Free Range Good, Free Meal Better

In my quest to learn more about food—i.e. eating as much as possible—I regularly read the food sections of local papers, scan the periodical sections of convenience stores and stay up late reading obscure and mostly pointless food blogs. Over the past few years I have come to look forward to a few yearly issues, updates and publications. One of these, New York Magazine’s Eat Cheap issue, came out last month and while I was flipping through the pages I noticed that one of the restaurants mentioned was the new employer of my good friend. I had just eaten there for brunch one Sunday and was looking to delve deeper into the menu. Excited, I asked him about it immediately and was informed that the restaurant, Community Food & Juice on 2893 Broadway, has been receiving quite a bit of good press lately. While this was great news for the restaurant, I was much more excited to find out that the owners were offering free dinners for two to all of their current employees. Whether this was to celebrate the recent good fortune or mollify their employees for rotten treatment I am unsure. However, this problem failed to blemish the delicious free meal I had locavore-friendly restaurant.

Community prepares local and usually organic food. The menu proudly states that all the beef is grass-fed, chicken free range and fish caught wild. The vibe is laid back but classy and the food is served in a laid-back atmosphere complete with a brown-shirted waitstaff. I have no idea why management wants their servers to run about looking like a fashionable pack of well-groomed UPS employees, but one need not worry about such frivolous things when enjoying a delicious—and free—meal. The menu at community starts simple and slowly eases its way to what I would call accessorized. Appetizers are uncomplicated affairs, meant to highlight to ingredients more than anything else. The butcher’s plate I enjoyed was a polished plank of wood adorned with perfectly spiced chorizo, raisin toast, bobolink cheddar (a delicious cheese from a farm in Jersey) and a delicious onion jam to slather on it all. Our second appetizer was a plate of scallion and zucchini pancakes, fried thin and crispy and served with nothing more than soy sauce.



Although I didn’t sample any of the soups or bowls—the Bowl O Beets has been calling to me for a while now—I was assured that these tasty treats were as straightforward as they sound. The Bowl O Beets was nothing more than that: take pile of beets, season accordingly, place in bowl and serve.

I say that the menu becomes more accessorized for a reason; the ingredient list gets longer and cooking processes are introduced but the food never becomes complex. Flavors meld and compliment one another, but nothing is ever lost for the sake of complicated sauce or archaic cooking method. For entrees we feasted on pan roasted scallops and wild caught (of course) striped sea bass.

The scallops came beautifully seared and sitting atop of what the fine folks at Community call corn pudding. It’s a simple mix of corn, seasoning and oil and accents the sweetness of the fat bivalves sitting on top.


The sea bass had a deliciously crisp crust and leaned up against a sweet doughnut peach with a little sprinkling of foie-gras in the middle. Little splashes of mojito sauce dotted the plate and gave a refreshing zest to the meaty fish and savory foie.


Dessert was an equally delicious affair. A vanilla pannacotta was served in a jamming jar and topped with sweet berries and the wooden slate made a second appearance to highlight three deliciously ripe cheeses and a small cup of honey. The dessert menu mirrors the appetizer menu and brings the dining experience full circle, presenting delicious ingredients prepared in ways to emphasize the natural flavors. Overall, Community is a tasty little gem in Morningside Heights. While I may seem biased because I know employees of the place and was lucky enough to snag a comped meal, I may just have to return and pay full price the next time I want to indulge.