http://www.groupon.com/new-york/

Yee-haw, its time for a hoe-down, darn-tootin!  There will be a buffet of organic and locally grown cuisine and live music from four bands, including the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, and dancing.  All proceeds go to the Growing Food and Justice Initiative, which helps local farmers help all of us.  Sounds like a win/win.  Hope to kick up some dust with y’all there!

http://www.brooklynlyceum.com/news/the-brooklyn-farmers-ball-featuring-rude-mechanical-orchestra-and-more.-october-27

After the previous post, it seemed like an appropriate title. But yet again, we are just talking about food (food that just happens to not be heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the enzymes intact.)  Raw meals, contrary to logic, usually cost upwards of $30, so this is a pretty good deal if you want to experiment with the raw lifestyle. I tried the spinach onion ravioli with pasta. In this case the ravioli shell was made of paper-thin turnip skin and the pasta of shaved squash. It tasted good at first, but you can only eat so much. Since the food here is filled with fiber, and often nut-based, a small plate will surprisingly fill you up. The best part of lunch was my drink, the fresh-squeezed apple cider, it was spicy and thick and clear. To be honest, I felt a little ill for a few hours after I ate, but perhaps was just my body adjusting to eating real food after twenty-four years of high fructose corn syrup and bleached enriched white flour.

The food at this farmer-chic tavern is fresh, healthy and often locally grown. The bartenders are friendly, and make some of the best, creative yet simple, cocktails I’ve had in NYC. I’ve been here a few times, and the menu keeps changing, but some of my favorites include the Penn Shandy (pilsner, gin, ginger and lemon) and the Red & Black (tequila, strawberries, pepper and lime). And with happy hour extending all day Monday, these fancy drinks are only $5, and locally brewed beers are around $3. Also on Mondays, you can get a grass-fed beef slider for $3 (I thought cows were supposed to eat corn. No?). Yes, it’s a little pricier than Burger King, but it’s also free of rats, feces and factory workers’ disembodied limbs. So do your appetite, your body, and the future of food a favor, by stopping by Monday or every day!

Picture this: Lines out the door and around the corner, crowds of attractive twenty-somethings clamoring to get in, wine served in little plastic cups. The hot new club in West Chelsea? Nope. Trader Joes: the best and cheapest place to get groceries (and wine) in NYC? Yep. I wouldn’t wait in line to get into a bar, or the Abercrombie on Fifth Avenue (gag me), but I will absolutely wait in line at Trader Joe’s. Even when I lived in Spanish Harlem, I would commute 110 blocks to do my shopping there (rather than getting shanked for my metrocard at the Pathmark on 125th). It is half as expensive as Gristedes or Food Emporium, and you can find affordable foods that are organic, gluten-free, vegan, or just plain regular. Exported French Cheese: $4.37, Organic Cage-Free Omega-3 Eggs: $3.99, Extra-Fiber Whole-Wheat Bread: $2.49. Employees give out free samples, and will pick something up for you if you’re already in line and forgot. There are rumors of new locations opening in Chelsea and Upper West Side, which should clear out some of the traffic.  Right next door is the wine shop, where bottles start at $2.99 for two buck chuck and $3.99 for a slightly fancier label. That’s the kind of bottle service I’m talking about!