Bring your own bargain

What would you say if I told you that you could enjoy a romantic three-course dinner with high quality food and two bottles of your favorite wine at a spot tucked away in the far West Village or Soho for around $75?

Go Fish

If you like seafood, I have some bad news: many species are filled with mercury, and many more are perilously overfished. What’s a low impact highlifer to do? Well, one of the most difficult parts of ordering your sushi sustainably is just keeping straight what’s okay and what isn’t. Luckily, the Monteray Bay Aquarium publishes these handy pocket guides that list types of fish according to how sustainably they’re farmed or caught, along with notations of what has been known to have high mercury content. If you’re really concerned about mercury, supplement with this guide from the Blue Ocean Institute, which lists any species that have been flagged by one or more government agencies for mercury concerns. Finally, for the tech savy among us, you can point your mobile device to seafoodwatch.org and get the latest guide info displayed right on your phone. I’ll tell you right now that it’s not always fun knowing which kinds of delicious fish are off limits (or should be at least), but at least you’ll know. And a wise man once said that knowing is half the battle. Actually, that might have been GI Joe, but still.

Prognosis: produce

Feeling hungry? You will be after heading over the Green with Envy, Riddled with Guilt and reading about her artichoke extravaganza. I heartily second Gwen’s endorsement of the Union Square Greenmarket. It runs year round, and late summer/early fall is a spectacular time to go and enjoy amazing heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, and the first harvest of the fall apple crop. Gwen also mentions buying organic, which helps decrease the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers that deplete the soil and runoff into waterways. All good stuff. But believe it or not, the greenmarket isn’t the only way to buy local, organic produce direct from farmers.