New York City pulses with fantastic music, fashion, industry, and of course, food. As we as consumers learn more about where our food comes from, it becomes harder to find ethically sourced and delicious meals. Luckily, as our awareness of sourcing grows, many NYC restaurants have risen to meet the challenge. Thanks to our friends at Imperial Moving, here are five Manhattan restaurants that specialize in eco-friendly and sustainable seafood:
1. Crave Fishbar
At either its West Village or Midtown locations, Crave Fishbar has a good reputation. Crave serves meals prepared with seasonal ingredients, often sourced from Long Island fisherman, and was the first NYC restaurant to partner with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Crave offers a variety of dishes, from lobster curry and tuna tartare to grilled octopus and rib eye. They are probably best known for their raw bar; during happy hour, oysters are only $1 each!
2. Maiden Lane
Maiden Lane was born in the East Village in 2013. Owner Gareth Mccubbin aspires to bring the feel of a European conservas bar to NYC. The idea is to serve high-quality, hand-packed tinned seafood, sourced from Europe. The menu includes a huge variety of canned seafood, including octopus, oyster, squid, anchovies, and several types of sardines. Maiden Lane also has other small plates and sandwiches. Especially recommended: the open-faced whitefish sandwich with smoked salmon.
3. Seamore’s
Located in Little Italy, Seamore’s specializes in a range of less familiar types of fish. The sustainable restaurant has partnered with Sea to Table, a company that brings locally sourced seafood to nearby restaurants, and with Greenpoint Fish and Lobster, an organization that acts as the go-between for suppliers and their customer. A blackboard called “Daily Landings” lists the fresh variety of seafood that is featured, often including hake, redfish, pollock, porgy, and dogfish. The “Reel Deal,” a build-your-own entree in which you choose one of the featured fish and one of four sauces, is delicious.
4. Le Bernardin
This Midtown staple was founded in 1986 and rebooted in 1995 when chef Eric Ripert came on board. Le Bernardin continues to win awards after thirty years in the business. The menu features mostly high-end seafood dishes with Asian sauces, with a focus on sustainability practices. Though pricey, Le Bernardin is a perfect place to celebrate. Three categories make up the menu: Almost Raw, Barely Touched, and Lightly Cooked. The menu often changes but is known for its oysters, sashimi, and smoked yellowfin.
5. Mayanoki
For sushi, check out Mayanoki, a sustainably and locally sourced restaurant on the Lower East Side. It works directly with local fisherman and is the only sushi restaurant partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. The menu is served in a multi-course omakase style, in which you watch the food as it is prepared, and are told where it comes from. Since the menu changes depending on the fish available, always expect something different. Try the sea bass and scallop sashimi!
Courtesy of Imperial Moving & Storage
This article was posted by the generous support of our friends at NYC moving company Imperial Moving & Storage. These movers are committed to the environment and strive to make every household move as eco-friendly as possible. Whether it’s by eating sustainable seafood or using recycled boxes when moving apartments, we can all do our part to protect our earth’s natural resources.