Salads you’ll crave? They exist and these six Lexington restaurants have them.
Salads have moved to the center of the plate.
Once just a limp concoction that made all the calorie-laden stuff that people really wanted to eat look good salads have come into their own in Lexington as elsewhere. Customers have begun demanding varied and high-quality salads throughout the year, not just in summer when fresh ingredients are abundant locally, and chefs have responded.
What makes a good salad? First, there’s got to be crunch, a sign of freshness. Next, the best have a little variety, starting perhaps with a variety of lettuces and expanding to include other seasonal vegetables like tomatoes (of course!) or cucumbers. Then, if a salad is to be a full lunch or dinner you’ll need some kind of protein for staying power, often chicken, eggs, cheese or nuts.
And finally, there’s the dressing. At home, I’m pretty much into salt, oil and vinegar but as I made my way through Lexington’s salads I savored the variety of dressings that chef’s created to make their offerings unique.
The collective brain of Lexington Food & Dining News and Sharing Facebook group offered many opinions and suggestions for Lexington’s best salads. I couldn’t try them all but they did give me some new ideas and valuable guidance for this list and guide. Appropriately, one that rose to the top over and over is named for Lexington itself.
Malone’s
The Lexingtonian ($12.99 for the Bottomless; $5.99 as a limited portion side)
As one person wrote, “so simple yet so good.” Chopped salad greens are larded with bacon pieces (real ones, not pre-pressed bits) and tomato. The topping is what the menu describes as “housemade creamy herb dressing,” a tangy mixture that offers a lot of flavor but is not overpowering, is indeed creamy but not too rich. Lexington can be proud to call this its salad.
Malone’s, 3347 Tates Creed Rd. in Landsowne, 3735 Palomar Centre Dr. in Palomar and 1920 Pleasant Ridge Dr. in Hamburg.
Bella Café & Grille
Crispy Chicken Salad ($14)
Believe them when they tell you the tomatoes and greens in this salad are fresh and local. The hard-boiled egg was perfectly done and the chicken was indeed crispy, three generous pieces, one of which I ate cold with the next day’s lunch and thoroughly enjoyed. I got it as a takeout and both the tasty honey mustard dressing and the spicy smoked peanuts came in separate containers so you can decide how and how much to enjoy them.
Bella Cafe & Grille, 890 E. High St.
Courtyard Deli
Panzanella
Each day this downtown gem has a salad special based on available local ingredients. The day I gave it a try, it was an Italian panzanella, a bread-based salad, with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and greens. A bonus is you get to choose a soup or side to go with and the mushroom and crab bisque was delicious. A nice lunch for $11.
Courtyard Deli, 351 Church St.
East End Tap and Table
Asian Bowl ($12)
A favorite to share at this downtown fusion restaurant is the Asian Bowl, a mixture of rice (choose white or brown), edamame (always fresh and tasty), mixed cabbage, shredded carrots, pickled onion and cucumber slices and a complex Asian dressing that makes it all work together. Your choice of satay chicken or tofu included in the price.
East End Tap and Table, 333 E. Main St.
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen
Any discussion of salads has to include Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen, the local startup a few years ago that has become a small local chain (four in Lexington and one each in Cincinnati and Louisville) offering fresh ingredients and a variety of excellent salads, ranging from kale and quinoa with sweet potatoes to BLT deluxe with smoked paprika ranch dressing and Tuscan with baby spinach, mozzarella and kalamata olives. A bonus, the online menu includes nutritional information for each salad with calories, carbs, fat, sodium and protein counts.
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen, 113 N. Broadway, 2200 War Admiral Way, 1781 Sharkey Way, 3735 Palomar Centre Dr.
Ramsey’s Diner
Ramsey’s ($11.95)
Ramsey’s offers a selection of salads at its four locations, most served on salad mix with tomatoes and different additions -- avocado, red onion rings, mozzarella – depending on your choice, and homemade dressings. Among the offerings, Yogi Chicken (sliced lemon yogurt chicken with egg and mozzarella) and Barbie Chicken (sliced bbq chicken breast and ham slices, eggs, mozzarella topped with Parmesan cheese.) Dressings are recommended for the salads but you can choose your own.
Ramsey’s, 151 W. Zandale Dr., 3090 Helmsdale Place, 4053 Tates Creek Centre Dr., and 4391 Harrodsburg Rd.