Lunch on my
birthday was gloriously healthy and delicious, thanks to a friend who refused
to let me eat my typical oatmeal with peanut butter, banana and cinnamon
(although I doubt I’ll ever get sick of it!) Instead, he took me to a new farm
to table lunch spot in midtown Manhattan- say wha?! It’s called The Little Beet,
and it’s an adorable little lunch spot on 50th Street and 7th
Avenue.
Their slogan is “100
Percent Guiltin’ Free.” If you aren’t sold yet- read on.
Much like their
counterparts Dig Inn and Hu Kitchen, they offer build your own plates with
different protein and side options. Their proteins include chicken, tofu, steak
and salmon. The day we went, they had a special that was beef stir fry. All the
proteins are pretty standard- not a ton of seasoning, but also not at all
bland.
The sides are
the real fun part though!
Currently, their sides include quinoa with beets and
arugula, charred kale (with chili pepper- my mouth was on fiyah!), charred
broccoli, charred okra, charred cauliflower, charred string beans, southwest
style millet with avocado, tomatoes and jalapeno, buckwheat soba noodles with cabbage, pickled ginger, scallions, cilantro &
mint, roasted sweet potatoes, a Greek salad with chick peas, tomatoes
and feta, and lentils with avocado, oranges, pecans, kale and ginger.
The pricing isn’t
too terrible- it’s pretty much what I’ve
come to expect for places like this. One protein with 1 side is $10/$11,
protein with 2 sides is $12/$13, and protein with 3 sides is $14/$15. You can also just mix and match sides (2
sides for $8, 3 sides for $11 and 4 sides for $14).
But I’m so
excited to try other stuff here too! The day we went, their special was a
bunch of different sushi rolls that looked incredible! They also have a kale
salad, sushi salad, Chinese cabbage salad, and Little Beet salad that you can
either get alone, or add a protein. They also have soup specials every day and
a juice bar!
But enough about
all the delicious things I want to eat there- what did I actually try? Well, I went
with tofu and 2 sides- the charred kale and the charred okra.
The tofu, as I
said before, was cooked really well and not overly seasoned. Just tasty tofu. The charred kale was spicy
and flavorful. The charred okra was
DELICIOUS- they gave me a TON and I’m totally obsessed with it now. How is this not a more utilized vegetable?
My friend got
the chicken with sweet potatoes and broccoli. Yum.
There are no
bells and whistles here. Just fresh, healthy ingredients prepared with minimal
oils and seasonings- just the way food should be eaten! I’ll definitely be back
to try more things from their menu! And look how cute it is inside! (Although
it was a beautiful day so we opted to eat outside).
It was a
wonderful 1st lunch as a 24 year old!
