New York Restaurant Scene Puts Sophisticated Produce Front and Center

It seems after decades of putting a big slab of meat front and center on our plates Americans are starting to grow bored of both the preparation and the end result. It's not to say that they are giving up meat entirely, but rather, the vegetables are progressing from playing second fiddle to actually playing a foremost role in the main course. As in many other cooking cultures including many European and Asian traditions, meat is becoming a smaller piece of the puzzle.

In my eyes, this is a long time coming. Yes, vegetables are undoubtedly better for our health than large amounts of meat and yes, vegetables are the centerpiece of a low impact diet. But in addition, if you really love to cook, vegetables are the most fun to prepare. And we're learning, according to an article in New York Magazine, artisanal vegetables sourced very close to home are darn tasty.

Chefs are selfishly stacking the menu with the seasonal bounty because it's more fun for them as well. According to the article:

These chefs and their devoted clientele are less vegetarians than vegivores, a term that connotes fervid vegetable love rather than ardent meat hate. It's a subtle but important distinction. For the vegivore, a vegetable can occupy the center of the plate, with meat adding flavor or functioning as a condiment.

With vegetables, the centerpiece is constantly changing unlike meat, which is largely thrown into just a few categories. And it's no problem if chefs grow bored with tomato and avocado prep because in a flash eggplants, winter squash, and sunchokes are sure to replace them. Heirloom varieties, which are now becoming available across the country, add even more depth and character to each dish.

Maybe dishes like Saltie's lettuce sandwich with a blast of anchovie paste or Momofuku's roasted Brussels sprouts with kimchee purée are all in the name of keeping New York's restaurant scene fresh and novel but we'll take it.

Dovetail's John Fraser who recently launched Monday night vegetable night had this to say on minimizing the use of meat:

I think this is the best way for most people to eat. A little bacon fat on top of a piece of bread tastes just as good as a piece of bacon—you still get the flavor, but the end result is much more nuanced and healthier, and it doesn't hit you over the head like a side of pork belly.