Photo courtesy Jubilee
1. Charred Caulilini
$12 at Jubilee
This sweet and meaty member of the brassica family was released to chefs by Mann’s Foodservice in 2018, so it’s rare to find in grocery stores. Its long, asparagus-like stalks have soft florets similar to broccoli or cauliflower, hence its name. At Jubilee, warm caulilini shimmers with black pepper honey, pickled greens and shards of nutty grana padano.
2. Beet and Green
$15 at Kitchenette
Put pickled beets on the list of foods that I love to eat but hate to make. Fortunately, Kitchenette peels and pickles their rounds from scratch, tosses them with anise-scented fennel, chunky celery and tangy goat cheese, then places it all atop local field greens lashed with a balsamic reduction for a filling late-summer gem.
3. Tabbouleh
$15.99 at Scott’s Shawarma
Earlier this year, Scott’s Provisions, a bumpin’ bodega in Scott’s Addition, added a Middle Eastern-inspired to-go counter with a hotline. The tabbouleh salad, made fresh daily with heaps of parsley, slivers of red onion, and, of course, cucumber and tomato, is a standout. It comes with hummus and pita, but you can add homemade falafel balls for the same price.
4. Make-Your-Own
$12.99 at Chicano Boy Taco
“It was all a dream,” quotes a neon sign at this colorful, California-style taqueria where the salads are customizable, crunchable fantasies. Start with baby lettuce piled with black beans, tortilla chips and green goddess dressing, then complete the bowl with either chilled shrimp, chile-braised beef brisket or citrus-marinated chicken.
5. Barbecue Ranch
$14.98 full, $10.98 half at The Flyin’ Pig
If a chopped salad and hickory-smoked barbecue collided on a king-size bed of soft greens, this would be the result. Sweet corn, English cucumbers, diced tomatoes and a confetti of cheddar jack fill the plate, topped with decadent cornbread croutons and a house barbecue-ranch dressing that satisfies the soul.
