Salad Daze

Text by Warren Rojas / Photos by James Kim

It’s hot.

You’re hungry. But mowing through another blue cheese-drenched lettuce wedge seems like a total cop-out (Empty calories? Check. Health benefits? Nil).

A thoughtfully arranged salad purifies by the forkful, counteracting the aftereffects of fast food living by reconnecting our bodies with the most natural of energy sources. Rabbit food?

More like rocket fuel.

 

CONVENIENCE KING
Wegmans
Multiple NoVA locations; www.wegmans.com
Average entree: Under 12 ($). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

The days when grocery-getting and dining remained separate activities are quickly fading from memory in today’s commuter-based society. So it only makes sense that as our needs have evolved, so would our food suppliers.

Northeastern gourmet retailer Wegmans has pounced on the central shopping/communing concept by outfitting its modernized groceries with myriad in-house eateries (made-to-order sandwich counters, sushi stations and full-service cafes, for starters) as well as a litany of ready-made salad options.

A Wegmans spokesperson says all the Virginia locations typically stock around two dozen artisan salads (seasonally rotated, naturally) produced special for the grocery giant by a third-party vendor. Prices range from $3.79 to $8.29 per pound, and the salads run the gamut from everyday favorites like macaroni and mustardy potato salads (both top sellers) to innovators like spinach and craisins or pulled chicken Waldorf (barbecue-infused bird steals the show).

A brawny antipasto layers salami, herb-covered pepperoncinis, mozzarella, black and green olives, diced red and yellow peppers, onions, garlic, grape tomatoes, spicy ham and plump garbanzo beans into a Mediterranean jumble of utter deliciousness (pepperoncinis and ham add fire; mozzarella and garbanzos mellow and bind all the flavors; olive oil slick keeps everything well lubricated). A pennetti and sun-dried tomato mash-up produces another Italian stunner, delivering a sweet-and-sour dance across the palate courtesy of marinated peppers, fresh honey and chewy tomatoes, while the dynamic duo of pureed garlic and jumbo olives manage the latter.

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CONVENTION SLAYER
Whitlow’s
2854 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-276-9693; www.whitlows.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

Confidence is high the average diner wouldn’t confuse this Clarendon mainstay with a Mayo Clinic cafeteria (fully dressed Avalanche, anyone?). But somebody in the Whitlow’s kitchen obviously loves them some leafy greens.

Though perhaps best known for its half-price burgers and daily drink specials, Whitlow’s has managed to amass a thoroughly engaging salad carte that dwarfs the slim pickings put forward by supposedly higher-quality competitors.

Whitlow’s hits all the highlights—they’ve got Caesars, Cobbs, fajita, Greek, seafood, beef, etc.—but manages to make each herbaceous standard its own.

Their taco salad, for instance, eschews the anticipated ground beef in lieu of a generously proportioned crab cake (ample jumbo lump crab bolstered by a palatable amount of filler). The seasoned seafood is hoisted atop a multicultural medley of chopped lettuce, juice-laden tomatoes, melted cheddar (seeps down all the way of the bottom of the crunchy, cornmeal bowl) and velvety guacamole, all surrounded by a pick-apart perimeter of golden baked tortilla.

Mind you, I think they could take the seafood motif a few steps further—How about tossing in some cilantro mini-shrimp? Or perhaps a splash of cocktail sauce-ranch dressing?—but the crab is certainly a clever regional homage.

A shrimp-and-penne salad scores equally high marks, dousing its nearly dozen (or so) grilled crustaceans and their closely cropped noodle hosts in a chilled pesto-cream sauce that seems perfectly sedate at first, only to leave lingering heat in its wake (bravo!).

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DELIVERY JUGGERNAUT
Ledo Pizza
Multiple NoVA locations; www.ledopizza.com
Average entree: Under $12 ($). Check locations for times.

Nobody calls a pizza joint begging for salad, do they?

Probably not.

But I can share that the missus and I have recruited our share of converts to the cult of Ledo by merely showing up at gatherings with an Italian salad in hand.

The ingredients are no great mystery: chopped romaine, robust black olives, plump cherry tomatoes, quartered deli fixtures (pepperoni, salami, provolone), mouthwatering pepperoncinis and salty Parmesan. But once you add in Ledo’s signature romano-herb dressing—a proprietary blend of aged romano cheese, buttermilk, onion, garlic, vinegar and turmeric so hardwired into the company’s DNA, no one at their corporate headquarters could even recall who first created it—all bets are off.

The tantalizing solution suffuses each bite of glossy vegetable matter with a creamy-tangy gusto impeccably abetted by the cured meats and zesty peppers scattered about. It’s gotten to the point where friends and family members seem complacent about what type of pie to order (Cheese? Pepperoni? These questions elicit blank stares), but roar about the need for multiple salads and extra dressings (at least one entire salad per couple, and one extra dressing per every two salads seems to be the bare minimum).

And we’re not the only ones.

A Ledo spokesperson says that the saucy Italian salad accounts for roughly 30 percent of all salad sales and ranks eighth in terms of all-time menu favorites. Meanwhile, four out of every 10 retail buyers reach for a pre-packaged bottle of the romano-herb dressing.

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CLASSICS ON CALL
Cafe Deluxe
1800 International Drive, McLean; 703-761-0600; www.cafedeluxe.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sunday.

An island of urbanity tightly wedged amidst the currents of Tysons’ retail traffic (when will that cure-all Metro expansion be done again?), Cafe Deluxe replenishes fatigued shoppers and work-weary office drones alike with familiar offerings.

The menu celebrates all manner of sustenance—from daily soups and gourmet sandwiches to rotating seafood specials—without ever losing sight of nostalgic starters from decades long gone.

The deluxe Cobb does not disappoint, yielding shredded iceberg lettuce doused in citrus-backed vinaigrette and then larded up with buttery avocado (tender wedges of the revered tropical fruit are in no short supply here), grilled chicken (savory bird arrives bearing a flame-licked skin, its meat subtly infused with always welcome smokiness), coarsely chopped bacon and piles of piquant blue cheese (glorious).

Salad Nicoise retains its time-honored Gallic spirit—chilled redskin potatoes? Mais oui. Crisp haricot verts? D’accord.—but is revolutionized by substituting grilled-to-order salmon for traditional canned tuna.

The salt- and pepper-rubbed salmon blows the Mediterranean salad through the roof, juxtaposing the richness of the fashionably fatty filet against a traditional backdrop of herb-laced vinaigrette and nutty capers. Factor in the sensory-arousing skirmish of freshly fired fish and cool starches parrying across the palate, and you’ve got a meal that won’t soon be forgotten.

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FREE-FORM PERFORMER
Chop’t
1735 N. Lynn St., Arlington; 703-875-2888; www.choptsalad.com
Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

“That’s a pretty boring looking salad,” a Starbucks-guzzling fellow ribbed a buddy who was waiting on line at Chop’t.

“The really sad thing is that that,” the made-to-order salad devotee said, gesturing to the additive-packed designer coffee, “took almost as long as that,” he said, pointing to the verdant, vitamin-filled meal taking shape before their very eyes.

Game. Set. Match.

That salutary superiority comes courtesy of the NYC-born Chop’t, an assembly-line salad maker that prides itself on variety—one in-store promo cites 61 toppings, 26 dressings, five greens and umpteen million flavor combinations—and high-quality produce.

Co-founder Colin McCabe says he’s been pleasantly surprised by Rosslyn’s solid residential support, intimating that corporate expected to rake in the cabbage during weekday lunch. While that’s certainly happening, McCabe suggests that dinner and weekend traffic is already beating expectations, due mostly to local runners/gym rats “making Chop’t part of their routine.”

The salads, meanwhile, are anything but rote cuisine.

A Chinese companion was a bit worried the Asian salad would taste like a “ginger stereotype explosion,” but was instead intrigued by the tart oranges. Other standouts included the carrots and crunchy noodles (ginger was certainly front and center, but not necessarily overwhelming).

The 10-vegetable medley summons a kaleidoscope of wholesome flavors. Juicy beets stain the entire vegetable jumble hot pink, infusing each bite with a vigorous crunch and mild sweetness, while roasted corn passes along some smoky notes, diced tomatoes deliver bursts of zing, and green peas provide blips of sweet.

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TEXTURE REBEL
Sorrento Grill
Multiple NoVA locations; www.sorrentogrill.com
Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Ethnic-dining enthusiasts and avid dieters may have paved the path to the sound eating principles of Mediterranean-style dining.

But now that that door has been opened, it seems that most everyone has come to appreciate the combination of robust vegetables, healthful proteins and calorie-shaving dressings now enjoyed the world over.

Pop into either of the local Sorrento Grills for lunch or dinner, and you’re likely to share meals with svelte female office workers, kebab-devouring buddies, extended Middle Eastern families or any number of assorted demographic groups who crave the taste of charcoal-flamed meat and olive oil-tinged legumes.

The saffron pearl salad presents the best of all possible worlds, then, delivering balsamic-drenched greens, a row of chilled couscous flush with saffron, diced peppers and onion, as well as a bonus layer of the freshly grilled protein of your choice—salmon is probably the healthiest choice, but the lamb is just too satisfying (well seared yet totally succulent)—draped across the final preparation. The overlapping sensations produced by the warm meat, cold grains and poignant vinegar make traditional chopped salads seem so embarrassingly quaint.

Strict traditionalists, however, can feast guilt-free on a salad sampler laden with generous scoops of hummus (zesty chickpea staple), tabbouleh (the more mint, the better), shirazi (cucumber refreshes, tomato invigorates) and pureed eggplant (an unheralded hero).

In Defense of: the Salad Bar

Some modern restaurant-goers seem to view traditional salad bars with contempt (low-class, self-service dining relics), apprehension (bacteria gardens encased in much too easily defeated sneeze guards and riddled with wilted greens, picked-over vegetables and cloying dressings) or both.

Fools.

I relish the opportunity to play God with random produce—carefully inspecting each nutritional building block as I sculpt multicolored and poly-textured edifices from mountains of mix-and-match ingredients.

The good news is, if you’ve got a similar inclination, there are still plenty of restaurants willing to foster your dietary exploration.

SPEEDY
Ruby Tuesday
Multiple NoVA locations; www.rubytuesday.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

This fast-casual dining goliath got a serious makeover recently (goodbye kitschy decor; hello gourmet burgers/heart-healthy options/focus group-driven flavors of the month).

But their signature garden bar is still standing.

A company spokesman says about half their guests consistently order either the solo salad spread ($7.99) or tack the field of greens ($2.99 with any order) onto a favorite entree. Ruby’s has also carved out a number of salad bar combos—including a daily soup (broccoli and cheese or white bean chicken chili), traditional sliders, mini turkey burgers, quiche of the day or chicken pot pie (puff pastry shell brimming with diced chicken, peas, celery, carrots deluged in cream sauce) pairings—for just $8.99.

The bar showcases a quartet of leafy bases, including: spring mix, romaine, spinach and a romaine-iceberg lettuce medley. Supporting players include mixed vegetables (broccoli, peppers, red onions, carrots, beets, chick peas), assorted proteins (chopped bacon, sliced ham, hard-boiled eggs), standard dressings (French, Italian, ranch, chunky blue cheese) and chewy garnishes (sesame seeds, crumbled feta, croutons) galore. Memorable pre-fab additions include broccoli florets tossed with coarsely chopped bacon, shredded cheddar and coleslaw dressing (sweet-tangy surprise) and mayo-mustard-swabbed potatoes folded in with eggs and celery (this is the stuff that barbecue memories are made of).

SPLURGE
Texas de Brazil
11750 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax; 703-352-4111; www.texasdebrazil.com.
Average entree: Over $31 ($$$$). Open for lunch, Friday, dinner daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

Although this Lone Star State-born churrascaria most likely attracts more vehement carnivores than vegetarian converts, they do manage to accommodate non-meat eaters with what they identify as their “light” dining menu.

The scaled-back tier ($29.99 at dinner/brunch; $17.99 at lunch) excludes any interaction with the skewer-wielding gauchos shuffling about with nearly every manner of grilled meat ($42.99 at dinner/brunch; $19.99 at lunch), but does afford patrons full reign of the dozens of worldly delicacies housed on the central dining island.

Savory amenities include: sun-dried tomatoes, tongue-teasing manzanilla olives, marinated mushrooms, grilled red peppers, black pepper-cured salami, steaming feijoada (Brazilian pork and black-bean stew), orzo salad, artichoke hearts, aged cheeses (including manchego and a mammoth, chip-your-own wheel of Parmesan), smoked salmon with Creole mustard and potatoes au gratin.

“It’s a lot of food. You won’t go away unsatisfied,” one staffer pledges.

My plate runneth over.

(June 2009)

Tags: salad, salad bar, vegetables