Salads have a very special place in the dining-out rulebook.
No, this food group is likely not the most exciting or gastronomically complex choice on the menu, but nonetheless, it hits the spot for when your stomach begs you not to order that lamb shank entrée at 1 p.m. on a Wednesday. A light and refreshing salad that is equally as tasty as it is “healthy” (it must be healthy if it involves lettuce) can often be just what the palate so desires.
The allure of an atmospheric restaurant adds that dash of spice when consuming a crunchy, crispy, briney, zesty, sometimes creamy bowl of leaves (with a side of fries, please). Without further ado, here are our top picks:
Chopped Salad at American Bar
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Vibe: simple, yet so refined
Ingredients: diced soppressata, tomatoes, red onions, chickpeas and cucumbers in an Italian house vinaigrette, topped with sun-dried tomatoes and a protein of choice
Chrysanthemum Salad at Don Angie
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Vibe: long-time Don Angie classic, lighter alternative to pinwheel lasagna
Ingredients: chrysanthemum greens, garlic puree, sesame croutons, lots of parmesan
Kale Salad at Westville
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Vibe: insanely popular and rightfully so
Ingredients: kale, marinated red onions, blue cheese, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, candied walnuts, lemon olive oil dressing; add salmon
Kale Rotisserie Chicken Salad at Hillstone
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Vibe: pricey, but worth it (and who doesn’t love rotisserie chicken?)
Ingredients: emerald kale, cashews, fresh herbs, sesame miso vinaigrette
Nicoise Salad at Pastis
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Vibe: the equivalent to a French baguette in salad form—can never go wrong with it
Ingredients: baby arugula, green beans, peppers, boiled potatoes, white anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, grape tomatoes, fennel, black olives, seared rare tuna, balsamic vinaigrette
Artichoke Salad at Cipriani
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Vibe: delicate and sophisticated, a bed of well-matched ingredients
Ingredients: artichokes, avocado, two slivers of shaved parmesan
Little Gem Salad at Via Carota
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Vibe: dramatic tower of leafy goodness
Ingredients: butter lettuce, little gem lettuce, watercress, frisee, endive, Via Carota vinaigrette
Smoked Whitefish Caesar at Monkey Bar
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Vibe: elevated, nontraditional perfection seen in ingredient variation
Ingredients: whitefish (anchovy substitution), potato chips (crouton substitution), classic Caesar dressing with extra zest
Farro Salad at Charlie Bird
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Vibe: just as good as the L’Artusi farro salad
Ingredients: farro, apple cider, cherry tomatoes, radish, pistachio, bay leaves, arugula, lemon juice, parmesan
Greek Salad at Avra
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Vibe: Cycladic heaven
Ingredients: fresh vine-ripened tomato, peppers, onions, Kalamata olives, imported Arahova feta dressing
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