Green Restaurants

[docsconz]

I have just posted a profile of the ultra-green Boston restaurant Taranta on my blog. What other restaurants are extremely eco-friendly and what are they doing?

Edited May 11, 2009 by docsconz (log)

[tsquare]

Tilth Restaurant in Seattle. And Maria just won Best Chef NW from Beard Foundation. She's a big star for such a little thing. Certified organic.

We've got a bunch of chefs growing gardens, composting, and in Seattle, to go packaging is all supposed to be recyclable (the occasional bit of styrofoam still shows up.)

The Herbfarm feeds leftovers to the resident piggies, as well as having a garden.

Verve's restrooms use storm water (gray water) for flushing toilets - lots of signage saying not to drink this water as it is not potable. Do we really need signs for that?

Crush installed a water purification system, still and sparkling dispenser, to eliminate flying in water from all over the world, and the need to deal with the bottles, plastic or glass.

Edited May 11, 2009 by tsquare (log)

[docsconz]

Tilth Restaurant in Seattle. And Maria just won Best

Crush installed a water purification system, still and sparkling dispenser, to eliminate flying in water from all over the world, and the need to deal with the bottles, plastic or glass.

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The Natura water system is great. It provides filtered and UV lighted water in both still and sparkling.

[cinghiale]

Is Picnick still going? After hunting around Battery Park a bit in late fall of 2007, I was able to find it, but it looked rather abandoned.

[Toliver]

Verve's restrooms use storm water (gray water) for flushing toilets - lots of signage saying not to drink this water as it is not potable. Do we really need signs for that?

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In case this isn't a rhetorical question, yes, they do need signs like that. File it under legalese CYA in case someone is foolish enough to actually drink it.

[wax311]

Many restaurants use the whole "green" thing to gain publicity, and I am kind of sick of it. Go ahead and be green - compost, use low-flow toilets, be organic, whatever - GREAT! - just stop bragging about it already.

I want to hear more about creative ways to use food scraps that are normally thrown away (or composted - many kitchens use the compost bin as an excuse to throw more food away than before).

[docsconz]

Many restaurants use the whole "green" thing to gain publicity, and I am kind of sick of it.  Go ahead and be green - compost, use low-flow toilets, be organic, whatever - GREAT! - just stop bragging about it already.

I want to hear more about creative ways to use food scraps that are normally thrown away (or composted - many kitchens use the compost bin as an excuse to throw more food away than before).

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I think that it is important for restaurants to share ideas about how to be environmentally and fiscally responsible. Your request for how restaurants find uses for scraps certainly fits into that category. I know that one of the things they do at Taranta, for example, is to use scraps of good quality foods to fix their staff meals.

Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa have used the normally discarded parsly stems to create sauces and other things.

I agree that efficient utilization of product is another useful and laudable category of being green.

[wax311]

Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa have used the normally discarded parsly stems  to create sauces and other things.

That's the point - "normally discarded parsley stems". Any kitchen that makes their own chicken stock should NEVER discard parsley stems, but most restaurant do! (thyme stems, tarragon stems, fennel fronds, celery leaves, and roasted meat trimmings are among many of the other things that would make better stock are normally thrown away at most restaurants).

The whole green restaurant trend is an extension of people being green in their own every day lives I.E. hybrid cars, solar energy, reducing carbon footprint, etc. It is my opinion that many restaurants go the green route to capitalize on this market of people who feel strongly about being environmentally friendly. It's not quite manipulating as the carbon credit fad, a scam in which people pay bogus environmental organizations so their carbon footprint is reduced and they can feel better for themselves, but it's similar. In the restaurant realm, for example, I have no idea why switching from candles to LED lights is considered green. Yes, LED lights use little electricity, but candles use no electricity whatsoever! Somehow this has been lumped into "being green" as opposed to the real reason - the reason why most restaurants have turned away from candles - they're a fire hazard. But real candlelight can be so much more romantic! (damn you fire marshals)

Environmental responsibility is a relatively new realization, and a great one. But parsley stems have existed for much longer! It should not be news among chefs that you can actually use them instead of throwing them away. We've been picking parsley for hundreds, thousands of years - why haven't we realized that it's unfair to the parsley plant to not use all of it!?!?!?

Edited May 16, 2009 by wax311 (log)

[tsquare]

Well, our sushi joint fries up shrimp heads and small fish skeletons to serve as an added treat - and scrapes the salmon belly to make some nice sushi topping.

This isn't exactly a big deal when you consider how much is thrown out after meals are served. I suppose the whole small plate concept contributes to alleviating that problem.

[wax311]

This isn't exactly a big deal when you consider how much is thrown out after meals are served. I suppose the whole small plate concept contributes to alleviating that problem.

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I staged at a restaurant up in Maine where they raise their own pigs, and the food that was uneaten by customers was fed to the pigs. There actually wasn't much left on customers' plates because the food was excellent, and the pigs mostly ate stuff like potato peels and the byproducts of all of the stocks after they were strained.

If the food at a restaurant is good, and the portion sizes are correct, customers will not leave much uneaten on their plates. I bet most of the restaurants that throw away lots of half-eaten food have sub-par food and huge portion sizes (which is somehow a recipe for success in this country).

[tsquare]

This isn't exactly a big deal when you consider how much is thrown out after meals are served. I suppose the whole small plate concept contributes to alleviating that problem.

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I staged at a restaurant up in Maine where they raise their own pigs, and the food that was uneaten by customers was fed to the pigs. There actually wasn't much left on customers' plates because the food was excellent, and the pigs mostly ate stuff like potato peels and the byproducts of all of the stocks after they were strained.

If the food at a restaurant is good, and the portion sizes are correct, customers will not leave much uneaten on their plates. I bet most of the restaurants that throw away lots of half-eaten food have sub-par food and huge portion sizes (which is somehow a recipe for success in this country).

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I agree - but I think the sub-par food and huge portion sizes are the case in most restaurants in the US. I'm lucky that I don't hit them often, and never by choice. The more public "green" restaurants do get publicity, and I hope that helps seep the ideas into the public mind. In 1996, I couldn't even get my employer to review literature or let me present a seminar on green roofs in construction. And now, some jurisdictions require them! I agree that small measures get overpraised, but I'll take them.

As I mentioned before, The Herbfarm feeds leftovers to their pigs, and they compost for their own gardens. On the other hand, they set the table with an abundance of glassware and utensils. They offer an unusually formal service that is quite wonderful to experience, but hard to consider green. There are many choices.

And with only 5 of us participating in this thread, I suspect these ides aren't terribly widespread, yet.

[docsconz]

A little blurb from Zagat blog on green restaurants.

In this economy, restaurant owners who are considering ways to make their establishments more eco-friendly may have apprehensions about the cost of such changes. Fortunately, a few restaurants around the country are proving that going green doesn’t necessarily mean less green in the pocket.

[docsconz]

The whole green restaurant trend is an extension of people being green in their own every day lives I.E. hybrid cars, solar energy, reducing carbon footprint, etc.  It is my opinion that many restaurants go the green route to capitalize on this market of people who feel strongly about being environmentally friendly.  It's not quite manipulating as the carbon credit fad, a scam in which people pay bogus environmental organizations so their carbon footprint is reduced and they can feel better for themselves, but it's similar.  In the restaurant realm, for example, I have no idea why switching from candles to LED lights is considered green.  Yes, LED lights use little electricity, but candles use no electricity whatsoever!  Somehow this has been lumped into "being green" as opposed to the real reason - the reason why most restaurants have turned away from candles - they're a fire hazard.  But real candlelight can be so much more romantic! (damn you fire marshals)

Environmental responsibility is a relatively new realization, and a great one.  But parsley stems have existed for much longer!  It should not be news among chefs that you can actually use them instead of throwing them away.  We've been picking parsley for hundreds, thousands of years - why haven't we realized that it's unfair to the parsley plant to not use all of it!?!?!?

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The issue with real candles is that they are made and shipped from China with a high carbon footprint. Rechargeable LED flicker candles are very long-lived and use little energy resulting in a lower carbon footprint. The safety issue is not a small factor either. The flicker LEDs are pretty darn good and romantic as well. I suppose that if one can find a good source of locally made candles, the carbon footprint advantage may disappear, even if the economic advantages don't.

[KarenDW]

Another issue w/ candles is that the majority are made from petroleum-based wax, rather than beeswax or soy-based waxes. Burning petroleum fuels can release various chemicals into the air, which may be different from those released by burning soy or beeswax candles.

[wax311]

The issue with real candles is that they are made and shipped from China with a high carbon footprint. Rechargeable LED flicker candles are very long-lived and use little energy resulting in a lower carbon footprint. The safety issue is not a small factor either. The flicker LEDs are pretty darn good and romantic as well. I suppose that if one can find a good source of locally made candles, the carbon footprint advantage may disappear, even if the economic advantages don't.

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Well then where are his LED flicker lights made? Charlestown, Mass? Okay, then where was the plastic for the LED lights made, Quincy? The recharger - Cambridge? And all the other tiny little parts inside?

How can anyone calculate which light source has the better "carbon footprint" without a p.H.D. in something I can't pronounce?

Also, something I found trivial from the post:

"[Taranta's wine list] even boasts of a wine from Chile that is so eco-friendly that it is certified to be carbon-neutral in its delivery."

How can this be? Was the plane that flew it here certified to not have fuel in it? Or did someone walk the wine here from Chile?

[docsconz]

The issue with real candles is that they are made and shipped from China with a high carbon footprint. Rechargeable LED flicker candles are very long-lived and use little energy resulting in a lower carbon footprint. The safety issue is not a small factor either. The flicker LEDs are pretty darn good and romantic as well. I suppose that if one can find a good source of locally made candles, the carbon footprint advantage may disappear, even if the economic advantages don't.

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Well then where are his LED flicker lights made? Charlestown, Mass? Okay, then where was the plastic for the LED lights made, Quincy? The recharger - Cambridge? And all the other tiny little parts inside?

How can anyone calculate which light source has the better "carbon footprint" without a p.H.D. in something I can't pronounce?

Also, something I found trivial from the post:

"[Taranta's wine list] even boasts of a wine from Chile that is so eco-friendly that it is certified to be carbon-neutral in its delivery."

How can this be? Was the plane that flew it here certified to not have fuel in it? Or did someone walk the wine here from Chile?

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The candles are likely made in China as well, but they need be purchased once and last for a very long time. The candles don't last very long and need to be purchased over and over again.

You already don't give much credence to the idea of carbon offsets. i believe that is where the winery gets their "carbon-neutral" certification from.

[Alcuin]

I'm not sure it's a "green" restaurant, but L'Etoile in Madison, WI has been doing organic, local, and sustainable food for quite a while, since 1976 when it was opened by Odessa Piper. I have no problem saying they're light years beyond any other restaurant in Madison but the icing on the cake is that they feature as much local food as possible and are a major force in the area for promoting sustainability, Slow Food, etc. They even have imitators, demonstrating the way they've been able to fuse the appeal of their food with their message. I don't get to go there all that often, but I try to go as much as possible to support the restaurant because I think it's an important part of the community for the food it produces and the environmental goals it's had and has. If you're ever in the area, check it out, you won't be disappointed.

[Chris Amirault]

I take it that Taranta has been certified by the Green Restaurant Association, which has a set of standards for declaring something "green" or not. (Not sure about "ultra-green.") Is that the standard here, or can anyone put up a sign saying that they're "green"?

Meanwhile, those LED "candles" give me the creeps.

[JAZ]

Any kitchen that makes their own chicken stock should NEVER discard parsley stems, but most restaurant do! (thyme stems, tarragon stems, fennel fronds, celery leaves, and roasted meat trimmings are among many of the other things that would make better stock are normally thrown away at most restaurants).

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Except that I know many chefs who don't like vegetables in their meat stocks. Parsley stems would be fine for an herb sauce and maybe a vegetable stock, but why should a chef who doesn't like the flavor use them in a dish where he or she thinks they don't belong? It would be like using the leftover beets scraps from a brunoise in carrot soup, just in order not to waste them.

I think cutting down on waste is a great thing, but I don't think you can expect chefs to use any old leftovers in menu items. It's great if a restaurant can feed them to pigs or chickens, but let's face it: not many restaurants have that ability. Compost sounds like a reasonable alternative.

[docsconz]

I take it that Taranta has been certified by the Green Restaurant Association, which has a set of standards for declaring something "green" or not. (Not sure about "ultra-green.") Is that the standard here, or can anyone put up a sign saying that they're "green"?

Meanwhile, those LED "candles" give me the creeps.

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It has been so certified. The term "ultra-green" is my own as the entire approach taken by the restaurant is one towards eco-responsibility. In 2008 Taranta received "The Green Business Award" from the City of Boston.

Perhaps the most important claim made by Taranta chef/owner Jose Duarte is that being eco-sensitive is not just good for pr. It is good for the bottom line as it saves their restaurant a lot of money from the likes of energy and water savings, waste removal, and fuel costs (they were early adopters of using useed cooking oil to power their vehicles) amongst other things.

[wax311]

Except that I know many chefs who don't like vegetables in their meat stocks. Parsley stems would be fine for an herb sauce and maybe a vegetable stock, but why should a chef who doesn't like the flavor use them in a dish where he or she thinks they don't belong? It would be like using the leftover beets scraps from a brunoise in carrot soup, just in order not to waste them.

I think cutting down on waste is a great thing, but I don't think you can expect chefs to use any old leftovers in menu items. It's great if a restaurant can feed them to pigs or chickens, but let's face it: not many restaurants have that ability. Compost sounds like a reasonable alternative.

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If a chef doesn't like vegetables or herb stems in their meat stocks, fine - find another way to use them. Throw together a small stock specially meant to be used for staff meal. As for brunoise beets, it's pretty wasteful to throw away 1/3 of the beet - the scraps can be used in staff salad, or perhaps incorporated into a different menu item (in a way that makes sense). If the chef decides to use only 2/3 of the beet as perfect brunoise instead of just wedges or slices where the whole beet is used, he/she should find another use for the scraps.

When a chef plans a menu, he/she should be thinking about all of the little scraps and byproducts and incorporate those in different ways on the menu, in the same dish or in other dishes. Old leftovers only happen when the chef doesn't plan ahead.

[turkeybone]

I think most of the real "green" impact comes from the restaurateur, in designing the building, the water sources, heating and cooling and such.

What is your practical restaurant experience, wax? Youre throwing around a lot of "mosts" and "manys" when youre talking about restaurants throwing away scraps. The fervor with which you talk about utiliziing 30% of a beet.. well "most" chefs I think I more worried about the bottom line. Whatever that using scraps is green or not, it saves percentages on the bottom line. A cost mindful chef is simply going to account for a 75% yield on his beets, or whatever it will be. It honestly might cost more in labor in using random buckets of scraps before they go bad, but then I guess you spend $50 an hour to plan out the proper utilization of $50 a week in waste, but then it starts getting really REALLY esoteric.

Our nation's landfills are not overflowing with tarragon stems and carrot skins. But one of my favorite baltimore restaurants uses their woodfired oven to heat the majority of the dining room.. thats something I can get behind but going nose-to-tail on root vegetables, I think I will pass.

[cinghiale]

When a chef plans a menu, he/she should be thinking about all of the little scraps and byproducts

"Writer guy -- busted!  Remember our rule: we make money buying food, fixing it up, and getting people to pay for it.  We do not make money by buying food and throwing it away."  I witnessed the garbage routine several more time, involving kidneys ("Elisa, we don't throw away any lamb kidneys"), the green stems of fresh garlic ("Frankie, what are you doing? These are perfect in soup"), and the rough dirty tops from wild leeks ("Somebody talk to the vegetable guy -- he's killing me")

Buford, Heat.

I try to live by this mantra/rant.

[Raoul Duke]

I've got a stake in this, so I'll join the conversation. I grow and produce extra virgin olive oil in Cali. Do this on a sustainable farm, power from photovoltaic system, drip irrigation for h2o conservation, fair wages to farm labor (meals included & cerveza after the pick), mulch all prunings into the soil, yada, yada, yada. Trying to maintain a minimal impact on the land and produce a good product that our family consumes as well as others. The "green restaurants" tout their great works but have little or no compulsion in purchasing imported olive oil leaving a carbon footprint as big as my ex-wifes a-s. Action talks, b---s--t walks!

[docsconz]

I've got a stake in this, so I'll join the conversation.  I grow and produce extra virgin olive oil in Cali.  Do this on a sustainable farm, power from photovoltaic system, drip irrigation for h2o conservation, fair wages to farm labor (meals included & cerveza after the pick), mulch all prunings into the soil, yada, yada, yada.  Trying to maintain a minimal impact on the land and produce a good product that our family consumes as well as others.  The "green restaurants" tout their great works but have little or no compulsion in purchasing imported olive oil leaving a carbon footprint as big as my ex-wifes a-s.  Action talks, b---s--t walks!

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The carbon footprint argument for olive oil may be hold water on the west coast, but not on the east, where it is about the same assuming that the oil is obtained from similarly green producers.