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What else would you expect of a restaurant sandwiched between
Columbia University and the Cathedral of St. the Divine except an
oasis of political correctness? With those two proud bastions of
liberalism as neighbors, it’s almost a certainty that Community Food
& Juice would be a champion for free-roaming poultry and grass-fed
free beef, but even the fish served here was once wild and never
farmed. We’re talking an establishment certified by the Green
Restaurant Association, with reclaimed wood tables and recycled wine
bottles doing duty for water. And furthermore—NO
CELL PHONES.
All this might seem like a bunch of rules and restrictions designed
to inhibit fun and games, and yet Community Food & Juice has heart
and soul, which is immediately evident upon entering the expansive
and cacophonous room filled with a broad range of the Morningside
Heights demographic. There are students and professors, as well as
well-heeled young marrieds, and professionals with laptops doing
business over coffee. Everyone seems happy, even the service staff
whose rainbow diversity further reflects the remarkably
heterogeneous neighborhood. And there’s plenty good reason for good
cheer: not only is the food at Community Food & Juice seasonally
driven and locally farmed, but also the restaurant is run by the
same folks who helm the wildly popular downtown Clinton St. Baking
Co. That means a chilled organic potato leek soup, along with
crostini toast, served with fava bean and chickpea hummus. And a
garden fresh veggie sandwich, served with avocado, Muenster,
beefsteak tomato, romaine, sprouts, herb mayo, on seven-grain, with
dressed greens. With its appealing menu and spot-on philosophy,
Community Food & Juice evokes those college town canteens such as
Moosewood and Chez Panisse—and reminds you why you loved eating your
way through college.
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