Now that fashion month has wrapped, the bi-continental throng is ready to atone for four weeks’ worth of long days and late nights, champagne and catering. If a spa getaway, juice cleanse or boot camp aren’t on the iCal, an equally virtuous (and altogether more convivial) course of action is to dine at Dimes, the pint-sized outpost of chic California-style cuisine in New York’s Chinatown. With their masterfully seasoned produce and inspired juices named after Agnes Martin paintings, the owner-chefs Sabrina De Sousa and Alissa Wagner prove that health and culinary creativity need not be mutually exclusive (at least on the East Coast). An in-house line of organic, aromatherapeutic lip balms and body products — along with decor that feels more Abiquiu than Allen Street — also help to lure a roster of repeat offenders. (Certain stylists, DJs and writers have been known to visit Dimes multiple times per week — even multiple times per day.) “Healthy restaurants get a bad rap,” says De Sousa. ”We wanted to bring the idea of wellness into the mainstream with foods that are creative, beautiful and inspiring.”  Dimes’s roasted-mushroom salad and blended Desert Rain juice are precisely that. Here, for the readers of T, De Sousa and Wagner share the recipes — alongside information about how each ingredient helps to chase the toxins away.  Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Snow Peas, Kale, Red Grapes and Buckwheat  According to De Sousa and Wagner, mushrooms — especially the nutrient-dense wild variety — are natural toxin-absorbers that also eliminate excess mucus in the body (a benefit as cold season winds down). The buckwheat stabilizes blood sugar and reduces cravings for sweets, while the vegetables and fruit are rich in antioxidants. Yield: 1 serving  2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon buckwheat 1 cup mixed mushrooms (hen of the woods, oyster, shiitake) pulled into bite sized pieces 1/2 cup snow peas, tips trimmed 1/8 cup chopped tarragon 1/2 cup red grapes, sliced in half 1 cup green kale, chopped into bite sized pieces 1 cup baby arugula salt and pepper to taste  1 cup plain creamy yogurt 1/3 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in medium sized skillet. Add buckwheat and cook until golden brown. Remove buckwheat with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  2. Drain excess oil from pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl and let cool.  3. Add snow peas and tarragon to mushroom mixture and combine.  4. In a separate mixing bowl, toss kale and arugula in yogurt dressing and transfer to a plate.  5. Top greens with mushroom mixture, red grapes and buckwheat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  1. Whisk all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.  Grapefruit and apple juices treat poor digestion and rebalance intestinal flora, say De Sousa and Wagner. Spicy ginger boosts circulation — ideal for jet-lagged, under-exercised bodies — while turmeric, a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, gives the immune system a boost. Yield: 1-2 servings  1 grapefruit 1 apple 1 one-inch piece ginger 1/2 lemon 1 half-inch piece turmeric (or 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder)  1. Process all ingredients in a juicer. Stir, and serve.
The owners of Dimes, a Chinatown cafe favored by the style set, share instructions for making a roasted-mushroom salad and spicy juice blend.