PURE FOOD AND WINE
54 Irving Pl.
212-477-1010

Maybe it’s because chef-owner Matthew Kenney didn’t begin his career as a vegan nor as an advocate of raw food, the mode of cooking in which eggs, dairy, sugar, grains, and any kind of animal product are banished, and nothing edible is heated to more than 115 degrees. Having fed New Yorkers in more familiar ways for ten years prior, he knew their hunger for big taste and smart environments. That he manages to satisfy those desires with a lasagne of tomato, zucchini, and pistachio-basil pesto and a “pasta” of julienned squash showered with truffles is even more surprising when you realize you actually forgot this stuff is good for you. And Pure’s lovely outdoor garden—a rare, expansive interior courtyard with soaring, building-obscuring shade trees—is exactly the right place to put you at one with nature, even in the big city.