What I Got: Earth Bowl with Maple Cider Vinaigrette, Farmer’s Basket with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Crunchy Avo Toast

Price: $$

Location: NYC

Review:

Earth Bowl – The Earth Bowl is a salad bowl that includes arugula, shredded kale, organic quinoa, Violife creamy vegan feta, beets, roasted sweet potatoes, sliced apples, and chopped almonds.  It typically comes with balsamic vinaigrette, but I prefer it with the maple cider vinaigrette because it perfectly compliments the apple and sweet potatoes.  The arugula and kale serve as a great base for the salad.  The kale brings its wonderful earthy flavor while the arugula brings its unique peppery flavor.  The quinoa adds a nice heartiness to the salad.  The beets, sweet potatoes, and apples each add different textures and a delicious sweetness to the salad.  The almonds give it a great crunch.  The creamy vegan feta balances out the sweet ingredients with its salty flavor.  And it really is deliciously creamy as the name promises.  This is definitely my favorite salad of all time! It includes so many of my favorite salad ingredients.  No matter how many times I get it, after the first bite I always exclaim, “This is so good!”.  I like to think Just Salad made it just for me.

*This salad was temporarily discontinued, but it is back! If it ends up going away again, note that you can create the same exact salad with all the same ingredients with the “make your own salad” option. The only difference is that you can only get kale (not arugula), but that doesn’t change too much. The salad is slightly more expensive when you “make it yourself”, but it is so good it’s worth the extra bucks!*

Farmer’s Basket – The Farmer’s Basket includes shredded kale, organic quinoa, roasted butternut squash, cage-free jammy egg, roasted baby broccoli, and overnight pickled onions. It typically comes with Gotham Greens green goddess dressing, but I prefer it with balsamic vinaigrette.  I like the balsamic vinaigrette because it is light and lets the flavors of the ingredients shine.  This is a very delicious salad that is more savory than typical fall salads which often contain fruit or sweet potatoes.  The kale and quinoa serve as a great substantial base.  The butternut squash is soft and adds its subtle sweetness.  The roasted baby broccoli is cooked just enough to bring out its flavor while remaining crunchy.  The pickled onions are tangy and savory adding brightness and depth to the salad.  The egg is perfect.  I absolutely love a yolky hard boiled egg, and Just Salad achieved exactly what they promised.  The yolk is soft, golden, and delicious.  The Farmer’s Basket was exactly what I hoped for.

Crunchy Avo Toast – The Crunchy Avo Toast includes homemade avocado mash, Violife creamy vegan feta, crispy onions, and Tajin spiced pumpkin seeds.  This is my favorite avocado toast I’ve gotten from a chain restaurant.  The mash and toppings are generously piled on to two pieces of toast.  The toast is cut in half which makes it much easier to eat without making a mess.  The avocado mash is always fresh and not too lemony.  The crispy onions are perfectly crisp and add a great umami flavor.  The vegan feta is wonderfully salty and creamy.  The pumpkin seeds add another level of crunch and a nice nuttiness.  Overall, the avocado toast is a delicious harmony of textures and flavors.