Summer time screams lighter fare – salads, grilling, frozen yogurt, sparkling wine, tacos. I’ve had my fare share of salads around Salt Lake and thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorites with you. From rasberries and apricot dressing, to roasted vegetables and quinoa, not all salads have to be boring and leafy. Not that I have a problem with leafy.
Here are a few of my favorite Salads around Salt Lake:
Verdura Chopped Salad by Vinto Pizzeria (pictured above)- mixed greens, quinoa, beets, butternut squash, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin seeds, edamame, red onion, and a light lemon-basil vinaigrette. This is a hearty salad with dense beans and grains and I especially love all of the vegetables; they are chopped up really small making the dish easy to enjoy.
Raspberry Walnut Salad with Goat Cheese by Gourmandise– mixed greens topped with raspberries, candied walnuts, red peppers and crumbled goat cheese, served with a house made apricot vinaigrette. The generous amounts of goat cheese on this salad will bring a smile right to your face, or at least it did mine. Also, I like that Gourmandise served their dressing on the side, allowing you to choose how much you like on your salad. After a taste of this apricot vinaigrette, I knew I’d be using up most of the dressing and then even dragging a few tears of my bread through it as well.
House Salad by Black Widow Café – Mixed baby greens, oranges, candied sunflower seeds, smoked onions, shaved Beehive cheddar, and berry-basil vinaigrette. This is one of the most lovely salads for the price. It is served wrapped tightly in a sliver of cucumber making a short tower of salad. Its petite size is made up for in big flavor with the smokey onions and candied seeds.
House Pasta Salad by Desert Edge– chunky vegetables over penne pasta in a light dressing with feta cheese and olive. This is a salad for the non-lettuce loves, with lots of heartiness and flavor.
Seaweed Salad by Whole Foods- I honestly don’t know what’s all in this salad but I love it. Cashews, thin strands of raw seaweed, cucumbers and a few other ingredients leave me just feeling so good.
Fire Grilled Chicken Salad by Cafe Rio– Some of you might turn your nose up at this but I must be honest, this ‘fast-food’ salad is honestly delicious. Its not good for me but good for my soul. My Texas roots often call for slow cooked meat and Mexican flavors so I satisfy it by the occasional Rio Salad.
And after eating these summer salads I need a generous scoop of ice cream. Its just not summer without it!
What are some of your favorite salads around Salt Lake? I would love more ideas.
One of my favorites is the Salad de Maison from The Dodo. It's my staple whenever I go there. It's very simple– green leaf lettuce with parmesan and slivered almonds, but it's the lemon garlic dressing that really makes it stand out. I get it topped with grilled salmon and a house roll on the side (in place of the garlic bread it comes with). Along with a glass of white wine, it's practically my perfect meal.
This is very helpful. I actually don't know where to get salads in SLC, except Whole Foods. Thanks Becky!
The Mediterranean Salad at The Oasis Cafe is my favorite. The thing that sets it apart is the grilled Yukon potatoes and the hummus, and that everything is separated out so you decide how you eat it.
Great list! I love Vinto's salad too and Cafe Rio's Veggie salad. Takashi has a salad with green papaya that is amazing. Don't remember the name though:)
Bambara has a new very simple salad with organic mixed baby lettuces, local honey, lemon and walnut oil. The greens are amazingly fresh and the dressing is delicious – for some reason I'm obsessed with local honey right now!
The Vinto salad sounds great. We often get a Cafe Rio salad too and occasionally enjoy a Summer Chicken Salad from Zupas.
Don't feel ashamed of the Cafe Rio salad – it's delicious! It's my go-to "fast food" meal. On the classier side, I heart the chopped salad at Trio. With nuts, citrus and feta, it has the perfect balance of sweet + savory.
Very nice! Thanks for the recommendations. I'm always looking for a good salad in SLC.
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I've been on a salad kick lately – I love the same salad at Vinto, I'm currently in love with any salad featuring beets and squash, so this is my favorite! Not a huge CPK fan, but they sell a mediterranean salad with beets and yams,and figs too. There is a little lunch spot in Bountiful called Plates and Palates, they have good salads. I love to half and half it and get half of Lime Bowtie and half Pear, Pecan and greens. Thanks for your list, Ill be trying these soon!
Si, I've been on a beet salad kick also! Just made one yesterday from the Farmer's Market produce. Where did you get the salad with beets yams and figs- sounds amazing!!
That salad came from California Pizza of all places. I order it without the hard boiled eggs, and get the almonds on the side (they tend to over-do the nuts) It has a light champagne dressing. I love the combo. Also, I do make one at home with avocado, beets and yams and greens you can find it here: http://www.abountifulkitchen.com/2011/03/sweet-potato-salad-with-spiced-brown.htmlI love this salad!
They all sound great. No shame in liking a Café Rio salad. I just wish they had the small size option like Costa Vida. I like both chains but CV wins with me because of the portion options.