JOSIE’S RESTAURANT 565 Third Avenue at 37 Street New York, NY 212-490-1558

Chef Louis Lanza goes for healthy food
Josie’s Restaurant in Midtown Manhattan (near the accessory market) takes the best of nouveau cuisine and blends it with healthy fare. It does this without sacrificing flavor or the heartiness of the food. We started our meal with a special sushi roll called “Fantasy,” which was a combination so divine it should be preserved in the MET. It had lobster, shrimp, masago, mango and avocado drizzled with citrus-mango coulis (whatever that it). It had a sweetness that complimented the fresh seafood, making it a wonderful choice of appetizers.

Josie’s has sushi and sashimi platters, yet it is not a Japanese restaurant. It remains one of the few sites where you can get fish, organic poultry and meats, as well as burgers. If your best friend is a vegetarian, this is a great place where carnivores can meet, eat and great together under one roof.

The upbeat light- filled space makes Josie’s a comfortable place to sit back, kick off your shoes and dip your yellowfin tuna burger in its mesclun greens. It’s also a great place to indulge in healthy seafood fare such as balsamic glazed natural Canadian Salmon with watercress, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, julienne chayote, green mango, jicama and toasted pine nuts in a pomegranate dressing. We also tried the Pan seared Icelandic Dayboat Haddock pan fried with mashed sweet potatoes and steamed vegetables. For the meat eater there are other exciting dishes: Blue Plate Turkey Meatloaf with Italian spices with roasted garlic gravy and mashed sweet potatoes with sun-dried cranberries and braised sliced organic brisket of beef. Josie’s also caters to the meatless crowd with sesame seared tofu, yet strays from this hippie heritage with grilled teriyaki chicken and Lemongrass coconut curry shrimp. There are also cheeseburgers and veggie burgers.

There is also a nice wine list and an amazing selection of desserts. I tried the Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry Ribbon Yogurt Pie (at my waiters suggestion), that was out of this world. This should be a prerequisite for humanity because it could put sweetness in the belly of the most difficult person.

I highly recommend Josie’s Restaurant for its eclectic approach to feeding the most finicky, and the most adventurous diners at moderate prices. Chef Lanza also has three other restaurants around Manhattan, Josephina (on the West Side), Citrus (Upper West Side) and Josie’s on the Upper West Side as well.

There is also a popular cookbook available: Totally Dairy-Free Cooking (William Morrow 2000).