North Square Latest Restaurant To Add Rooftop Garden

By James Mulcahy

Bell Book and Candle started the trend and Rosemary's followed and now North Square is the latest West Village restaurant with sky-high sprouts. The eatery has planted an herb garden on the roof of the Washington Square Hotel dubbed Jake's Edible Garden (it's named after owner Judy Paul's grandfather). The herbs are used throughout chef  Yoel Cruz's fare - there's parsley, apple mint, French tarragon and lavender along with chilies like cayanne and cherry habaneros. A few tomatoes will also ripen on the roof - if you're biting into a beefsteak, brandywine or black plum (along with a few other varieties) it's likely that it came from upstairs. Booze hounds who like the roof-to-table trend should order a mint julep, which is stuffed with super-fresh leaves.