Le Botaniste

Le Pain Quotidien’s got a new sister in town and she’s vegan! This past February the people behind Le Pain Quotidien opened Le Botaniste, a 100% botanical (aka plant-based) restaurant located on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Just like its LPQ counterpart, Le Botaniste was born in Belgium before going international and coming to the States. And in addition to being completely plant-based, the food at Le Botaniste is also gluten-free and organic. The whole concept behind Le Botaniste is healthy, delicious, plant-based, organic food that is good for our health and for the planet.

Le Botaniste truly takes the Hippocrates quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” to heart. The restaurant is fashioned to look like an old-time apothecary, where in past times people would come in search of cures for their ailments. But here at this modern-day apothecary the walls house glass jars filled with healthy food instead of medicine, and the staff wearing white lab coats dispense that healthy food instead of pills. Above the menu on the wall you’ll even see it says “Prescriptions”, with all the nourishing food items written out below. Le Botaniste gives us a place where we can do just what Hippocrates recommended…fuel our bodies with healthy, clean, life-sustaining foods that not only prevent disease, but can treat it as well. Think of Le Botaniste as a place you can go to get a genuinely healthy dose of food-as-medicine.

And if you’re wondering what to get, here are some of my favorite dishes at Le Botaniste.

What to order:

• Mezze Platter for Two: green pea hummus, red beet tartare, seaweed tartare, coconut ceviche
• Seaweed Tartare: whether in the mezze platter or on its own – so good!
• Spicy Chili Sin Carne: quinoa, chili sauce, mixed beans, vegan sour cream, turmeric onions
• Tibetan Mama Rice Bowl: brown rice, peanut curry, steamed greens, kimchi
• Build Your Own Botanical Bowl: choose from an assortment of items
• Detox Juice: ginger, beetroot, apple

Le Botaniste is located at 833 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10065.

xo,

Tedi