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Irving Farm Coffee Roasters Plans UES Cafe With 'Super Freek' Salad

By Shaye Weaver | November 24, 2015 6:35pm
 The new cafe and coffee shop is slated to open in the spring.
Irving Farm Plans Upper East Side Outpost
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YORKVILLE —The neighborhood is getting a new cafe with a slew of coffees from around the world and locally sourced food options next spring.

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters is opening its largest kitchen at 1424 Third Ave. near East 81st Street to serve its own roasted coffees, homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, pastries and baked goods, ranging in price from $10 to $15.

All of its entrees will be made in-house, using ingredients from northeastern companies like Catsmo Smokehouse lox, Shelburne Farms cheddar, Narragansett Creamery mozzarella and Charlito's Cocina chorizo, according to John Summerour, a spokesman for the company.

"Super Freek," a grain salad made with freekeh — a type of cereal made from green wheat, golden beets, grated carrot, avocado, pepitas and homemade spicy hummus is its most popular entree right now so customers can expect to see it on the menu, Summerour said.

Its coffee, which is roasted at Irving Farm’s upstate roastery and then shipped to its five Manhattan stores, comes from farms in countries like Ethiopia, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Irving Farm is known for its healthier options, but will also deliver on the sweets.

"You'll be able to enjoy something light and balanced, or a Colson Patisserie donut filled with vanilla cream," Summerour said.

The cafe, with 15-foot-high ceilings, will have a warm, inviting vibe, Summerour said. The company plans on decorating with oak that has been charred with fire, cooled, and then cleaned and finished with oil in a traditional Japanese process called "Shou Sugi Ban."

Founded in 1996 by coffee enthusiasts, the company offers classes on the science of coffee brewing, sensory building and even a four-hour barista fundamentals class at its labs near Union Square.

The coffee house is the kind of place the neighborhood needs, and will host educational events like it does at its Upper West Side location, like tastings, and maybe even a sake and coffee pairings workshop, Summerour said.

"After a long day strolling Central Park or the Met, where can you get an awesome cup of coffee and some filling, delicious, affordable food in a welcoming, laid-back atmosphere?” he said.

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, which already has four coffee houses in Manhattan — the Upper West Side, the Lower East Side, Gramercy and Grand Central Terminal— will be open weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and weekends, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.