Let me start by telling you that I wrote an email a few weeks ago to this store called Just Salads in New York City where they make fresh salads. I wanted to encourage them to come to Raleigh. ‘Cause ONE thing I really like going out for, are fresh salads. I will pay someone to make one for me ‘cause there are so many little ingredients to chop up. Guess you could say I’d rather be spending my time doing something else. Also, I like the restaurant quality greens better than the salad they sell in bags at the grocery store. I really can’t tell you why…it’s just different. So nowadays bagged salad comes pre-washed. Thank goodness for modern convenience! But remember years ago when you had to wash the salad from the bag before eating? OH great!… one more salad prep thing. …You had to air dry the greens on paper towels or buy the Infomercial spinning salad dryer. Remember that? I never owned one of those but I got close. I’ve got every other kitchen gadget that gets used as often as my Thanksgiving baster and gravy boats. Anyway, I’m glad I don’t have one of those spinners taking up space and collecting dust on the shelves.

Oh, and do you have one of those microplaners for grating and zesting (…I think that’s the right word)? Can you tell I’m not much of a cook? Well…I take that back. There are certain things I make that I’m comfortable with like paella, fajitas,…oh, and Shepherd’s Pie. Don’t ask how that last one got thrown in there?  …those are some of our fav’rites that I’ve become proficient at, but still I don’t cook often and I can’t say I love it. I do love to eat though! But any-way, I have one of those microplaners ‘cause every food channel Chef in America swears by it and lists it as one of the kitchen tool must-haves in your kitchen drawers. I’ve used that tool once and then looked around a couple times and wondered who would clean it? It’s a real pain in the butt with all those ‘lil tiny crevices. It’s like you need a tool that’s better than a knife to clean the tool. If you got an easy way to clean the microplaner…please share here! … Those chefs are spoiled and don’t have to do that sorta thing so they never point out the pitfalls like cleaning up.

But, back to the salad. If you’re like me and would love a fresh salad every now and again, and don’t want to have to travel to New York, then you’d be just as happy as I was to hear there are a couple of Raleigh options….

… Just Salads that I mentioned, didn’t make it to Raleigh, but Tossed did. It’s the same concept. You can order one of their specialty salads and add protein ontop, or you can design your own salad from scratch. I thought it would be fun to design my own. So that’s what I chose to do. Here’s how it works…

First, you pick either a salad or a whole wheat crepe. I ordered a salad. Then you first pick your salad greens and 4 toss-in items. It’s $5.95 for just that. The toss in items are what you expect like carrots, eggs, chopped tomatoes, onions, croutons etc.. (yeah…you gotta pay for croutons!) And there are fruits too. Some interesting choices are plaintain chips, sugar snap peas, and black bean corn salsa. You can add additional toss-ins (above the 4 “included”) for 50 cents each.

I chose Baby Field Greens with chick peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries. Then you add on your protein if you want to be filled. I chose smoked turkey. They have a lot of chicken choices but I’d been eating chicken all week so I needed a change. They also have tofu as an option.
And then last, you get to pick your dressing. I chose the Tossed vinaigrette which was a light oil based vinaigrette. It was an okay dressing, but nothing to write home about. No super memorable flavor. I like Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar better. …ooooh, and Angus Barn’s warm honey poppy seed dressing in the mushroom salad…you know that one?

Honestly, I think the “Tossed” salad concept is great. As I mentioned, I love fresh salads! But I think they missed the boat on value. I ended up spending close to $10 without a drink. I mean can’t they throw in the croutons? Especially in this economy where everyone is looking for VALUE! I realize salads aren’t as filling as say a burger, but C’MON, can’t you add just a little more…of everything???

I just can’t imagine spending $10 a day every day on a salad lunch that doesn’t fill you up for the rest of the day or that you can’t split into a second meal. The salads aren’t huge or anything you’d brag about …and that’s really what people are looking for. We want to stretch our buck in these ‘tight’ times.  Here’s my completed salad…

Make my own Tossed salad

For the same price, I’d recommend going to Red Robin and ordering a salad. It’s one place that you might not think of for salads. They’ve got phenomenally tasty and BIG salads there believe it or not. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it ‘cause you mostly see the servers carrying burgers and shakes around. ‘Cause it’s the place you take kids to, right? Sure, there are a lot of families with little ones, but I’ll tell you, they sure know how to make large, delicious salads for AH-DULTS. Who knew???? I can never finish their salads in one sitting and I’m always munchin’ on it ‘til the last bite. We went to Red Robin last weekend and for under $40 we each had a meal and a beer. That’s value… and it’s no wonder why the joint was packed!

Another fresh salad place I like is Brueggers. Of course, they’re known for their bagel sandwiches. But I also really like their salads. They come in this cool to-go plastic tub instead of a plate. Salad bowls and tubs just make so much more sense than a salad plate. I think I might be the only one who always seems to accidentally drop a piece of lettuce off of my salad plates.
One more salad place I wanted to mention opened up at Crabtree Valley Mall called Crisp Salads. I haven’t tried it yet, but if YOU do, let me what you think…okay?

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Get a $10 Gift Certifcate to Soloman’s for $3. I love Soloman’s! They have great Middle Eastern food with an American flare. They serve french fries with their platters which I really like (please, don’t tell my husband! . …But they also have the healthy kabobs, rice, and pita bread with hummus which is always a fav’rite for us. Great place to take kids and introduce them to a new kinda healthy cuisine.

Ted’s Montana Grill is hard to miss.  It’s Ted Turner’s restaurant that’s popped up everywhere including the Triangle.  …at Triangle Town Center and Streets of Southpoint.   If you’ve never tried Bison and wanted to feel like you’re in Texas or somewhere in the Southwest US, Ted’s is the place to go!  You can get a $10 gift certificate for $3 or $25 gift certificate for $15!   Just click on
the Ted’s Montana Grill logo/graphic.

I love Cuban food.  I got addicted after visiting Miami where they serve it just about in every restaurant.  Good news!  There’s actually a hidden secret place in Raleigh that we discovered a few years ago. Who says there’s no international foods here in the Triangle!?  Carmen’s Cuban Cafe and Lounge is right behind the RDU Airport in Morrisville.  We’ve been there a handful of times.  It’s just a small restaurant with a few tables but they have the real Cuban food.  The servers make the place seem authentic too with their Cuban/Hispanic accents.  The restaurant is right behind the lounge bar when you enter.  I love all their dishes but most memorable is their plaintains, yuca, and moros (white rice with black beans).  I’m telling you, it’s the real deal!  Churrasco con Chimichurri  is a good Cuban 101 dish they serve in case you get overwhelmedwith the menu.  And it’s not a hot dish, in case you’re worried.  You can always add some hot sauce. …and Eric loves the Seafood Paella.  Anyway…you should try it out. Get your $25 Gift Certificate for $10…just click on the ‘Carmen’s’ graphic/logo.

Take 50% Off with every order of Dinner of the Month Club purchase. Use the code CHEF thru 3/9/09.

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