BY GABE HERMAN | Dig this! Dig Inn has opened its first location in the Village.
The fast-casual restaurant is known for using locally sourced farm foods and a menu that changes with the seasons based on what foods are available. The new spot, at 691 Broadway,between W. Third and W. Fourth Sts., offers more of the same custom-bowl quality.
Dig Inn changes its menu six times a year and bases it around what local farmers have grown. The restaurant also has its own farm in Chester, N.Y., and works with more than 50 other local farms.
It focuses on a green diet.
“Seventy-five percent of the food we serve is vegetables, because we believe a plant-based diet is better for our health, the environment and the communities we support,” Dig Inn says.
Its farm in Chester, which is northwest of the city in Orange County, grows more than 120 vegetable varieties, which Dig Inn says reaches its restaurants within 48 hours of harvest.
I recently visited the new Broadway location in the Village and ordered from the current Winter Menu. I chose brown rice with parsley for the base; sautéed broccoli with lemon, plus maple cauliflower with chickpea crumble for the two sides; herb-roasted chicken breast for the main dish; and pesto for the sauce. Everything was very good and fresh, and I could definitely taste the quality ingredients.
Other Winter Menu options included spiced farro with butternut squash for the base; cashew kale Caesar, Jasper Hill mac and cheese, and acorn squash with pear and frisee for Market Sides; and wild Alaskan salmon and grilled organic tofu for Main options.
My bowl cost $13 after tax, which is rather pricey even by fast-casual bowl standards, but it makes sense that real food from local farm sources would cost a bit more.
The bowls are ready-made to take out. But there is also seating available and a pleasant environment, with a minimalist feel, wood decor, plants and a very friendly staff.
Dig Inn started in 2011 in New York City, which is where most of its locations are. This Village location is number 20 in Manhattan, with 21 soon to open at 709 Lexington Ave. between E. 57 and E. 58 Sts. The chain has locations in Soho, Hudson Square, Tribeca and the Financial District. There is also one in Brooklyn, in Williamsburg, one in Rye Brook, in Westchester, and three in Boston.
The new Village Broadway location is open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. More information can be found at diginn.com.
