Are salads the new tacos? Places specializing in the green leafy stuff seem to be blooming all over, too:
Salata, the Houston-based, salad-centric chain, opens its 14th location at the end of this month in Fort Worth's Sundance Square, across from Bass Hall. It will join the chain's other North Texas locations in Dallas and Plano. Self-anointed as "The Next Generation Salad Bar," Salata offers an expansive list of veggie choices for salads and wraps, plus some seafood, soups and fruit. It also has its own brand of salad dressings. mysalata.com
But Salata hardly has the market cornered. San Diego's Sweet Tomatoes 126-store chain has locations throughout the Metroplex (Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas, Irving and Addison). It opened its first Cowtown location last fall as part of the West 7th development. Sweet Tomatoes is known for its 45-foot salad bar, but also offers soups, bread, pasta, pizza and baked potatoes, among other things. It also has a dessert bar, so it's not all good for ya. sweettomatoes.com
Dallas-based Greenz, now in Uptown, Addison, and Highland Park, will soon be expanding with a restaurant in Houston. It's another variation on the "create your own salad" concept. And it has soup and sandwich options, with plenty of choices for carnivores as well as veggie-lovers. Greenz also does delivery for orders over $15. greenzsalads.com
The Salad Bowl in north Fort Worth is the only remaining restaurant in what used to be a much larger franchise, but now on its own, it is building a strong following. Located at 2730 Western Center Blvd., the Salad Bowl offers signature salads and also lets you build your own, choosing from 50+ fresh toppings. There are also soups, baked potatoes and the new "fitness salads," which are low in calories and high in protein and fiber. www.thesaladbowlcafe.com
