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In the Seinfeld episode “Big Salad” (Season 6, episode 2), Jerry describes Elaine’s lunch order: “Big lettuce, big carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs.”
The salad game has evolved since the 1990s. Salads are full-fledged meals found on just about every menu. We searched our neighborhood for big bowls of leafy, veggie goodness that will please even the most persnickety characters.
Founder Kelly Ball likes to joke that she began baking when her life fell apart, but not all quarter-life crises result in something as wonderful as Ball’s food. Leila Bakery and Cafe began as Naturally Curly Cook, a food blog where Ball chronicled her foray into baking and cooking. Then, she began selling her food at farmers markets, and eventually she started producing wholesale treats for coffee shops and bakeries. In 2020, Naturally Curly Cook moved into a spot on Oram Street and became the bakery and cafe we know today. The name “Leila” comes from Ball’s husband’s aunt, who lives in Serbia and inspired Ball through her warmth and kindness — and her insistence on cooking every meal for Ball and her husband when they visit.
The spot is known for its quiche, kolaches, muffins and pies, and true to its roots, dishes incorporate ingredients from Dallas farmers markets. Baked goods are not all that Leila has to offer, however — the cafe offers a great mix of soups and salads. One of Leila’s best salads is the grain bowl, a hearty mix of kale, purple cabbage, sweet potato, candied pecans, carrots, quinoa and tahini dressing. After enjoying this salad loaded with superfoods, be sure to treat yourself with something from the bakery, too.
6041 Oram St.
Café Brazil has six locations around the Metroplex, but its first location opened on Greenville Avenue. That location has since closed, but rest assured, there’s still one nearby, right off of Central Expressway. Café Brazil originally opened in 1991 as a coffee and breakfast spot, but as time went on, lunch and dinner were added.
One of the menu’s popular items is the coconut chicken salad. Café Brazil CEO Brant Wood says all team members have the opportunity to submit a new recipe idea every year. In 2006, a member of the kitchen team at the Carrollton location submitted an idea for a salad with greens, coconut chicken, oranges, dried cranberries and homemade honey mustard. Wood and a colleague happened to have a business meeting at that location on a day the cafe was offering the salad as a special.
“We both loved it, and I suggested to the operations team that we run it as a special at other locations,” Wood says.
The salad was added to the fall and winter seasonal menus, and by the spring of 2007, its enduring popularity secured a spot on Café Brazil’s menu permanently.
“It has been a Café Brazil fan favorite ever since,” Wood says.
6420 N. Central Expressway
You probably wouldn’t think of seeking a salad from a restaurant known for its oyster bar, but give Hudson House a chance. Founded in 2017 in Highland Park, there are now four locations in the Metroplex, including one in our neighborhood which opened in 2020. Hudson House was founded by Hunter Pond, who also founded East Hampton Sandwich Co.
Hudson House specializes in East Coast-style seafood. In addition to oysters, they serve redfish, salmon, tuna and New England classics such as clam chowder and lobster rolls. Seafood makes an appearance on the salad menu, too. The Beverly includes grilled shrimp, hearts of palm, avocado, radish, crispy shallots, tomatoes and a house-made vinaigrette. Or, there’s the miso kale and tuna salad, which consists of pan-seared ahi tuna, emerald kale, dried cherries and ponzu vinaigrette.
If you’re not big on fish, try the Hudson salad, which is topped with popcorn chicken, avocado, cherry tomato, bacon, sharp cheddar and green goddess dressing.
James Douglas, the vice president of culinary for the group that owns Hudson House, East Hampton Sandwich Co. and four other restaurants, says Hudson House prioritizes using farm-to-table ingredients.
“The whole idea behind our menu is that it is something we have found pleases the crowd, and we’re keeping it small but dynamic in the ingredients,” Douglas told the Advocate in 2021.
4040 Abrams Road
Urbano Cafe got its start in Uptown, but in 2009, founder Mitch Kauffman moved the restaurant into its current location on Fitzhugh Avenue. When Kauffman first saw the property, there were burglary bars on the windows. But the building also had a grease trap and a vent hood in the kitchen, and Kauffman knew he could make it work. Since then, Urbano has expanded into the next storefront, which previously belonged to Kauffman’s friend and grocer Tom Spicer. In addition to the restaurant itself, Urbano provides two rooms available to rent for private parties and a space called “Urban Goods,” which hosts pop-ups for local vendors.
Urbano is an Italian-American bistro, and no Italian-American bistro is complete without insalata. The restaurant’s signature salad, the Urbano salad, has been on the menu since the restaurant opened in Uptown in 2002. It’s changed a little throughout the years, but today, it consists of seasonal greens, candied walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, herbed goat cheese and citrus vinaigrette.
“It’s mainly an appetizer salad, but we have some customers who love to put a piece of grilled salmon on it for a lighter dinner, and it’s delicious like that as well,” Kauffman says.
While a salad from Urbano is great on its own, it’s also a great excuse to try their pastas, sample something from their regularly updated wine list or take advantage of their BYOB policy.
1410 N. Fitzhugh Ave.
