Supper Wants You to Eat Your Unhealthy Veggies

Story and Photo by Danya Henninger

What do vegetables need? More meat. That’s the philosophy behind Mitch Prensky’s new “unhealthy veggie” specials at South Street’s Supper. Faced with a bounty of vegetables from Blue Elephant Farm - which provides produce exclusively to Prensky’s kitchens - the chef set out to make the green stuff fun. Peak season broccoli has been fried and doused with cheese sauce, bacon bits and crumbled Ritz crackers; padron peppers are charred and treated to a bath of cilantro cream and chorizo bread crumbs.

“People have a preconceived notion that if a dish is vegetable based, it translates to healthy,” the chef explained, “and also that it should be relegated to side dish status.” The creations are thought up as brainstorms, and the idea the staff is most enthusiastic about tasting wins the daily spot on the chalkboard. Each plate runs $8-$10, and makes a satisfying appetizer or large bar snack. In coming weeks, Prensky is looking forward to “mangling the healthy beauty” of tomatoes, beets, summer squash, pole beans and more. Tempura fried green beans with bacon hollandaise? Bring on the veggies (215-592-8180).