This week, we’re taking salads for a spin. We also welcome Guest Gulletier Zach Laks to the table.
Caramelized & Cruciferous
By Kitty
A dimly lit restaurant, Gaskins, set the scene for Greg’s recent birthday dinner. Gaskins is a charming neighborhood haunt that you can pop into on a weeknight and a stylish Saturday evening destination where you can cheers to turning 36. We knew we were in luck when they sat our party at the long farmhouse table at the back of the restaurant—a special table for a special occasion. While I opted for the tried and true burger and fries with garlic aioli1 that I am still dreaming about, everything on the menu just felt...exciting. And thoughtful. The appetizer that knocked my socks off? The charred cabbage salad. While I only shared a taste of her to start, she was giving main character energy. These gorgeous, brown butter-glazed greens were simultaneously crunchy, bitter, sweet, and melted in your mouth. For a veggie that grows in the dirt and smells like farts, this dish is giving cabbage a serious glow-up.
The verdict: Rootin’, tootin’ food win.
Name drops: Gaskins
Over-it Greens
By Greg
I decided to finally try a salad from an establishment in my neighborhood called Overgreens. I had walked by it a dozen times and was seduced by their smiling kawaii avocado mascot pictured on the sidewalk sandwich board. Upon entry, it appeared that it wasn’t just salads on the menu as a big old juicer whirred and stirred up green sludge, making it difficult to hear a remix of “Rhythm of the Night” blasting over the sound system. I scurried over to the salad line and gawked at the overwhelming number of options for a “make your own” creation. I decided to hold Overgeens up against my standard custom order from Sweetgreens2, a not-so-big swing that ended up being a messy miss. Despite a hefty medley of premium toppings and a generous dousing of lime chipotle dressing, my romaine mix tasted like garbage water. Somehow, the only ingredient that came through was scallions, which weren’t even in my salad! Yikes. After three bites, my bowl began to feel like work, and the more I plowed through, the more depressed I became. I had unfortunately reached sad salad status.3 Maybe the whole experience was my fault for not selecting one of their designed menu items or not trying a “Green Blood” juice. As I exited, I saw the avocado smiling at me. His grin that initially advertised a warm invitation to “go green” now read as a “gotcha bitch!” smirk.
The verdict: A leafy loss.
Name drops: Overgreens
A Cocktail From the Salad Bar
By Zach Laks4
Don’t come around asking me what I'll do for the Klondike Bar if you don’t want to hear about my hot salad first. Down a few pounds with that good spring in my step, hot salad has been just about the only meal I’ve chosen to talk about for the last few months. Eaten twice daily with vigor, hot salad is a creation I’ve been perfecting in my own kitchen with pre-packaged stir fry kits. Ya know, the ones where pre-cut veg and sodium sauce packets come ready to be doused in salacious (hellacious?!) amounts of oil atop a hot top flat top. What began as a by-the-numbers meal quickly changed as I longed for a healthier option. How could I improve upon the notion of stir fry? I wanted a dish that was inspired and bursting with new flavors. I wanted to enter uncharted territory.
On the pro tip of a whole food, plant-based, muscle hunk account, I tried swapping out oil with low-sodium-veg-broth. Then came the day I saw a 32-ounce bag of frozen Broccoli Florets Organic by our patchy 365 by Whole Food Market (WFM). Broccoli florets are my greatest love of all. When I politely request to add broccoli to my stir fry at a restaurant, I’m dreaming of a minimum of 50-60 florets instead of the measly five to six I inevitably get. I want the chef to take that big bag of baby flors and make. It. Rain.
The final preparation for hot salad is as follows: coat your cast iron as liberally as possible with those aforementioned florets and sprinkle in your other favorite frozen veggies. Personally, I can’t resist frozen WFM Mushrooms Mixed Organic in the 10-ounce bag. Add in your tofu, and imbue with the low-sodium-veg-broth. Garlic powder. Sriracha. Red pepper flakes. A touch of nutritional yeast. Cover that shit up, let it boil for a good 5 minutes. Strain. Serve – literally, serve this vegan, low-cal creation like it’s the greatest thing since cold salad because it is. Full flavor. Easy on the eyes and nourishing those thighs.
And now, just what did I do to clench that proverbial vegan Klondike Bar? DM me a pic of your hot salad and we’ll talk.
The verdict: Chip off the old broc win.
Name drops: Broccoli Florets Organic 365 by WFM and WFM Mushrooms Mixed Organic
A special thank you to this week’s illustrator, Sergey Isakov5! See his work here.
Let us know what’s going down your gullet! Drop us a note at putitinthegullet@gmail.com
Garlic aioli is a cornerstone of The Gullet brand. Lady Delish’s sweet nectar.
Chopped romaine, sweet potatoes, pickled red onions, roasted chicken, avocado, corn mix, salt + pepper, and spicy cashew dressing.
Another cornerstone of the brand.
Zach Laks is a travel writer and editor based in New York. He can and will travel the world for roller coasters, frozen yogurt, and the perfect vegan meal. Zach was also once a Just Salad VIP Black Bowl holder.
Sergey Isakov is an illustrator and visual artist with a background in design. He graduated with honors from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in 2019. Born in Azerbaijan and currently based in Israel, his primary focus is on the editorial market. However, he also works on commercial, animation, and advertising projects.
Sergey loves using strong compositions and playing with scale and perspective, utilizing bold colors and ideas. His work ranges from minimal to intricate compositions, incorporating texture and small elements to create print-like works that evoke a sense of playfulness, wonder, and mystery.
In his spare time, he loves running, traveling, and hiking for long distances.