by Lisa Shames - 25 Reviews - 9 List
You recycle, take public transportation and shop at farmers markets, but that doesn't mean you should ignore your inner foodie. From a stylish Chicago restaurant housed in a gold-level LEED-certified building to a sustainably minded bakery, going green isn't just good for the Earth, it's good for you too. (Photo: Chicago French Market)
Updated: April 05, 2010
Sure, its sustainable practices, including recycled design materials, aggressive recycling and a compost program with a local city farm, are cool. But if New American chef Randy Zweiban didn't serve great food at his restaurant, all would be for naught. No worries here.
How's this for green? The roof of the Rogers Park restaurant houses a 2,500-square-foot organic garden and five solar panels that heat the restaurant's water. Don't miss the green-leaning cocktails or the farm-to-table dishes, like the all-natural turkey melt.
Pastry punk princess Michelle Garcia along with her husband Vinny please a variety of food types at this cute Lakeview bakery that specializes in using local, sustainable and organic ingredients for their brownies, cookies, cupcakes and other baked goods.
This intimate West Town market makes being an organic-loving locavore in Chicago a much easier endeavor. There's fresh produce from Midwest farms, tilapia from Flanagan, Il.-based Aqua Ranch and locally made doughnuts.
A certified-organic pizza joint may sound like a misnomer but that's exactly what you'll find at Ukranian Village's Crust. With his farm-fresh salads, hearty sandwiches and wood-fired flatbreads, chef Michael Altenberg proves that going organic doesn't mean giving up flavor.
Chicago's very own year-round European-inspired market is here. The 15,000-square-foot food emporium has 30 individual vendors selling items that range from fresh-baked pastries and certified organic produce and meat to squeezed-to-order juices and raw, whole food offerings.
