Green Dining in DC

So many of the city’s restaurants use locally sourced ingredients that there are too many to list. A few, however, take their eco-consciousness to another level, pledging to use either 100 percent organic ingredients, biodegradable cleaning products and supplies, or give portions of their proceeds to environmental causes. These eating spots take their commitment to Mother Earth seriously:

The queen of the DC organic dining scene, Restaurant Nora [1] has served eco-friendly meals since it first opened in 1979. Certified as an organic restaurant 20 years later, Nora’s menu consists of nearly 100 percent certified organic ingredients. Owner Nora Pouillon sits on a number of environmental boards, including the Amazon Conservation Team, Fresh Farm Markets, and the Environmental Film Festival.

The Four Seasons [2] grows its own herbs, vegetables, and leafy greens in a pocket garden on its property along the C&O Canal for its popular steakhouse, Bourbon Steak [3]. In 1999, chef Michael Mina oversaw the effort to bring in 400 plants from an Amish farm to start the beds that are cultivated using organic methods. What Mina can’t grow himself he brings in from organic and Amish farms, including meats, fruits, and other ingredients.

In the super-trendy, super-crowded environment of Founding Farmers [4], it’s easy to question just how “green” this restaurant is. But it is owned by a farmers’ collective, is housed in a LEED Gold-Certified building, and is Green Restaurant certified, committed to using sustainably farmed and organically grown ingredients.

High-end seafood house Hook [5] and its less-expensive sibling Tackle Box [6] both promote restaurateur Jonathan Umbel’s commitment to sustainable seafood. They strive to use locally grown ingredients and humanely raised meat and dairy products. Best of all, dining at one of these two establishments helps the environment, if just a little bit: Hook and Tackle Box donate generously to several ocean and water conservation organizations.