Adriana Salad From Massa

Item Purchased: Adriana Salad From Massa
Location Purchased: Massa Italian Cafe / 807 W. Roosevelt Rd. / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.49 + tax

Review: Back from the holidays and into the grind again. I had so many cookies and candies and meats over the last four days that I couldn't imagine ordering another prosciutto and salami sandwich. I also didn't think I could quit the meat cold turkey. I had to come down from my binge slowly, so I opted for this light greens bowl with a grilled chicken breast on top.

Though not as flavorful as the Mandalay salad that I usually order, Massa's Adrianna is still tasty. Loaded with sliced tomatoes, feta cheese, red peppers and lightly laced with red onions, this romaine salad is enough to fill you up without making you feel full. Though the price is a little higher than the rest of Massa's salads (due to the chicken breast), the price is still worth the quality of the food.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Visit the Forum! / Enter the Dec. 2006 Contest!

Spinach Salad from Lula Cafe

Item Purchased: Spinach Salad from Lula Cafe
Location Purchased: Lula Cafe / 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd. / Chicago, IL
Price: $8.00 + tax

Review: Lula does everything right. On a crowded Saturday night, the hostess told my girlfriend and I that we would have to wait nearly 45 minutes for a table (we only waited about 20) and mere minutes after we placed our order, the appetizer arrived. Of course, it doesn't take much to throw together a spinach salad, but Lula did it again by keeping expectations low and the outcome high.

This simple salad is comprised of baby spinach greens tossed with dried cherries, string thin red onions (that neither my girlfriend or I ate, but appreciated for the flavor they added to the dish) and the creamiest chevre cheese that made me want to get down on my knees and beg for goat milk. All this is topped with a perfectly balanced drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette that dances and twists with the already strong flavor provided by the chewy cherries. At eight dollars, this is an adequately sized salad to turn your hunger into a somewhat comfortable salivating anticipation while you wait for the rest of the magic to emerge from Lula's kitchen.

Rating: 4 / 5

Visit the Forum! / Enter the Dec. 2006 Contest!