The trend for fresh food is blended with our need for fast food at Verde in Glen Allen. Open seven days a week, the eatery touts its salads and sandwiches as healthy and made fresh daily.
I recently met a couple of girlfriends there for lunch. It's no surprise that green is the dominant color scheme; "verde" means green in both Spanish and Italian. Although I have never said this in a review before, you must visit the restroom. It is sleek and modern, with the sink set into a glass counter, and it has the most amazing light fixture. It's too bad that this wow factor isn't more present in the dining area, which was a bit ho-hum.
There are a dozen salads from which to choose. All are pre-made that day and lined up in the deli case. We chose the arugula-and-Tuscan-white-bean salad with red-wine vinaigrette and the grilled-pear-and-goat-cheese salad with the house dressing. The greens were fresh and vibrant. I personally would have liked a bit more seasoning in the white beans, but the overall salad, accented with grape tomatoes and onions, was tasty. Something was off in the pear salad, though. It might have been the oil used for grilling the pear; we left half of it uneaten.
We also shared two grilled paninis. We preferred the flavorful serrano ham and cheese. The pesto in the chicken- pesto panini tasted of fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan, but the chicken was a bit dry.
All in all, if you're in the Innsbrook area and need food fast, Verde is a good option for getting something healthy at a reasonable price.
Verde
10325 W. Broad St., 217-9333
Prices
Salads $5 to $7. Sandwiches $7. Sides $3 to $6.
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
