Greens Up Salads !

Greens Up Salads opened up a few months ago. It is located on Sawtelle Blvd, just North of Olympic Blvd (opposite The Curry House).

Like the Sawtelle Kitchen, Greens Up is somewhere I eat regularly, because of the consistency of the high quality and value for money.  I usually head over here alone, during a busy work day and just grab a salad, but today I was accompanied by  my great pals Diane and Kimberly. (Yes, the very same Kimberly that I dragged took to Sawtelle Kitchen).

The interior is, as you might imagine, green.  Simply, but brightly decorated with veggie-related artwork, it is very small, but comfortable.  The owner and chef, Robert, has a regular clientele and he greets each of us by name. It's a bit like walking into the bar "Cheers", only my name is not Norm, and it is full of salad, not alcohol.

Greens Up has a selection of salads that you can order, for example the "Sawtelle", the "California", the "Thai Salad".  Alternatively,  Robert will make your own salad for you, based on the simple instructions posted on the wall.

The dressings are outstanding, particularly the tropical ginger and my personal favorite, the thai peanut.  On this particular occasion, I went with the special, which was a Chicken Salad.  Robert recommended the tangy apple dressing, but I went with the tropical ginger.  The chicken salad was absolutely delicious, and was topped with tomatoes, and slivered almonds.

Diane chose the "California" and chose the Balsamic dressing.  the California has romaine, spring mix, roasted turkey, red grapes, orange segments, honey-roasted walnuts, fresh mozzarella. If you look closely you can see Diane's arms in this picture (I'm just a beginner, what can I say).

Kimberly chose the "Sawtelle" but substituted the pine nuts instead of the almonds. She also wanted the artichoke hearts instead of dates, but Robert put the dates in anyway, which Kimberly maintained added a nice sweetness to the salad, and complimented the overall flavor of the salad.

One of the nice "touches" in Greens Up Salad is the music. Robert plays the music of artists or bands that are unsigned - you never know right?

Value for money.  Generally speaking, I would not pay almost $10 for a salad, but with Greens Up I will.  The salads are huge and delicious, and if you work in the area, like I do, if you can't finish the salad in one sitting, you can put the leftovers into the office refrigerator and assuming a co-worker doesn't steal it take it home with you.

The young lady that works with Robert, who operates the cash register, and will also fill in for him in preparing the salads is delightful, helpful, and always friendly. Overall, I give Greens Up 9/10.  I took away one point because as Kimberly pointed out, they are putting less pita bread slices in the salad these days...