SOY

"In a three-block radius, there's every kind of fast food," says Etsuko Kizawa, an erstwhile designer determined to offer her Lower East Side neighborhood a healthier alternative to KFC and Burger King. So last month, she converted her handbag boutique into Soy, a minuscule, honeydew-green bastion of soybeans in every form, from edamame and tofu to roasted-soybean snacks, green-tea soy smoothies, even soy coffee. And for expert assistance in preparing "classic Japanese mama's dishes" like beef-and-potato stew and curry rice, Kizawa imported two temps from Japan: her parents.
102 Suffolk Street
212-253-1158
·
 Cuisine: Japanese