It's rare to describe a restaurant as both "sustainable" and "inexpensive". From the slew of environmentally-conscious eateries that have popped up all over New York City, none have taken the locavore challenge to such a democratic extreme as Black Tree. With a menu consisting of mostly sandwiches and unpretentious fair––all of which is priced at $14 or less––the Lower East Side spot is not what you'd expect from a place that sources its food from the Union Square Greenmarket four times per week, ensuring that everything served is from within a 300-mile radius. There's no ornate plating, no fusion, and no exorbitant prices. Just incredible, hearty dishes with minimal environmental impact and a story behind every ingredient.
Started last May by friends Macnair Sillick and Sandy Dee Hall (the chef), Black Tree has cultivated a laid-back atmosphere with a reggae Pandora station playing softly over its speakers and a staff known to take vodka shots with patrons in between carrying out rapidfire orders of creamy burrata cheese and honey-glazed carrots. In between monstrous bites of crimini mushroom and braised pork belly sandwiches this week, Sandy and I talked about the trend of restaurants using locally sourced ingredients. "I think it's here to stay," he said without a second thought. And it looks like the powers that be agree: earlier this month, the National Restaurant Association released its list of top 20 food trends for 2014, with "Locally sourced meats and seafood", "Locally grown produce", and "Environmental sustainability" in the top three spots.
That said, Sandy doesn't necessarily believe all restaurants should adopt the Black Tree model: "[Local sourcing] is a mantra for this place, but it’s not necessarily a mantra for society. I think it’s okay to eat an avocado or a banana [imported from a different country], because [modernizing] means that we’re able to get these things from all over the world. I’m not doing what I do to say, 'Don’t eat anything from anywhere else.' I’m just doing it to show that it can be done."
Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it's a cakewalk. Learning to work with the food that is close and in season can be limiting, but also an exciting challenge. From what I observed when OC Online intern Lina and I tagged along with Sandy to the Greenmarket, working closely with the market's vendors makes it all worth it. "I think I’m more connected to the food and the people around it. I get to know all these farmers, they’re all friends of mine––I bring them all sandwiches. It’s like a community.”
So what’s next for these newly minted gurus of sustainable cuisine? Long-term plans for complete vertical integration: "Eventually, I want to open a farm so I have a direct supply line." See what Sandy whipped up for us at Black Tree after our visit to the market. And if that's not enough to spur you to check out the restaurant ASAP, check out the recipe for their signature winter cocktail, The Pumpkin, also made with special local liquors.
The Pumpkin:
1. Combine 1.5 oz Rough Rider Whiskey from Suffolk County and .75 oz Smoked Maple from Roxbury Mountain Farms in the Catskill Mountains
2. Shake and strain
3. Top with Ammegang Scythe Sickle Harvest Ale
4. Add 5 dashes of Black Bitters (made in-house with chocolate and sarsaparilla-flavored coffee)
Photos by Lina Michal
BLACK TREE
131 Orchard St.
New York, NY 10002
Started last May by friends Macnair Sillick and Sandy Dee Hall (the chef), Black Tree has cultivated a laid-back atmosphere with a reggae Pandora station playing softly over its speakers and a staff known to take vodka shots with patrons in between carrying out rapidfire orders of creamy burrata cheese and honey-glazed carrots. In between monstrous bites of crimini mushroom and braised pork belly sandwiches this week, Sandy and I talked about the trend of restaurants using locally sourced ingredients. "I think it's here to stay," he said without a second thought. And it looks like the powers that be agree: earlier this month, the National Restaurant Association released its list of top 20 food trends for 2014, with "Locally sourced meats and seafood", "Locally grown produce", and "Environmental sustainability" in the top three spots.
That said, Sandy doesn't necessarily believe all restaurants should adopt the Black Tree model: "[Local sourcing] is a mantra for this place, but it’s not necessarily a mantra for society. I think it’s okay to eat an avocado or a banana [imported from a different country], because [modernizing] means that we’re able to get these things from all over the world. I’m not doing what I do to say, 'Don’t eat anything from anywhere else.' I’m just doing it to show that it can be done."
Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it's a cakewalk. Learning to work with the food that is close and in season can be limiting, but also an exciting challenge. From what I observed when OC Online intern Lina and I tagged along with Sandy to the Greenmarket, working closely with the market's vendors makes it all worth it. "I think I’m more connected to the food and the people around it. I get to know all these farmers, they’re all friends of mine––I bring them all sandwiches. It’s like a community.”
So what’s next for these newly minted gurus of sustainable cuisine? Long-term plans for complete vertical integration: "Eventually, I want to open a farm so I have a direct supply line." See what Sandy whipped up for us at Black Tree after our visit to the market. And if that's not enough to spur you to check out the restaurant ASAP, check out the recipe for their signature winter cocktail, The Pumpkin, also made with special local liquors.
The Pumpkin:
1. Combine 1.5 oz Rough Rider Whiskey from Suffolk County and .75 oz Smoked Maple from Roxbury Mountain Farms in the Catskill Mountains
2. Shake and strain
3. Top with Ammegang Scythe Sickle Harvest Ale
4. Add 5 dashes of Black Bitters (made in-house with chocolate and sarsaparilla-flavored coffee)
Photos by Lina Michal
BLACK TREE
131 Orchard St.
New York, NY 10002