Ellary's Greens

This summer, one of my girlfriends was on a very health-conscious diet, which was great for her but difficult for us to pick places to eat.  One of the places we discovered turned out to be a great find right around the NYU area - Ellary's Greens.  The restaurant has opened just recently and has a shiny awe-inspiring ambiance.  You feel like you're sitting under the canopy in a rainforest: a green metal trellis filters the light down through leaf-shaped cut-outs.  The menu has a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous options.

The first time we ate here, I had the stuffed zucchini with quinoa and yogurt and the chicken sandwich with arugula and lemon ricotta.  The stuffed zucchini looked like vegetarian sushi.  It was light and refreshing, although it lacked any flavor of yogurt and instead came on a pool of tomato sauce.  I'm not a big fan of quinoa but having it stuffed in the zucchini masked the texture well.  

The sandwich was pretty good too.  I loved the addition of tangy lemon into the ricotta.  I also sampled my friend's broccoli rabe panini, which was delicious and garlicky, if a bit salty.  I never knew vegetables to be so tasty!  On our second visit, I had a chicken salad on little points of toast.  Chunks of celery gave the salad a nice crunch and more earthy taste.  The food at Ellary's Greens is certainly well-thought-out and makes me enthusiastic about eating healthier.