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A New Murray Hill Restaurant Is Going All In On The Lettuce Wrap
By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 31, 2017
Modified Aug 4, 2017
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Local Leaf
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 31, 2017
Modified Aug 4, 2017
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A forthcoming Murray Hill fast casual eatery is leaning in to the lettuce wrap by creating an entire menu that kicks the bread to the curb in favor of some delicate greens. Local Leaf, which opens August 14th, will offer a fully customizable menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner that can be stuffed into a raw leaf and wrapped to go.
Lettuce wraps and cups are valuable components in dishes like larb gai or san choy bau—not to mention a fixture as the burger "bun" in the Diet Delights section of any diner menu—but as far as we know this is the first restaurant dedicated to exclusively using lettuce to ferry food into your mouth.
Diners will be able to choose a base of either a piece of Swiss chard, four Bibb lettuce cups, a (pretty boring) salad or a "Green Breakfast Crepe," which is offered only in the morning. This is then filled with a selection of grains, vegetables, meats, nuts, cheese, and a dressing. They'll have "Signature" options, too, for the less decisive.
The restaurant will be purchasing "second tier produce," a.k.a. fruits and vegetables that might not look pretty enough to sell, but taste the same as their more photogenic counterparts. This is all sourced locally, too, whenever possible.
While we're grateful they didn't call anything on their menu a lettuce burrito, they are calling the beverage section of the restaurant the "Hydration Bar," so a little ridicule is still in order.
440 3rd Avenue; eatlocalleaf.com
Local Leaf Menu by Nell Casey on Scribd
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