Price: $$

Location: NYC

Review:

Sweetgreen’s Elote Bowl is probably one of their most popular salad bowls. I constantly hear Sweetgreen lovers saying how delicious it is. I was hesitant because sometimes I have been disappointed with Sweetgreen’s salads, but I love corn, so I had to try it eventually. Don’t hesitate like me. It is one of my favorite salads I’ve ever had (*See note)! Get it! It is so good my mouth is watering as I think of the delicious flavors in it.

The Elote Bowl is a late summer special that includes roasted corn and peppers, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, cilantro, goat cheese, sunflower seeds, tortilla chips, organic warm quinoa, arugula, and lime cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette. It is a hardy bowl that beautifully showcases the sweet, fresh corn that is perfectly in season. The corn is cooked to sweet, juicy perfection. The sweet, savory roasted peppers compliment the corn beautifully and balance out its sweetness. Together, they create a flavor that reminds me of tamales stuffed with green chiles. The tomatoes are juicy and bright which balances out the deeper flavors of the roasted ingredients. The shredded cabbage and arugula are crisp and fresh. The quinoa gives the bowl a heartiness that makes it satisfying and adds amazing flavor and texture. I always love quinoa in salads, so the quinoa brings it to the next level of deliciousness. The goat cheese is rich, creamy, and tangy. Although elotes usually use cotija cheese, the goat cheese blends well with the other ingredients. It creates an interesting harmony of flavors and textures more suited to a salad unlike crumbly, neutrally flavored cotija cheese. The sunflower seeds and tortilla chips add a great crunchy texture. The salty tortilla chips accentuate the flavor of corn in the bowl while the sunflower seeds are pleasantly nutty. The lime jalapeno cilantro vinaigrette brings together all the flavors in the salad. It is definitely the best cilantro lime vinaigrette I’ve ever had. It has the perfect blend of tangy lime, spicy jalapeno, and peppery cilantro. This salad satisfies my love of corn with its gorgeous fresh corn that shines through among a delicious variety of ingredients that compliment and highlight the corn. It is truly an incredible salad. Go get it before it’s gone!

*To be exact, the Elote Bowl is my second favorite salad of all time.  My favorite salad is the Earth Bowl from Just Salad.  See my review here.