New York - October 28, 2008

You Say Tomato

Rouge Tomate Restaurant Opens

The nation that gave us waffles with chocolate and frites with mayo is doing penance for its artery-clogging ways.

Rouge Tomate restaurant opens today for the Upper East Side ladies, an ocean away from its original in Brussels. Proving that you should never underestimate a Belgian with a dream.

A dream of good health, that is. Going a step beyond locally sourced and seasonal, RT’s menu adheres to a nutritional charter (oh, yes) that holds that every dish must be calibrated to promote optimal health and well-being. (You want fries with that?)

That translates into rice paper-wrapped cod with Napa cabbage, crosnes, and horseradish broth; or tamari-glazed steak with spinach, mushroom marmalade, and buttermilk-parsnip puree. And a shockingly low calorie count.

The space is vast and striking, a sea of pale wood accented with reds and greens. Bar and cafe occupy the ground level; the dining room is downstairs, as is a cranberry bog.

Zut alors.

Rouge Tomate, 10 East 60th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues (646-237-8977 or rougetomate.com).

  Healthy, Lunch Spot, Ritzy, Sustainable