There’s no month quite like August when it comes to feasting on salads. By now, the novelty of barbecuing has begun to wear off and the hottest days of summer are upon us. The time is just right to dig into something cool and crunchy like a bed of greens tossed with seasonal vegetables. If it’s a night that you choose not to cook and instead go out for dinner, salads can keep the meal balanced and light. On the other hand, if you’re hungry enough to want something more substantial, there are plenty of options that heap on the protein with cheese, meat and beans. Check out our favorite seasonal salads from Edina restaurants.
Apple Salad
Maybe the endless array of soups at Eddington’s gets you through a long cold winter, but did you know that this locally owned cafeteria-style restaurant also tosses up a variety of salads that are perfect for lunch on a hot summer day? The apple salad ($5.49) is new this year, with your choice of romaine or spinach, feta or blue cheese, raisins, walnuts and a citrus poppy-seed dressing. The dish has been wildly successful ever since it hit the menu this spring, says owner Randy Erickson. Another favorite that comes back each summer is a strawberry salad ($5.49), made with romaine, green and red bell peppers, strawberries, caramelized walnuts and a raspberry poppy-seed vinaigrette. This sweet salad stays on the menu as long as the strawberries are around, usually from May until late fall.
5125 Edina Industrial Blvd.; 952.896.1148
Hours: 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat.
Fattoush Salad
Fattoush salad is a Middle Eastern dish that is similar to a Greek salad. Chef Mark Campbell put one on the menu at Beaujo’s this season because he can make use of local cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, which are tossed with romaine lettuce, toasted pita bread, and tons of locally grown fresh mint and parsley, with a dressing that incorporates dried sumac and pomegranate molasses for a tart-and-sweet concoction. He’s also doing a shrimp, papaya and avocado salad in an orange-peel vinaigrette, a refreshing, cooling salad served on a bed of greens, which flies out the door in the hot months. Another one of Campbell’s favorites is the watermelon salad with feta cheese and olives, drizzled with just a little olive oil and lime zest, and sprinkled with homegrown mint and parsley. “The ingredients are so flavorful themselves there’s no need for much else,” says Campbell. Salads are priced from $8 to $14.
4950 France Avenue S.; 952.922.8974
Hours: 11 a.m.–11:30 p.m., Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–midnight., Fri.–Sat., 3–10 p.m., Sun.
Shades of Green Salad
Salut Bar Américain
Order the Shades of Green salad ($9.95) at Salut and you’ll receive something just as beautiful as it sounds. The salad is made with Bibb lettuce, watercress and endive, haricots verts[jra1] , peas, avocado and cucumber in a fines herbes buttermilk dressing. This light salad can be made more substantial with the addition of grilled shrimp, salmon or chicken. Another refreshing but sizable salad that gets your mouth watering at the mere description is the grilled salmon and shrimp salad ($16.95), with shaved fennel, arugula, segments of orange and grapefruit, grilled salmon, poached shrimp and a citrus thyme vinaigrette.
5032 France Ave. S., Edina; 952.929.3764; salutbaramericain.com
Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri.–Sat., 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun.
Vietnamese Noodle Salad
If green salads are becoming a bit routine, the Vietnamese salads at Rice Paper offer a new take that is just as refreshing, flavorful and light. The Vietnamese noodle salad ($11.95) is a full-meal salad of rice noodles, ribbons of lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro, mint and basil, topped with grilled shrimp, chicken, beef or tofu. Owner An Nguyen describes it as one of the best examples of the Vietnamese “cuisine of contrast.” The noodles and meat offer softness, while the sprouts and cucumber are pleasingly crunchy. The cold noodles and vegetables are contrasted with the hot protein. The Indochine salad ($9.95), traditionally served on festive occasions, is made with shredded cabbage, carrot and chicken, tossed in a light dressing with cilantro and topped with fresh roasted peanuts, a staple of Southeast Asian cooking.
3948 W. 50th St.; 952.288.2888
Hours: 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 5–9 p.m., Mon–Thurs., 4–8 p.m., Sun.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
You’re not going to want to miss any of the salads at Barrio this summer, where executive chef Bill Fairbanks is always scoping out local ingredients. The heirloom tomato salad is typically made with tomatoes from Foot Joy Farms in Sparta, Wis., mixed with watermelon, queso fresco and a red chile vinaigrette dressing ($10). The local organic roasted beet salad is a staple on Barrio’s menu, with beets sourced from Dragsmith Farms in Wisconsin, local goat cheese, wild arugula, orange and peanuts ($11). If you want to keep it simple, go for the subtle tastes of the organic mixed green salad ($9) with squash blossom rellenos, radish and a lime cilantro vinaigrette.
5036 France Ave. S.; 952.920.1860
Hours: 11 a.m.–1 a.m., Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m.–midnight, Sun.
Seafood Cobb
When Pittsburgh Blue steak house opened its Edina location, the culinary staff made sure there were plenty of dishes to cater to less voracious, female appetites. The seafood Cobb salad is a prime example, made with romaine and iceberg lettuce, a homemade citrus herb vinaigrette, king crab, citrus poached shrimp, hard-boiled egg, tomato, bacon and scallions ($17.95). The restaurant had the right idea, as this is the best-selling salad on the menu. If you’re not one to order something other than steak at a steak house, then go with the tenderloin salad, made with rosemary- and olive oil-marinated beef tenderloin, grilled to your liking, and served with mixed greens, blue cheese, tomato, red bell pepper and red onion, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette ($17.95).
Galleria, 3510 W. 70th St.; 952.567.2700
Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri.–Sat., 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun.
House Chop Salad
The house chop salad at Pinstripes is the ideal summer meal to fuel you up for some bowling or bocce, hanging out on the patio or if you must, a return to the office. The salad ($11) is packed with ingredients such as garbanzo beans, tomatoes, shaved red onion, gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese, and crispy fried angel hair parmesan noodles and tortellini (both made in-house). Everything is tossed in a white balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Add chicken, shrimp or salmon for $3 to $5 extra. The menu usually offers at least a half-dozen salads, and several new additions were in the works as of press time.
3849 Gallagher Dr.; 952.835.6440
Hours: 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun., 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Mon., 11 a.m.–11:30 p.m., Tues., 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Wed.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri., 10 a.m.–midnight, Sat.
