The holidays are generally all about pork on sugar on booze. This year, try countering those indulgences by eating a little cleaner when you can. There are tons of great restaurants around the country that practice sustainability, pay attention to the seasons, and source humanely raised meat. After all, that's what eating healthfully is about. Here now, a roundup of some of those restaurants.
The urban offshoot of famous farm-to-table temple Blue Hill at Stone Barns, NYC's Blue Hill sources its ingredients from the same local farms, including, of course, the Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Mass.
With a kitchen helmed by Dublin native Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve aims to emulate the style of an Irish public house while using only the freshest local ingredients for the ever-changing daily menu.
One of the country's best neighborhood restaurants, Corner Table elevates its brand of original New American cooking with produce from 25 local farms. Want to get a closer look at the chefs' process? Book the "kitchen table" for a 12-course tasting menu.
Honey Salt's Vegas strip mall location disguises a thoughtful restaurant with a commitment to regional produce in the heart of the desert. One of the city's finest independent restaurants, it was recently named Eater Vegas' 2013 Restaurant of the Year.
Some restaurants with a stunning view get away with serving inferior food, but Restaurant Beck at the Whale Cove Inn doesn't fall into that trap. Instead, it puts its seaside location to good use, with a staff that sources ingredients exclusively through foraging and relationships with local farmers.
Named one of the "10 best new restaurants in America" by Bon Appetit magazine, The Whale Wins is chef Renee Erickson's sequel to her wildly successful oyster bar, The Walrus and The Carpenter.
The grandaddy of all farm-to-table restaurants, the canonized Chez Panisse reopened recently after a fire forced a three-month renovation. Founded in 1971 by Alice Waters, this widely influential eatery lead the local produce revolution.
Twenty-five years ago, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier left behind their life in California—where they had been mentored by Chez Panisse legend Jeremiah Tower—to open this now-iconic farm-to-table fine dining outpost in Maine. Hurry up and try it soon, as the restaurant is slated to be sold as Gaier and Frasier focus on their growing MC brand.
With a menu built daily around the finest available ingredients, Cambridge's Craigie on Main has developed a reputation as an uncompromising champion of sustainable produce. That passion extends to the wine list, where "80% of bottles are from organic or biodynamic vineyards."
In the old days, a New Englander who traveled down to Charleston to make his name might have been called a carpetbagger, but no one is putting that title on chef Mike Lata, whose 10-year-old restaurant, Fig, is a Holy City favorite.
A beneficiary of the Kentucky farm belt, Proof on Main collaborates with the 1000-acre Woodland Farm to grow produce and livestock for the restaurant. Better yet, waste oil from the Proof on Main kitchen is converted into biofuel to power the farm's tractors.
Even in Portland, a city awash in farm-to-table restaurants, Higgins stands out for its longevity and its respect for humble local ingredients. In early November, Higgins held a series of "Mushroom Celebration" dinners, featuring five courses all based around local mushroom varietals.
The urban offshoot of famous farm-to-table temple Blue Hill at Stone Barns, NYC's Blue Hill sources its ingredients from the same local farms, including, of course, the Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Mass.
With a kitchen helmed by Dublin native Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve aims to emulate the style of an Irish public house while using only the freshest local ingredients for the ever-changing daily menu.
One of the country's best neighborhood restaurants, Corner Table elevates its brand of original New American cooking with produce from 25 local farms. Want to get a closer look at the chefs' process? Book the "kitchen table" for a 12-course tasting menu.
Honey Salt's Vegas strip mall location disguises a thoughtful restaurant with a commitment to regional produce in the heart of the desert. One of the city's finest independent restaurants, it was recently named Eater Vegas' 2013 Restaurant of the Year.
Some restaurants with a stunning view get away with serving inferior food, but Restaurant Beck at the Whale Cove Inn doesn't fall into that trap. Instead, it puts its seaside location to good use, with a staff that sources ingredients exclusively through foraging and relationships with local farmers.
Named one of the "10 best new restaurants in America" by Bon Appetit magazine, The Whale Wins is chef Renee Erickson's sequel to her wildly successful oyster bar, The Walrus and The Carpenter.
The grandaddy of all farm-to-table restaurants, the canonized Chez Panisse reopened recently after a fire forced a three-month renovation. Founded in 1971 by Alice Waters, this widely influential eatery lead the local produce revolution.
Twenty-five years ago, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier left behind their life in California—where they had been mentored by Chez Panisse legend Jeremiah Tower—to open this now-iconic farm-to-table fine dining outpost in Maine. Hurry up and try it soon, as the restaurant is slated to be sold as Gaier and Frasier focus on their growing MC brand.
With a menu built daily around the finest available ingredients, Cambridge's Craigie on Main has developed a reputation as an uncompromising champion of sustainable produce. That passion extends to the wine list, where "80% of bottles are from organic or biodynamic vineyards."
In the old days, a New Englander who traveled down to Charleston to make his name might have been called a carpetbagger, but no one is putting that title on chef Mike Lata, whose 10-year-old restaurant, Fig, is a Holy City favorite.
A beneficiary of the Kentucky farm belt, Proof on Main collaborates with the 1000-acre Woodland Farm to grow produce and livestock for the restaurant. Better yet, waste oil from the Proof on Main kitchen is converted into biofuel to power the farm's tractors.
Even in Portland, a city awash in farm-to-table restaurants, Higgins stands out for its longevity and its respect for humble local ingredients. In early November, Higgins held a series of "Mushroom Celebration" dinners, featuring five courses all based around local mushroom varietals.