North End Grill in Battery Park City resists being compared to the elevated dining experience offered by Blue Hill, despite their potential rooftop garden.
The North End Grill, a restaurant under the Danny Meyer empire, is making waves in the culinary scene of New York City with its unique approach to local, fresh ingredients. Nestled in Battery Park City, this eatery boasts a rooftop garden that grows a variety of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers for its menu.
Head Chef Eric Korsh values the quality and freshness of local ingredients, and the rooftop garden is a testament to this commitment. Daily, the North End Grill goes through significant amounts of Boston lettuce and red oak lettuce, grown right on the rooftop. The garden grows six specific vegetables and herbs, including carrots, radish, head lettuces, savory, strawberries, and aji dulce peppers - many of which are hard to source otherwise.
However, the North End Grill faces challenges in growing enough food for their menu due to the small size of their rooftop garden. One idea being considered to extend the growing season by two months is to put hoop houses over the garden beds. Yet, a potential issue with implementing hoop houses is the wind, as a particularly blustery day recently damaged the aji dulce seedlings.
Eric Korsh, in expressing concerns about the size of the rooftop garden compared to the volume of food they serve, has stated, "We're not the Blue Hill of Battery Park City." Despite these challenges, he values the proximity of food grown in the rooftop garden, stating, "Proximity to your food is a turn on - plain and simple."
Tove Danovich, a food and agriculture journalist based in Brooklyn, NY, has covered the North End Grill extensively. Her articles on food and culture, including her coverage of restaurants like North End Grill, can be found on Modern Farmer, Miracle of Feeding Cities, Civil Eats, and more. Readers can follow her work on her Twitter handle and website.
The North End Grill's dedication to hyper-local cuisine is commendable, and the rooftop garden is just one piece of this culinary puzzle. With wood burning grills and dangerously hot mesquite charcoal ovens, the North End Grill continues to push boundaries in the realm of farm-to-table dining. Despite being a work in progress for everyone involved, the North End Grill's rooftop garden is one of few restaurants in New York City that directly grows its own food.
