exclusive deals right to your inbox.
sign up for the
by Todd SouTh
Salads at Chomp can be ordered chopped, tossed or wrapped. PHOTO/ALLISON YOUNG
Chomp
rnrsweetdeals.newsreview.com
menu.” That’s too bad, as the bold flavor of brined fruit would have worked better, and mention of the change would be helpful when ordering. My wife ordered a chopped Mackay salad ($12.97) and an 8-ounce cup of soup ($6.45)—curried carrot over quinoa. Built in 1933 and recently restored to Romaine, red bell pepper, grape tomato, highlight its art deco heyday, the old downan avocado half, red onion, shaved white town post office houses a high end home cheddar and organic, roasted, free range furnishings store and office space upstairs, chicken were well-coated in lime cilantro but if you’re looking for an eclectic dressing. The poultry chunks were seasoned collection of shops in a mashup of trendy and savory, and the dressing had a lot of design with rough brick walls and exposed cilantro with a bit of a kick on the back end. infrastructure—pipes, ducts, etc.—you have After a couple of spoonfuls, we agreed the to descend into The Basement. hot puree was literally not our cup of soup. It’s a marketplace full of locally owned The texture was OK, but the mild curry shops. There’s plenty of table space and spice and sweet carrot didn’t play well with power outlets for those working on their a very sharp, sour lemon note and perhaps screenplays. But there is currently just something else hidden in the mix. one option for food, a white-tiled, madeA wrapped Riverside Hotel ($13.90) to-order salad and frozen yogurt bar was perhaps the most adventurous order— called Chomp. with arugula, cucumber, shredded cabbage, We ordered from a carrot, ginger chili menu of pre-designed grape, roasted wild salads named for other salmon, super seed downtown landmarks; mix and miso tahini 50 S. Virginia St., 442-4667 you can also create your dressing. The wrap Chomp is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday own from a large list of was huge and cut in through Saturday. Learn more at chompreno.com. a la carte ingredients. half, allowing one to Salads are available get a good look at the three ways, which we discovered as our ingredients. At first, I thought it was defiyouthful server rolled her eyes, heaved nitely new and interesting, but that wore off a sigh and asked, “Tossed, chopped or quickly. The grapes’ flavor muddied that wrapped?”—very welcoming. of the dressing, and rather than enticingly My buddy stuck to the basics with fresh chunks of salmon meat, the fish was the Interstate Bank ($9.23), tossed with pungent and mushy, reminiscent of cheap romaine lettuce, kale, cucumber, grape canned tuna. The last straw was entirely tomato, red onion, Kalamata olive, too much arugula, adding an unwelcome feta cheese, pita chips and lemon basil level of bitterness. I hate wasting food, but I vinaigrette. The ingredients were fresh, the couldn’t finish the second half, and no one presentation was inviting, and I thought else wanted it. the dressing was a nice balance of herb We thought about trying some of the and citrus. The only thing amiss was the vegan yogurt, but my heart just wasn’t in substitution of Mission black olives for it. A nice, strong cup of joe from next door the Greek variety. When asked, the server perked up our moods as we headed up the shrugged and said, “Haven’t changed the stairs, back into the light. Ω
newsletter at rnrsweetdeals.newsreview.com
Garden party
01.26.17
|
RN&R
|
19
