The Butcher’s Daughter In NYC

The Butcher’s Daughter, located at 19 Kenmare Street (near Elizabeth Street) in the Little Italy/Nolita section of New York City, can only be described as a casual hipster cafe with cool people, a charming atmosphere, and a wide selection of juices and smoothies. In fact, when I recently visited this trendy eatery for the first time, the people were so hot-looking that I never felt more “suburbany and housewifey.” But that’s okay, because the people watching really added to the fun of my experience.

When I entered the cafe with my husband, Jeff, I was immediately struck by the intimate and sunny atmosphere. There was a huge board with a large list of juices, smoothies, elixirs, coffees and teas, and a cabinet displaying quite a bit of wheatgrass. There was also one large dining table for a communal gathering and counter seats with stools adjacent to the windows.

As Jeff and I grabbed a counter seat by the window looking out at Kenmare Street, I began dreaming that I was a cool young hipster too living in this trendy urban neighborhood who just happened to “pop in” for my morning shot of wheatgrass. Then I woke up! The lovely waitress brought us two separate menus: a brunch menu and a drink menu. Here’s a peek at some of the items on the menus…

As you can see, the Butcher’s Daughter is not all-vegan, since they serve yogurt, eggs and honey. However, the waitress advised us that “tofu eggs” could be substituted for any of the dishes on the menu containing eggs such as the “Smashed Avocado Benedict.” Unfortunately, the electric griddles were not working when we were there, so we could not order any warm foods. Such is life! Also keep in mind, that the above snapshot is only part of the menu and there were other vegan options such as a fancy kale salad (I can’t remember the exact name).

Although I was thrilled to see some of my favorite teas from the Bellocq Tea Atelier on the menu, I decided to order a latte with cashew milk since this is something I don’t usually have at home.

Jeff ordered a “Brass Monkey” smoothie, and I ordered a “Heaven On Earth.” They were both good, but I preferred the “Brass Monkey” made with peanut butter, bananas, almond milk and maca.

Jeff and I shared the Black & White Quinoa Salad and the Bagel Schmeared With Herbed Tofu Cheese. I had to pull off each and every caper from Jeff’s half of the bagel because he really dislikes capers.

We also ordered some wheatgrass elixirs but, unfortunately, the waitress forgot to bring them. She advised us that the restaurant was still working out “some kinks” because they are so new, having only opened in November 2012. Fair enough! Despite “the kinks,” such as the griddles not working and the waitress forgetting our wheatgrass elixirs, I think that The Butcher’s Daughter is a fun place to “pop in” if you are shopping in the area of Soho, Nolita or Little Italy and you crave a little healthy “something.” It is, clearly, a stellar addition to the already happening neighborhood.

For your information, the waitress advised us that The Butcher’s Daughter will soon be opening up a “dry goods” store “down the block” selling juice cleanse packages and prepared foods. She seemed pretty excited about the “Watermelon Cashew Ricotta Salad” from their upcoming Summer Menu which will be available for on-line viewing in a few weeks. Also note that “Spring Cleaning” packages of juice cleanses are available for order which can be customized to meet your specific needs.

As previously mentioned, my husband strong dislikes capers. I thought it was really coincidental that, today, I just happened to read this quote about capers from the late great Nora Ephron. Have a laugh…