Little Beet Table – Gramercy
333 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
Date Dined: December 2014
Rating: 7.3
The little beet table just opened its doors about two months ago to their new casual restaurant space on Park Avenue South. The charming little spot features a combination of natural wood furniture and floors and exposed brick walls. The walls are lined with brightly colored graffiti art to add a New York style flair to the country style space. A bonus feature of this restaurant for with dietary restrictions is that it is completely gluten free. While I personally cannot get enough gluten into my body but would barely have noticed this feature had I not learned about it prior to the meal.
The original little Beet (the Table’s fast casual older sibling) was founded by chef Franklin Becker – most recently veteran corporate chef of EMM group (CATCH, Lexington Brass, Abe & Arthurs). After Becker was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in his late 20s, he was inspired to change his cooking style to create flavorful food with healthier ingredients.
After walked by Little Beet Table numerous times and hearing rave reviews about the Little Beet, I finally made it for dinner on Thursday night. We sat down and ordered a bottle of Malbec (the cheapest bottle on the menu but quite good) to start us off.
We started with a prosciutto flatbread with mozzarella, tomato, arugula and pecorino. The best way to describe this is as if you made a flatbread using mazo. This made it slightly difficult to eat as the bread part crumbled while the prosciutto stayed intact while stray bits of pecorino and arugula fell off the top. However, it was flavorful.
We also had the roasted carrots with whipped ricotta, sumac and pistachios. The dish featured a variety of colors – traditional orange, deep purple and also white carrots. They were tender and meaty and slightly spicy which paired perfectly with the creamy ricotta and nutty pistachios.
We also had the signature grilled beets which are served with Greek yogurt and a sweet pumpkin seed almond granola. The beets were so sweet this could have almost been a breakfast dish paired with little bits of crunch and the creamy yogurt.
The burger was a big selling point when we looked at the menu – a healthy restaurant that still serves a big juicy burger. The meat was incredibly juicy and served on a “free” bun that tasted kind of like a Pillsbury biscuit. On top was a generous serving of white NY state cheddar, lots of smokey bacon, sweet roasted tomato, potato crunch and relish that tasted like a combination of onion and ground up cornichon pickles. To top it off a bright pink “special sauce” to drizzle over every bite. This with side of Brussels sprouts is a perfect main.
The Little Beet Table is the perfect spot for a warm and cozy meal that is bursting with flavor – and when you leave you don’t have to feel too guilty.