When budding chains serve food made with local, seasonal, and natural ingredients as part of their mission — and most importantly follow through on it in menu offerings — you know the farm-to-table movement is growing its roots deep into the soil of the food service landscape. The Little Beet, one of the newest food court stations to open at Savor Westchester, is the eighth location of the gluten-free, fast-casual mini-chain where guests craft a bowl by choosing a grain/greens base, two sides, a protein, sauce/dip, and garnish. To add credence to their seasonal, fresh-foods mantra, a list of farm partners (including Creekstone Farms Beef and Local Bushel), is listed on their About Us page. The concept and menu reminds me of a bit of Dig Inn, and while Creative Culinary Director Gabe Kennedy acknowledges, “they are in the same space as us,” he adds that “our menu is a bit quirkier and more Mediterranean-influenced.”
It’s also more accessible for those with restrictive diets (e.g., nut-free, dairy-free, vegan), more veggie-centric, and has a larger variety dips and dressings on offer than Dig Inn (love the beet hummus and sweet chili garlic options).
The charred broccoli with preserved lemon and roasted chipotle kale with chickpeas may just convert a veggie-phobe to the greener side of eating. Also worth sampling is the sesame avocado, marinated chicken thigh, and beet and lentil side in a yuzu-maple dressing.
Photo courtesy of the Melt Shop
Also new to Savor is Melt Shop, a quick-service melted sandwich shop (owned by the same parent company as The Little Beet), offering grilled cheese sandwiches, burger melts, and chicken melts on excellent house-made breads, plus salads, tater tots, and dang-delicious milkshakes (Nutella is the go-to). The sandwiches are on-point (the truffle melt was appropriately light-handed with the robustly flavored truffle oil) though I was disappointed with the lackluster tater tots that lacked crispness. The 11th location and first in the county, Melt Shop also has locations in Manhattan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Kuwait.
The Little Beet
Savor Westchester (4th flr)
125 Westchester Ave, White Plains
Melt Shop
Savor Westchester (4th flr)
125 Westchester Ave, White Plains
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