Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The Weekend Gourmet Dines Out...at Salata's Next Generation Salad Bar

We were recently invited to try out Salata, which recently opened in San Antonio. This Houston-based chain terms itself a Next Generation Salad Bar, offering customized salads and wraps that are created by friendly staff right before your eyes! We stopped in at the Huebner Oaks location for a healthy dinner earlier this week...and we left huge fans of this new concept! Salata has locations in the Houston area, Dallas-Ft. Worth and San Antonio -- along with a few locations in Los Angeles. The first San Antonio location opened in October, and it's getting lots of buzz around town for quality, fresh ingredients that taste great and fill you up without filling you out. We arrived and stepped up to the long salad bar. I opted for a hearty main dish salad, while Michael opted for a wrap sandwich.

The variety of ingredients offered on Salata's salad bar is amazing! Starting with several types of salad greens, your personalized creation is assembled in front of your eyes by a friendly server in a large metal bowl. You can choose from a variety of chopped veggies, beans, nuts, fresh and dried fruits, cheeses and a variety of proteins. The prices can't be beat: a large salad is $8, and a wrap is $7. For $2 extra, you can add one of several flavors of diced chicken breast...and for $3 extra, you can add flavored shrimp or grilled salmon. I had a great time creating my salad. They also offer several varieties of soup daily to pair with your salad or wrap. 
This system makes Salata a great choice when you're dining with a group that includes meat eaters and vegetarians -- everyone can create a meal that meets their needs! My salad creation featured field greens, cucumber and diced tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli florets, green apples, dried cranberries, strawberries, feta, herb-marinated chicken breast, herb vinaigrette and garlic croutons. Michael went more savory with his selections, which were stuffed into a large and filling wrap sandwich served with pita chips on the side. As you can see, the ingredients we chose were pristinely fresh...and the portions are very substantial.
The holidays can be an indulgent time, but our dinner at Salata was exactly what we needed. It was light and refreshing...the perfect antidote to the extra cookies and other goodies we've been enjoying since Thanksgiving! Good news: San Antonio is getting a second Salata location next week, in the Sonterra area. More good news: through the end of this month, Salata is featuring smoked turkey from Sadler's Smokehouse in Henderson, Texas. Its smoky goodness makes it the perfect taste for the holiday season.

If you live in a city where Salata is currently located, I hope you'll stop in and check them out soon! Their new salad bar concept is really fun...and the food is fresh and delicious. We're already planning a repeat visit very soon. Salata offers so many ingredients that you can create a variety of salad combinations. In the mood for Mexican? Stick with spicy and savory ingredients and the Chipotle Ranch dressing. Feeling like something sweet? Go with fruit, nuts, shrimp and Fat Free Mango dressing. The possibilities are endless...and healthy! 

Disclosure: Salata provided us with a gift card to purchase two entrees to facilitate this feature. I receive no further compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

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