Be well, but be social too. You don’t have to stay at home hugging your Vitamix to stay on track with your wellness plans for the weekend.
When in New York, there are spots across the city both healthy and with enough ambiance to make them great date spots – friend, work or otherwise. We asked Dria Murphy of Keep to tell us a few of her personal favorites. As head of communications for Keep (think shoppable Pinterest) Dria is constantly out and about with fashion influencers across the city and looking for great spots to meet that won’t mean equate to extra hours in the gym later. We love her picks for NYC restaurants:
neighborhood love – Morandi
Morandi is my go-to neighborhood spot that I visit on a weekly basis. That being said, I have had to learn how to still maintain a healthy mindset when dining here. (Excluding glasses of rose). I always order the ‘pepperoni fritti’ (blistered green peppers) to start. I call it my ‘skinny calamari’! Next on the must-have list is the shaved raw brussels sprouts salad. If in a pasta mood, I get the ‘pici al limone’ but opt for the whole-wheat pasta as a substitute. If not, the salmon with roasted sunchokes and radicchio is delicious. They also have almond milk and fresh green juice, which makes mornings there even better.
post-cycle bliss – Cafe Clover
Cafe Clover is the ultimate go to for a night out that won’t undo that morning’s Soul Cycle class. The chef even brought on a nutritionist to work with him on the menu. After visiting Cafe Clover several times now, my go to appetizer would have to be the market crudite bowl with green goddess, smoked vinegar and sesame ranch dressing for dipping. The sweet gem wedges with chia seeds and shaved roots is also quite tasty. They have quinoa tagliatelle with beet greens, maitake mushrooms, and sunflower kernels and I personally love the Cauliflower “steak” with romesco and a vegetable chutney. You can even pass cocktails like ‘Superhero’ off as “healthy”. This cocktail has fair quinoa vodka, pomegranate, blueberry, echinacea, elderflower, and lemon. Also love the ‘Two hungry blonde’ cocktail with tequila, ruby red grapefruit, sage, lime, citrus soda.
good vibes – Joseph Leonard
Joseph Leonard has been on of my favorite spots ever since I moved to NYC. The vibe is always energetic, no matter what time of day. The staff is always having fun and the playlist there is unreal and on point. Brunch is my favorite time here! Luckily for my diet, I love the bibb lettuce salad with avocado, ricotta salata, pickled red onions and hard boiled egg and the avocado toast. I also can’t dine without ordering a side of the brussels sprouts sriracha either. I am not going to lie though, its is hard to stay away from the country fried bacon and the monkey bread.
Oui, oui – Lafayette
I love Lafayette for breakfast. It has a very French-brasserie feel equipped with Pain au Chocolat and Croissants. To start the day in the healthy direction I recommend the oatmeal with toasted almonds or the egg white frittata with mushrooms. Aside from almond milk lattes, I always order one of their fresh juices. The Jardin Vert, green apple, kale, ginger, cucumber, is my fave but I also love the French Rose, carrot, beet, navel orange, and the Hyper C, blood orange, yuzu, grapefruit.
