets you know you’re paying probably as much to eat as you are to be seen eating there. Needless to say, God forbid you lose your reservation because now you’re all dressed up and stuck with a minimum two-hour wait at all the restaurants in the vicinity. That’s kind of what happened to us — only our saving grace was Fig & Olive.
After losing our 8pm reservation at Ajna Bar (formerly Buddha Bar…I had no idea they had changed their name either), we were stuck with waiting til midnight for the next slot. Across the street at STK, same story. After wandering a bit, we found Fig & Olive. The maître d’ was so nice and accommodating even though the five of us had just shown up without a reservation on a Saturday night. He said we could wait 15 minutes for an “unorthodox” table inside or a table outside. We opted to sit outside since it was a nice night. While we were waiting, the manager offered us drinks on the house. The service for the rest of the night fit the same standard — it was totally refreshing.
Crostinis Part One
Pump Energy food comes out with satirical “sans crap” promos
People in NY may already be familiar with healthy food chain The Pump Energy Food. Recently, the company came out with their “sans crap” promo illustrating how other fast food chains serve, well…
Way to get the point across. I kinda dig. What do you think of their approach?
