Three Salad Combination
by Celia Cheng
June 18th, 2008
BONSIGNOUR
35 Jane St
@ 8th Ave
212-229-9700
$$
During the summer I gravitate towards salads and the three-salad combo at Bonsignour is a delightful option for lunch or snack. The choice of three homemade salads over a bed of mixed greens is now $11.95. I remember a time when it was $6.95, but that dates me. Even with inflation, it’s totally worth it. Classic salads like the curried chicken, beets vinaigrette, potato, or couscous with feta, in addition to daily specials, are the reason I keep going back. Besides the variety, they’re healthy and delicious. It’s hard to categorize Bonsignour, as it’s more than a deli but not quite a restaurant. In any event, it’s a West Village institution.
Posted in American , Salad , West Village
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Ensalada de la Casa (house salad)
by Celia Cheng
May 27th, 2008
LA ESQUINA
114 Kenmare St
@ Lafayette St
646-613-7100
$$
The house salad at La Esquina is so well balanced and fresh, it’s the ideal starter to a satisfying meal. Organic baby greens tossed with avocado, dressed in balsamic vinaigrette, and topped with queso fresco (fresh Mexican cow’s milk cheese), sesame seeds and crispy tortilla strips, the ingredients are perfectly proportioned, giving you a taste of everything without overdoing anything. It’s a simple but downright good salad, and that’s rather hard to find.
Posted in Mexican , NoLIta , Salad
Ensalada De Jicama (jicama-avocado “ravioli”)
by Celia Cheng
April 28th, 2008
TOLOACHE
251 W 50th St
(B’way & 8th Ave)
212-581-1818
$$
I love avocado, and Chef/owner Julian Medina of Toloache definitely has a way with it, whether it’s in his three different flavors of guacamole — traditional, frutas and rojo — or his out-of-this-world jicama-avocado “ravioli.” The skins of the ravioli are thin slices of jicama, wrapped around pieces of avocado. They are light and delicate, making a wonderful starter salad with mixed greens, orange, radish and almonds dressed with tamarind vinaigrette. Paired with a margarita, this refreshing dish is the ideal start to an excellent Mexican meal.
Posted in Mexican , Midtown West , Salad , Vegetables
Salad Meal
by Celia Cheng
August 29th, 2007
MAOZ VEGETARIAN
38 Union Square East
(16th & 17th St)
(212) 260-1988
$
The Dutch falafel fast food chain, Maoz, has started to expand worldwide, opening stores in London, Paris, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid and New York! The concept is pretty simple: you can get variations of the falafel sandwich or salad and add as many toppings (and condiments) as you like from the open salad bar. For a chain, the produce at Maoz is incredibly fresh. There’s cucumber dill salad, fried broccoli and cauliflower, pickled baby eggplant, tomato onion salad, carrots and more. The “meals” include a drink and some come with Belgian fries. I like the salad meal, which includes a salad box (falafel on a bed of shredded lettuce, fried eggplant and hummus) and a drink — I love their fresh orange juice! Each time I visit Maoz, I am blown away by what a good deal it is at less than $10 for this more than copious, very healthy and delicious meal.
Posted in Middle Eastern , Salad , Union Square , Vegetables
Gotham Salad
by Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng
December 31st, 2006
CAFÉ 745
Bergdorf Goodman
754 5th Ave
@ 57th & 58th St
212-339-3326
$$$
745 Café, hidden in a corner of Bergdorf Goodman’s beauty department, is definitely a ladies who lunch (and shop) spot. For me, it’s all about the Gotham salad. This chopped salad is made up of diced chicken breast, ham, Gruyère, tomatoes, beets, bacon, hard-boiled egg, iceberg lettuce and Thousand Island dressing. While there is nothing extraordinary in the components, the combination is a real winner! I love the texture of the crunchy iceberg, sweetness of the beets, softness of the egg, sharpness of the Gruyere, and the extra kick of the bacon. It is one of my preferred light lunches, accompanied by a glass of Duval-Leroy Brut champagne.
Posted in American , Salad , UES
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