Places offering big, scrumptious salads

2008-05-22 Food

Take Five
Places offering big, scrumptious salads

May 22, 2008
CAFé O LEI

All of the lunch salads at Café O Lei are huge, but the quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) salad is particularly monstrous. A large portion of the protein and fiber rich grain comes piled atop a bed of fresh baby greens and topped with chilled roasted squash, zucchini and peppers, creamy goat cheese and a thick basil vinaigrette. Basically, it's a salad so big you won't even miss the double bacon cheeseburger or foot-long sandwich you usually get at lunchtime. 62 N. Market St., Wailuku, 986-0044. Open M-F 7:30-10:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $




Cafe O Lei quinoa salad photo: Wendy Ortiz.

Lahaina Coolers

The Coolers menu has a different take on the typically healthful salad-fried cheese. It's fried brie, to be exact, which happens to be one of my culinary weaknesses. Yes, there's a ton of Kula greens underneath all that gooey goodness, a sweet, tangy passion fruit vinaigrette served on the side and I'm sure a bunch of other healthy veggies on top, but in the face of fried brie I pretty much forget everything else that's going on around me. 180 Dickenson St., Lahaina, 661-7082. Open daily 8 a.m.-12 a.m. $

Main Street Bistro

I may be a bit of a freak of nature here, but I've loved beets since I was little. When my parents would take me to a buffet I'd load up on the pickled beets and stuff myself until I couldn't possibly even think about visiting the dessert bar. That's probably why I love the roasted beet salad at Main Street so much. It's got big chunks of juicy, ruby red beets on greens with candied cashews, bleu cheese and a light, refreshing Champagne pear vinaigrette. 2051 Main St., Wailuku, 244-6816. Open M-F 7-10 a.m. & 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $

Cilantro

You won't find a typical taco salad anywhere on the menu here. But you will find the Pom pecan salad that I've had the great pleasure of enjoying on one occasion. This salad is special because it's topped with a jicama slaw, roasted corn, caramelized pecans and a bit of salty Cotija cheese. I get it with juicy rotisserie chicken on top. 170 Papalua St., Lahaina, 667-5444. Open M-Sa 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Su 11 a.m.-8 p.m. $

LEILANI'S ON THE BEACH

The bar menu at Leilani's recently got a very welcomed face-lift and now includes one of my favorite lunchtime combos: fruit on salad. It's called the Sunsplash salad and it's a sweet union of fresh, local greens, pineapple spears, strawberries and mandarin oranges with big, crunchy pieces of walnuts and a strawberry vinaigrette. Or, as I like to call it, heaven in a bowl. Whaler's Village, Ka'anapali, 661-4495. Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m. $ MTW

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Tags: Cafe O'Lei, Cilantro, Lahaina Coolers, Leilani's On The Beach, Main Street Bistro

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