So even though I proudly call myself a fried-chicken aficionado, I still do the most to keep up the other end of the bargain and that is choosing healthier (if not healthiest) intakes of all sorts…edibles, drinkables, information, self-talk and with any luck, all otherwise too. So sometimes what this means is ingesting not as yummy, not as scrumptious, not as sensory-explosive, as it’s “evil-er”, fuller-fat, sugar-ier counterpart. However, there are exceptions to the rule, I’ve discovered, that doesn’t necessitate the usual, “oh you’ll get used to the green-y earth-y taste soon”, or “mmm this beet is totally “beeting” (haha I just couldn’t help it) out the red velvet cake I was craving!” It means that, in this big yet small (big as in size-big, small as in how it can feel like there-just-isn’t-a-whole-lot-of-choices to choose from) world of ours, there are still choices that are equal parts healthful, and equal parts mouthwatering. And today I share with you, maybe not a secret at all, but it is my go-to, whenever I feel like I need a breather, in life/in food choices/in anything at all, I come to this little, large-for-New-York, spot, namely Sweetgreen, to nourish and cleanse my soul, and palate.
even the font feels clean…just reading it makes me feel healthier.
Visually, this place gives varsity cafeteria meets urban juice bar meets upscale interior-designed artist loft. In the midst of NoMad (clever real estate names be damned…not the area though, it does house several of my favorite K-town nosh spots, so I do actually have notable fondness of the area by association), where it is home to wholesale repositories that peddle bejeweled accoutrements by the truckloads, where the sidewalks are littered with stands of halal meats and spicy mangoes and good ol’ New York hotdogs, the existence of a “salad bar” can seem out of place. But a closer look at the area one can immediately understand the choice made by SG (aka Sweetgreen) to situate the first of itself in the middle of what is seemingly an endless parade of razzle-dazzle budget embellishments and economical street eats. Just next door to the New York flagship of SG is the new(ish) NoMad Hotel, and only a few more steps to the mainstream-approved originally-hip hotel of Ace. But enough of this geographical talk, let’s get right to the non-meat of things and tuck into some nosh.
the ambience is minimal, so is the hassle. the white line directs traffic to form a line, from end (choose a salad/grain base) to beginning (toss salad+pay). not a moment behind the scene, all up-front and personal.
There was something about this place that made me stay longer than my usual meal time of 20 minutes maximum (I tend to inhale my food, working on that though). Maybe it was the high ceilings, maybe it was the loftiness of it all, the minute I entered I slowed my pace down, taking in the aromas of warm grains, and the zest of fresh kale, it felt like this could’ve easily been my own living room, except for the continuous new arrivals served as reminders that it really wasn’t; nonetheless I felt cocooned by the warmth that is wellness and refuge, all at once, yet I did none of the work to make this happen, ergo the linger and begrudging departure that always seem to follow each meal.
do excuse the less-than-optimal photo, but don’t let the blurriness fool you, these teas and -nades are the bee’s knees.
the idea to include sweet potaters in human mulch shows aptitude in salad making.
any place that wall-stencils an inspirational quote from Christopher Wallace is B.I.G. in my book.
its varsity-ness to the fullest.
more than run-of-the-mill juice bar selection, this juicery boasts unusual use of bok choy (a great source of protein, which is great for maintaining muscle mass and keeping your hair and skin healthy and strong) and isn’t shy on using multiple greens in one go.
finally! the grub! I made my own with a kale/quinoa/farro/wild rice base, with corn, sweet taters (duh), alfalfa sprouts, and apple, tossed in a miso sesame ginger dressing, with a ton of course (cuz I like it like dat) cracked black pepper and a smiley face of sriracha sauce, healthyheartyearthy all in one bite…all the meat texture without the meat (I mean the protein choices are there if desired too)!
It is not unusual that I dive into something without looking behind what started it all, but nowadays with a more intentional self I wondered the objectives that prompted the serendipitous notion that is Sweetgreen; with not-a-whole-lot of digging I find out this consortium commenced in 2007, with a few college friends, in a small bungalow in Georgetown, Washington D.C.. This small dream where locally sourced organic ingredients all come to party on your plate/in your bowl, snowballed into what is now inclusive of all things sustainable (meaning recycled, reused, compostable, reclaimed, gentler carbon footprints, solar-paneled, the list does go on-and-on-AND-ON and cover all it’s tracks in all things consumable), a Brobdingnagian of a music and food festival, and a give-back program that educates young students about plant life and it’s many consumable benefits, on top of partnering with local DC farmers to accomplish allllllll that. Besides getting on board with it all I’m not quite sure what else is a choice in this matter…it seemed all too-good-to-be-true, yet it is…<3…and I couldn’t be gladder.
On a total side note at the time of post the frozen yogurt was taken off the menu at the NoMad location (a very, VERY sad face from me, because it finally delivered a taste that what is FROZEN and YOGURTY should and would taste like in your imagination and mine), something about it taking away from the main mulch selection (who what WHYYYYYYY??!) was the explanation I was given (side-eye). Anyways, if you get to DC and other parts of the country that luckily has a Sweetgreen, be sure to try the very delectable fro-yo made with Stoneyfield yogurt (why this was never conceived before may be beyond our best sensibilities). Mmmmm I can still recall the deliciousness six months later and having only had it once in my life! Bring it back SG!!!!!!!
as if I needed a reason to stay longer…a mélange of reading materials underpin the ideology behind Sweetgreen.
walked in daytime, and walked out night. time flies when one enjoys the company it keeps. and this company is a keeper, that’s for sure.
What once was my stumbled-upon and now a destination, this urban oasis in the otherwise non-descript area that is now chicly named (by the renaming lords of real state agents as expected) NoMad (North of Madison Square, for those of us unfamiliar with all the new geographical names of nieghborhoods in New York and it’s five boroughs), is truly for the nomad in us…I wondered in a lost soul, and left found and profoundly nourished.
all photo by moi – a visual documentist
here’s what Washington Post had to say about the first ever SG.
Thee (Whole)listics 