Organic Organic-ness Organic-ified at Gustorganics
By Guest Contributor 
January 18, 2011 
13 Comments
This article is written by guest contributor, Danielle Binler.
Once, when I asked an acquaintance if she had tried any adventurous foods during her recent trip to a far off country (“Did you try snake soup? A variety of offal?â€), she replied that she was “not that kind of girl.†Well, I am, and I always will be. But I understand and respect other people’s wishes to only have one brain in their body at any given time, given that they actually use it. So, when a granola-crunching, clothing-recycling, composting, vegan friend of mine came for a visit, I had to bring her to a dining establishment where she could feel good about eating the food, and I could find food I actually wanted to eat. Gustorganics was just the place.
I’d been cursing my wet socks, insufficiently lined jacket, and the cabbie speeding up 6th Ave that just missed me with a splattering of the grey slosh some people call “snow†when I walked into the restaurant. But for the harsh weather, I felt like I was in a veritable paradise. Verdant living walls, plush red curtains, lighting fixtures made from natural materials like bamboo and animal skin (yes, animal skin), and the kind of calming music you hear when you are face down on a massage table all contributed to the warm aura. The same artists that created the living wall in the atrium of Lincoln Center are using their eco-friendly techniques to grow an urban garden inside Gustorganics. The living walls will eventually be sprouting tomatoes, peppers, and other ingredients which can then be incorporated into dishes, but for now, the restaurant will perfect their system and continue to nourish spider plants, elephant ear philodendron, and golden pothos.
The environmentally conscious, those cursed with a gluten allergy, and epicurean vegans or vegetarians will fall in love with Gustorganics. Tofu. Kale. Swiss Chard. They’ve got all the basics. But this place is anything but basic. Empanadas, fajitas, and other Cuban and Spanish influenced dishes are available, USDA Certified Organic wine and beer, and local farm-raised grass-fed steaks and free-range poultry.
I enjoyed the avocado salad with tomatoes, red onions, and breadcrumbs in a parsley and yogurt dressing. The avocado was perfectly ripened, and the juicy tomatoes, onions, and breadcrumbs provided a delicious crunch to offset the creamy and smooth textures of the yogurt dressing and avocado.
I also indulged in the lentil, tomato, carrot, and celery stew with quinoa. Lentils have a bad rep for being boring, but this dish was hearty, with fresh pepper and parsley sprinkled on top to add a kick to the legumes. Mix some quinoa in there and you’ve got the perfect dish to warm you up this winter.
The innumerable varieties of fresh fruit juices available at Gustorganics resemble a Rothko color palette. Deep purples, bright greens, and cheerful yellows. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also made with organic fruits and vegetables. But, being a caffeine junkie, I opted for an iced latte instead. It was in between the third or fourth sip that I noticed Julianne Moore at the next table over politely asking in a non-Bostonian accent for some tea. Celebrity sighting plus delicious coffee? Win!
You must be thinking, ok, awesome food, an atmosphere that makes “relaxed New Yorker†not an oxymoron, but I bet they try to pry that hard-earned cash from your Greenpeace supporting hands, huh? Well, nope, on the contrary, prices are more than reasonable. Appetizers are in the $9-12 range while main courses vary from $12-22. Gustorganics serves up friendly service, a calming atmosphere, organic, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian fare, and makes you realize that being environmentally conscious is delicious, not masochistic.
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I rarely eat a meatless meal, but man, that salad looks good.
What a meal! Love the wall, especially.
Great debut, Danielle! Can’t wait to read more!
normally i don’t buy into the whole “organic” meal craze, but this review is convincing me to do a 180 and turn into “a granola-crunching, clothing-recycling, composting, vegan” for a day at gustorganics…
The iced latte looks delicious! Yum!
This food looks SO good. I’m too tantalized by the flavors to notice that it’s organic/meatless.
YUMM! This sounds delicious! As a gluten free vegan, I rarely get a choice when out to dinner. I am definitely going to check this restaurant out, so in the mood for Lentil Stew in this weather!
So jealous! New York is so close and yet so far. My mom has been tooting the horn of a living wall at the college in her hometown, they sound simply lovely. I’ve never thought of lentils as boring, by the way. It could be because the first time I ever cooked them I used mint and curry with a heavy dose of coconut milk!
Holy Cow, Binler! You’re a great writer! I remember that time we tried brains – I remember it with the one I didn’t digest.
i like to eat fucking steaks. FUCKING STEAKS!
I would devour ALL of these delicacies … if they were smothered in ketchup and, without my knowing, tucked between two meat patties and a sesame seed bun.
yummmmeeeee.
Everything pictured looks soooooo good!