Brad N.
Yelp
Right away, I'll state that I'm not a salad guy, but I was drawn here by a special offer for Yelp Elite members, and after a nice meal, I'll consider myself pleasantly surprised!
My girlfriend and I came here for lunch on an otherwise cold, rainy, dreary day, and since I got there first, I had already identified what I wanted: The Bachelor, featuring the signature "mixt greens", arugula, grilled flat iron steak, blue cheese, herb roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes, savory herbs, balsamic vinaigrette, topped with caramelized onions and breadcrumbs. I omitted tomatoes and added avocado and bacon; the additions were definitely a good call. Additionally, I couldn't resist getting a side of the parmesan cauliflower mash with minced chives, and our second salad was a standard Cobb.
My salad was definitely notable in size, and looked very fresh. The avocados are presliced and packed behind the counter, and opened and applied as ordered to keep them very fresh. The greens were very fresh, and the vinaigrette was a great balance of flavors which accented the other ingredients. The roasted potatoes were an interesting addition to a salad, and were cut small, well seasoned and tasty.
But the most remarkable thing about this salad were the meats, in my case, flat iron steak and bacon. Time and time again, restaurants will provide nice, artisan salads which are great until you start adding meat. The meats are often afterthoughts, and have little flavor, texture, seasoning, etc. The flatiron steak and bacon in this salad were absolutely stars. Both were well seasoned, and the former was tender and had a great beefy flavor and texture; the latter was cut thick and, while not as tender, was packed with great, applewood smoked flavor. I'd love to have had some of it on a plate! Together, they made an already good mix of ingredients really great.
Less impressive was the cauliflower mash; it looked appealing enough, but it was a little too thin for our tastes. Flavorwise, you'd never forget that it was cauliflower, but the cheese flavor did come through and it was a decent side. Adding a good dose of fresh cracked pepper woke it up a little, but still, I wish it hadn't been quite as moist. I will say that they did solve a frequent issue with this dish, that of it not being pureed enough. It was completely smooth, no perceptible "bits" (this is a good thing for me).
All in all, this was a good meal that we both enjoyed, and I'd recommend this place to anyone who likes fresh salads, but I'll also point out that they have more than just salads. Further, they put a big focus on sustainability and reducing waste by using compostable or recyclable/reusable items when possible (for example, water is available by means of reusable aluminum cups as a self service option). Check them out!