Financial benefits aside, going green also makes for good press. The North End’s Taranta was recently recognized as a Green Business by Boston mayor Thomas Menino, and maintains a blog (tarantagreen.com) where chef Jose Duarte notes eco-friendly restaurant news, such as the May start of the restaurant’s organic, sustainably farmed and biodynamic wine list.
Other eateries around town are taking note. Quick-breakfast mecca Bagel Rising meets GRA standards for greenness, as does Somerville jazz club Johnny D's, the Boloco burrito chain, and Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Hotel. At the humble Charlie’s Kitchen in Cambridge, the staff recycles rainwater from the roof as irrigation for patio plants. Biodegradable materials are now being used in takeout packaging, as well as in straws and condiment cups. And leftover food gets composted and grease recycled, says bartender and server Elizabeth Ezell. Manager Jaap Overgaag even picks up fry oil from Upstairs on the Square to power his car.
Clearly, going green is the latest industry trend — and quite a bit of work, too. So, do the customers even notice?
Not always, says Leviton — and sometimes that’s intentional.
Lumière's menu notes local, sustainable food sources where applicable, he says, and customers appreciate his efforts. “We want to excite them. These things cost more, but they're better tasting, and they're better for you.”
But, says Leviton, there’s also valor in subtlety. “It is, at the end of the day, just food. I don't want to see myself as ramming a particular ideology down people's throats. Sometimes they just want to come out and eat.”
Still, more and more, people do want to eat green, and actively seek out a place — such as Grezzo, the North End's new raw, vegan spot — to do just that. Grezzo Executive Chef Leah Dubois strives for an all-inclusive approach to food use: if one recipe calls for mushroom caps, for example, stems become a tea used in another recipe. Scraps from papaya steak become cheesecake.
“We're very conscious that we have everything come full circle,” she says.
Grezzo claims devotion to Seventh Generation brand toilet paper and hand towels, and uses to-go boxes made from recycled sugar cane, as well as plenty of locally sourced food, such as handpicked Maine seaweed.
Eco-friendly and upscale don’t always go hand-in-hand, however, and sometimes style must win out over substance. Again, take lighting. Compact florescent bulbs, says Leviton, aren't ideal for every part of his restaurant.
“No one looks good under that light,” he says. “You want your food to be presented in a flattering light, and your dining partners in a flattering light.”
Restaurants want to be portrayed in a flattering light, too. “You don't want to look cheap,” says Reiser. “I think you always, as a restaurant person, perceive clientele to be snootier than they are.” But, he says, recyclable replacements for his takeout packaging actually look nicer than the original packaging, which costs three times as much. “It's mostly about perception,” adds Reiser. “Half of [our customers] probably don't even notice, and the other half loves it.”
Today, Reiser’s restaurant uses napkins with a big, green logo emblazoned upon them.
“We never thought there was a day we could go to an unbleached napkin and think it's okay,” he says. “But everyone's going to have to do it eventually.”
On the Web
Green Restaurant Association: http://dinegreen.com
Taranta Green Blog: http://tarantagreen.com
Lumière: http://lumiererestaurant.com
Upstairs on the Square: http://upstairsonthesquare.com
The Fireplace: http://fireplacerest.com
