On Sunday I had quite possibly the greatest salad I have ever, ever had. Yes, I do believe, that in my 28 years of existence, I’ve not had a better salad than this salad that I had for brunch at The Café this weekend. I love The Café because they use local and sustainable fare from mostly better-than-organic farms (yeah, that’s a thing), so their menu is constantly changing based on the season. This winter salad was on the menu, and I cannot get over it.
What made it so great? Everything. No, seriously. Everything.
I have never ordered a lunch-type item for brunch before, but when I saw this on the menu, I had to get it:
“WINTER SALAD: wheat berries, pomegranate, roasted beets, winter greens and toasted walnuts tossed with brown butter vinaigrette + goat cheese crostini”
Of course I got the dressing on the side, and I scraped the goat cheese off the crostini (it’s just a big, crusty piece of bread). But damn, this salad was amazing — kale, chard, beets, pomegranate, and the walnuts seemed to be toasted in a peppery mix of some sort.
I’m going to go to brunch with another group of friends on Sunday. And you can guess what I’m getting. I’m planning to pay extra attention to what was on the walnuts so I can make this salad in all its glory at home (if I can ever figure out how to peel a pomegranate without making the house look like a murder scene).
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Do you have a “best I’ve ever had” for a food to share?
21 Responses to WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
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Hi there. I'm Calee (pronounced CAL-e). If that's too hard, just call me Cal. Also known as chimes or the chimes. I'm 28ish, a designer, a runner, a self-proclaimed fitness queen, a craftster, a foodie, a music snob — some might call me a hipster. Here's the unabridged version.
Best Margarita: Watermelon from Chevy’s in Minneapolis.
Best ‘Chinese’ Food: Some random place that I might be able to find if I ran into it in Minneapolis (suburb). Man, wish I knew what it was called. We got takeout and it was amazing. At least I think it was a Chinese place. Might have been Thai…
Best Ravioli: Portabello stuffed (WHOLE) from a restaurant I worked at in high school that went under. STILL trying to find ravioli that good.
I’m sure I’ve got others…generally my favorite salads are from Palmer’s Deli, though.
Alex @ Alex Tries it Out recently posted..My 1-year Blog-O-Versary!
Oooh I love Palmers! Okay, so I have to go to Chevy’s. And which MN suburb?
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
I could eat Palmer’s every day!
The Chevy’s was right by Mall of America, but it’s a chain so I imagine you could go anywhere. They made it with fresh watermelon. Sooo freaking good. Food pretty good, but no where near margarita.
I think I was in Bloomington? Is that a suburb? We were staying in a hotel and just driving into the city to save $$$. It was around the area where REI is.
Alex @ Alex Tries it Out recently posted..My 1-year Blog-O-Versary!
I believe bloomington is a suburb. Mark’s fam is in a St. Paul suburb, so I was curious.
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
I have to agree–just by looking at the picture and reading the description–this salad looks top notch!!! I adore salads, so I know exactly what you mean when you say everything was good. When the ingredients all compliment each other so perfectly . . . yum!
My “best” salads that I make at home are always topped with roasted kabocha. Holy cow, it’s good. Crisp greens, shredded cabbage, chopped mushrooms, diced peppers, topped with some protein source (chicken, tuna, eggs, tempeh, beans) and roasted kabocha. And then I make a nooch dressing top it off. I’m getting hungry . . . .
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance recently posted..Orange Creamsicle (Green) Smoothie
roasted kabocha?? googling.
my other favorite salad topping is edamame. and kamut.
nooch dressing? I’m intrigued.
Oh I love a good, loaded salad! It’s so satisfying and this one sounds fantastic. The food I still talk about was a pumpkin creme brule – but it was raw & vegan! It was at the first Root Down Raw Dinner we went to.
Heather @ Better With Veggies recently posted..Almost Wordless Wednesday
oooh holy yumsauce. PS I need to come to CO sometime this year. I’m going to make it a goal. It will likely be late summer or fall.
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
My salad was pretty tasty too!! I really did like The Cafe..good choice!
Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut recently posted..{WIAW #51} Mini-Blend Weekend
LOVE the Cafe! I need to venture up north more and go there! If I lived in Ames, I would be there multiple times a month!!
My boyfriend and I went to Sbrocco for NYE. I’m not a huge beef fan but I snuck a couple bites of his tenderloin medallion (I think that’s what it was) and it was THE.BEST piece of meat I had ever had!
Mollie @Sprinkles of Life recently posted..The Perfect Teacher Gift
seriously. if you do, let me know because I am always willing to go.
now that gluten doesn’t make me sick, I’m dying for a piece of their carrot cake.
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
Def! I would love to do that sometime! Maybe we have an informal small blogger meet-up there sometime
Actually… thinking further, let’s do that when we start planning more for Blend! What do ya think?
Mollie @Sprinkles of Life recently posted..The Perfect Teacher Gift
haha I’m not sure how much planning we need to do for blend. they’ve got it pretty much planned out. you just need to figure out how to get there!
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
Yea, that’s what I meant. If we fly outta somewhere other than DSM and all coordinating that. Should be quick and easy but just another reason to get together
Can I come back and join you?
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More recently posted..WIAW Birthday Cake
ha if you want to make the drive, you are more than welcome.
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
I completely, 100% agree that may be the best salad! Just looking at the picture has me drooling over it.
Jessie recently posted..Thankful Thursday :: God
I can actually give advice on the murderous pomegranate! Cut it in half/quarters, then place it in a bowl of water to take the arils out. They pop out easily and with no mess!
Amanda @KnotLiving recently posted..Within My Grasp
I don’t know you, but I love you. Thank you for that! Man, pom and beet would be super messy.
Calee (@chimes) — life + running recently posted..WIAW: The best salad I have ever, ever had.
As I am a person prone to hyperbole, a lot of things are the best I’ve ever had. However, I can, without a doubt, say the best bacon I ever ate was in NYC at brunch on a chicken club sandwich–because I, unlike you, always seem to order lunch foods at brunch. It was thick cut, and at the time, I don’t think I’d eaten bacon for awhile out of fear that I was going to suddenly die because it was ‘bad for me.’ Oh, it was a revelation. I talked about it all day. And for the entire drive home. And I still talk about it.
Says the vegan.
P.S.- Dude, what is the deal with calling toasted bread crostini like it is something fancy. Not worth it. Just give me what you are putting on it. Like, when you go to eat BBQ and they give you white bread. It’s like, “OK, the only time I need white bread is for Fluffernutter sandwiches, otherwise, WTF. I know what bread tastes like. Give me the dang pork.”
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen recently posted..Blueberry Mango Chili
RE: crostini / white bread — Mark would love you if you made a fluffer-nutter nutty butter.
And holy crap, yes, bacon. I love bacon. Did I mention that?