This month, Apotheke and Pulqueria co-owner Heather Tierney opened the doors to The Butcher's Daughter, a bespoke vegetarian restaurant and juice bar on Kenmare Street in Nolita.

And while beet tartare and green juice may seem a world away from tacos and bourbon blends, Tierney sees it as a natural progression.

"It’s the way that I’ve been eating more and more, and I think it's kind of the way all of our diets are moving," she says. "I still enjoy a glass of wine and steak frites, but I'm just so much more interested in eating lots of vegetables and wholesome foods and juicing."

We stopped by the healthy eatery, did some taste tests, and got the inside scoop on Tierney's cocktail-inspired juice blends. —Lisa Elaine Held

 Photos: Lisa Elaine Held for Well+Good

 

The tiny cafe has an airy feel, with cheerful yellow stools, and lots of and flowers and plants. The juice bar (pictured) is front-and-center. "I wanted to create a juice bar where there's actually a bar—where you can talk to the staff, see what they're doing, and even create your own juice," Tierney says.

 

The design hearkens a butcher shop—just with less beef and more bananas. "I always had this concept of a space that looked like a butcher shop but instead of cuts of meat hanging from the hooks, it would be vegetables and fruit," Tierney explains. (In case you're wondering, though: no, her father was not in the meat business.)

 

Fresh juices (and yummy smoothies) are the stars of the menu, We tried a green juice that mixed kale with unexpected ingredients like pineapple, fennel, and thyme, and a carrot-based blend that carried hints of beets and bell peppers. A Local Harvest juice will also reflect what's on green market stands each week.

 

Tierney says her team is approaching the blends with the same methods they use to create delicious, balanced cocktails. (At Apotheke, they use a juicer behind the bar, and make fresh herbal extracts from their rooftop garden for the blends.) Tierney also brought Cie Cie White, the former juice genius from ABC Kitchen, to play head juicer and assistant manager.

 

The food at the Butcher's Daughter is super simple but delish, with breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, and a few entrees like a raw pesto squash linguine and a portobella burger (they're currently offering a "limited" menu). So far, the Smashed Avocado Toast with curry and mustard seed is a house favorite, and we loved the Grateful Veg (pictured), with cashew-cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato, cucumber, carrots, and sprouts.

 

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