A Hungarian and a Brazilian walked into a bar. Nah, not a bar...a rooftop garden!

Meet Janos and Lucas, the landscapers of Daniel's Rooftop Garden, here at the Washington Square Hotel. Here's a pic of Janos hard at work:

A little background about our in-house nursery: it's named after one of the late owners, the much-loved, truly-missed Daniel Paul, who, with his wife Rita, bought the hotel in 1973 and turned it into what it is today.

The garden was first planted in 2012, with just a few herbs and wild flowers to bring in bees for pollination. Since then Janos and Lucas have grown it crate by crate into two full floors, complete with both soil-planted and hydroponic herbs, greens, veggies and more.

That aptly named "rooftop" tomato salad that Chef Yoel Cruz makes that you love? The tomatoes and herbs are as fresh as they come--from right upstairs. Ditto the parsley, mint and veggies in his quinoa tabbouleh...not to mention the mint in that mojito you ordered while lounging at our sidewalk café.

Three different types of radishes, countless varieties of peppers, zucchini, squash, chard, potatoes, fennel, chives, lavender, beets, onions, arugula, strawberries, broccoli...cucumbers, basil, micro greens, marjoram, thyme...the list of veggies and herbs goes on forever.

Janos and Lucas treat the garden with TLC, tending to it daily to keep it in tip-top shape, reveling in the fact that the organic goodies they grow produce healthy--and crazy delicious--meals for our North Square guests. We do, too! (And if you love flowers as much as we do, check out the arrangements in the hotel--the guys do them as well.)