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Where to Find Seattle's Best Summertime Salads

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Salads move from afterthoughts to main events in the summer. Now that Junuary is over and the sun is back it's the best time of year to pluck a pile of greens at Seattle restaurants. From Delancey's piled-high romaine to the Crunch salad at Juicebox, Seattle has no shortage of killer greens.

Read on to find tried-and-true eateries serving butter lettuce just pulled from the garden, mounds of fresh green papaya, and more cooling salad concoctions.
—Jen Chiu

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Chippy's Fish & Drink

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Not only does Ethan Stowell’s newest Ballard establishment serve up big helpings of fish and chips, he has obliterated the association of mushy peas with an entrée you’d serve your one-year-old. (Mushy peas are apparently a common side dish to fish and chips in London.) Stowell encourages Seattleites to get over their fear of mush and dig into the buttery, stew-like peas. They are great with fish and chips and also strong as a standalone side. Is a plate of mushy peas technically a salad? No, but it’s so good we had to mention it.

[Photo Credit]

Delancey

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Named after co-owner Brandon Petit’s hometown, the Jersey Salad elevates the status of romaine salads in the food hierarchy, putting it right up there alongside other American favorites such as pizza and apple pie. In addition to romaine, the salad comes with red cabbage, julienned carrots, and grana, but it’s the house-made Italian dressing that differentiates this salad from all other vegetable dishes. It comes in two sizes: small which is piled high, and large, piled even higher.

[Photo Credit]

Fellow fans of Delancey’s Jersey salad, proceed to the pizza joint’s sibling bar Essex on Tuesdays for Tiki Taco Tuesdays. There you’ll find the Yersi Salad which is a riff off their beloved Jersey salad. Think of the Yersi as a Jersey salad with a kick: Romaine, grana cheese, and red cabbage is accompanied by pepitas and poblano. Tip: Don’t leave without ordering a Hurricane served in a proper tiki glass.

[Photo Credit]

Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant

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At this Vietnamese institution, go for #28: the Goi du du (aka - Green papaya salad). It’s a staple on the menu. Tossed in a fish sauce and lime dressing along with jicama, carrots, basil, mint, and peanuts, the best part about the salad is the topping of crispy shallots. Add shrimp, tofu or chicken to your salad and you have a proper meal.

[Photo Credit]

juicebox

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Avid fans of Kari Brunson and Brandin Myett’s juice cleanses flocked to the café when it opened last November. In addition to easy access to juice, food is on tap at the Capitol Hill spot. The top of my list is the quinoa greens salad served with french radish, cilantro, pepita, local baby greens, avocado, and lime dressing. Runner up: The Crunch salad is true to its name. Bite down on golden and chioggia beets, fennel, cucumber, and toasted hazelnuts that are dressed in a lemon-champagne vinaigrette.

[Photo Credit]

Papa Bois

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A food truck is not a natural choice for fulfilling a salad craving, until now. Thin strands of papaya seasoned with lime and Thai basil are the perfect accompaniment for the dry rubbed jerk chicken and other food items at this Caribbean-themed food truck. At $4 a pop, you can’t afford not to eat here.

[Photo Credit]

picnic : a food+wine boutique

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If all people put as much thought and effort into their kale preparation as co-owner Anson Klock, maybe kale wouldn’t get such a bad rap. The secret behind Picnic’s famous kale salad: It’s all in the lemon. At the height of citrus season, the Klocks pack and cure cases of organic Meyer lemons in kosher salt for a month to create their vinaigrette. They add some minced goat horn pepper for a hum of heat and finish it off with toasted sesame seeds for a nutty crunch.

[Photo Credit]

The London Plane

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Whenever your body craves something healthy but still with a bit of an edge, pop over to Matt Dillon’s beautiful digs in Pioneer Square where you’ll be rewarded with seasonal salads such as the curry chicken salad or roasted asparagus with spring onions and pistachios and mint. Interesting spices and flavor combinations prevail. And make room for a slice of naturally leavened sourdough. The crunchy caramelized crust protects a soft moist inside.

[Photo Credit]

The Whale Wins

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Salads are rarely the star of the show unless you’re at The Whale Wins. Simply named The Lettuces Salad, if I could only order one item at Renee Erickson’s pretty Wallingford restaurant, I’d pass on cote de bouef, sardines on toast and even dessert to get my claws on this salad. It’s simple: Butter lettuce with a variety of whatever other lettuces are in season, dill, pistachios, and parmigiano. It all tastes like it was just pulled from the garden.

[Photo Credit]

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Chippy's Fish & Drink

Not only does Ethan Stowell’s newest Ballard establishment serve up big helpings of fish and chips, he has obliterated the association of mushy peas with an entrée you’d serve your one-year-old. (Mushy peas are apparently a common side dish to fish and chips in London.) Stowell encourages Seattleites to get over their fear of mush and dig into the buttery, stew-like peas. They are great with fish and chips and also strong as a standalone side. Is a plate of mushy peas technically a salad? No, but it’s so good we had to mention it.

[Photo Credit]

Delancey

Named after co-owner Brandon Petit’s hometown, the Jersey Salad elevates the status of romaine salads in the food hierarchy, putting it right up there alongside other American favorites such as pizza and apple pie. In addition to romaine, the salad comes with red cabbage, julienned carrots, and grana, but it’s the house-made Italian dressing that differentiates this salad from all other vegetable dishes. It comes in two sizes: small which is piled high, and large, piled even higher.

[Photo Credit]

Essex

Fellow fans of Delancey’s Jersey salad, proceed to the pizza joint’s sibling bar Essex on Tuesdays for Tiki Taco Tuesdays. There you’ll find the Yersi Salad which is a riff off their beloved Jersey salad. Think of the Yersi as a Jersey salad with a kick: Romaine, grana cheese, and red cabbage is accompanied by pepitas and poblano. Tip: Don’t leave without ordering a Hurricane served in a proper tiki glass.

[Photo Credit]

Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant

At this Vietnamese institution, go for #28: the Goi du du (aka - Green papaya salad). It’s a staple on the menu. Tossed in a fish sauce and lime dressing along with jicama, carrots, basil, mint, and peanuts, the best part about the salad is the topping of crispy shallots. Add shrimp, tofu or chicken to your salad and you have a proper meal.

[Photo Credit]

juicebox

Avid fans of Kari Brunson and Brandin Myett’s juice cleanses flocked to the café when it opened last November. In addition to easy access to juice, food is on tap at the Capitol Hill spot. The top of my list is the quinoa greens salad served with french radish, cilantro, pepita, local baby greens, avocado, and lime dressing. Runner up: The Crunch salad is true to its name. Bite down on golden and chioggia beets, fennel, cucumber, and toasted hazelnuts that are dressed in a lemon-champagne vinaigrette.

[Photo Credit]

Papa Bois

A food truck is not a natural choice for fulfilling a salad craving, until now. Thin strands of papaya seasoned with lime and Thai basil are the perfect accompaniment for the dry rubbed jerk chicken and other food items at this Caribbean-themed food truck. At $4 a pop, you can’t afford not to eat here.

[Photo Credit]

picnic : a food+wine boutique

If all people put as much thought and effort into their kale preparation as co-owner Anson Klock, maybe kale wouldn’t get such a bad rap. The secret behind Picnic’s famous kale salad: It’s all in the lemon. At the height of citrus season, the Klocks pack and cure cases of organic Meyer lemons in kosher salt for a month to create their vinaigrette. They add some minced goat horn pepper for a hum of heat and finish it off with toasted sesame seeds for a nutty crunch.

[Photo Credit]

The London Plane

Whenever your body craves something healthy but still with a bit of an edge, pop over to Matt Dillon’s beautiful digs in Pioneer Square where you’ll be rewarded with seasonal salads such as the curry chicken salad or roasted asparagus with spring onions and pistachios and mint. Interesting spices and flavor combinations prevail. And make room for a slice of naturally leavened sourdough. The crunchy caramelized crust protects a soft moist inside.

[Photo Credit]

The Whale Wins

Salads are rarely the star of the show unless you’re at The Whale Wins. Simply named The Lettuces Salad, if I could only order one item at Renee Erickson’s pretty Wallingford restaurant, I’d pass on cote de bouef, sardines on toast and even dessert to get my claws on this salad. It’s simple: Butter lettuce with a variety of whatever other lettuces are in season, dill, pistachios, and parmigiano. It all tastes like it was just pulled from the garden.

[Photo Credit]

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