{"id":4528,"date":"2009-06-18T14:48:45","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T18:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=4528"},"modified":"2019-06-25T07:24:22","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T11:24:22","slug":"green-canteen-restaurant-brooklyn-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/4528\/green-canteen-restaurant-brooklyn-review\/","title":{"rendered":"New Brooklyn Canteen Serves Green Values, Pizza Flatbread"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update 8\/29\/09:<\/strong> We are sorry to report that this restaurant has now closed.<\/p>\n

Last week, Wiliamsburg topped off its brimming selection of eateries with the opening of Green Canteen<\/strong>. The spacious, \u00fcber-green restaurant is silver LEED certified thanks to its commitment to use 100% wind power for energy, a solar tank system to heat its water, and savvy design (skylights!), which makes the most of natural light. To further reduce its ecological footprint, even the communal table was fashioned out of a ceiling beam from the building itself.<\/p>\n

But eco-friendliness aside, it\u2019s the Mediterranean menu, starring the likes of antipasti, pizza-like flatbreads, and hummus bowls, which will determine whether curious passersby will become repeat customers. It is a restaurant<\/em>, after all, so I stopped by to taste the goods and bask in the sun-filled space where chief operating officer and general manager, Mike Hewitt, was on hand to share his take on Green Canteen\u2019s place on New York City’s culinary stage.<\/p>\n

oM:<\/strong> Green Canteen is the latest from Brad Blum who used to head major chains like Olive Garden and Burger King. Are there similar plans to expand on this new restaurant concept?<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> We want to be able to transfer what you see here onto the road and create more Green Canteens throughout the country. Of course, we want to be careful to walk before we run by making sure we have the model correct. But we feel that America wants to eat this way. More than the architecture, it\u2019s all about the food. You can savor great tasting food and feel good afterward.<\/p>\n

oM: <\/strong>It feels very communal.<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> A lot of our food and seating is shareable. We\u2019re trying to create this community where diners can hang out, enjoy their meal and meet new people, like at the communal tables<\/a>.<\/p>\n

oM:<\/strong> Given Green Canteen\u2019s commitment to using fresh ingredients, does this mean the menu will be seasonal?<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> We might have a couple of seasonal items here and there when possible. We also want to make sure we keep staples so that people know what they\u2019re getting when they get here. If they come for a certain hummus bowl, then we don\u2019t want to be switching things up too much on them.<\/p>\n

oM:<\/strong> So what sets Green Canteen apart from other restaurants that offer healthy and organic alternatives to, say, fast food?<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> Green Canteen\u2019s concept has been nationally tested and it\u2019s done really well. We don\u2019t even use the words \u201chealth\u201d or \u201corganic.\u201d It\u2019s really all about \u201cEat Well. Feel Well.\u201d Some of it might be organic; some might not. But it\u2019s about how you feel after you eat here. It\u2019s about offering food with low glycemic indexes, low sodium, low carbs. The food really tastes good but it doesn\u2019t weigh you down.<\/p>\n

oM:<\/strong> Sounds like a lifestyle.<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> It\u2019s a lifestyle\u2014exactly. A lot of people seem to want to eat this way and live this way.<\/p>\n

oM:<\/strong> How did you decide to start in Williamsburg?<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> Williamsburg\u2019s a very progressive neighborhood. We feel that we\u2019re a progressive brand so it fits hand-in-hand. There\u2019s a savvy clientele here. We wanted to cater to them and see what they think of it. It\u2019s a demographic test. People know what they\u2019re purchasing here and they\u2019re willing to pay a little more for a top quality product that\u2019s sourced in a better way.<\/p>\n

oM:<\/strong> Does this mean you use local farmers?<\/em><\/p>\n

MH:<\/strong> Yes, we use some local farmers and sustainable products. It\u2019s also about what we do with the food once we get it. The preparation is very simple and honest. There are no fryers in the house. There are no processed foods. Just clean, honest food.<\/p>\n

How to get there<\/strong>: Take the L train to Bedford Ave. (Green Canteen, 106 North 6th St., Brooklyn, 718.387.5900, mygreencanteen.com) No reservations taken at this time.<\/em>
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update 8\/29\/09: We are sorry to report that this restaurant has now closed. Last week, Wiliamsburg topped off its brimming selection of eateries with the opening of Green Canteen. The spacious, \u00fcber-green restaurant is silver LEED certified thanks to its commitment to use 100% wind power for energy, a solar tank system to heat its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[766,320,314],"tags":[15,125,130,299,186],"class_list":{"0":"post-4528","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-archive","7":"category-brooklyn-outer-boroughs-destination","8":"category-dining-nightlife","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-food","11":"tag-green","12":"tag-locally-sourced","13":"tag-williamsburg"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":null,"thumbnail_uri":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4528\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}