Cuisine Scene: Scrumptious Salads
After a period of indulgence sometimes nothing sounds better than the crunch of a salad, with its satisfying mix of clean ingredients. Here are some great salads from around Long Beach, showcasing veggies and cuisines from around the world.
MANAOW
Local Thai restaurant Manaow (3618 E Broadway) specializes in street food from Bangkok, blending salty, savory, and tangy flavors with addicting results. The papaya salad features green papaya, carrots, toasted peanuts, tomatoes, and green beans with a dressing that blends fish sauce, garlic, fresh chili, and lime juice–a perfect sidekick to the fried pork belly or stuffed crispy chicken wings.
SEABIRDS KITCHEN
It seems only logical that a vegan restaurant would get salad right, and the warm cauliflower salad at Seabirds Kitchen (975 E 4th St) is a complex and hearty dish with unexpected flavors. With a base of shaved brussels sprouts and arugula, it mixes in grilled tofu for substance alongside the cauliflower, with fried dates for sweetness and crushed garlic croutons and hazelnuts for crunch. Look for bright strips of chopped chiles that amp up the heat and tie all the flavors together.
PLAYA AMOR
The Playa Chop Salad at Playa Amor (6527 E Pacific Coast Hwy) celebrates ingredients used in Mexican cooking, with the perfect blend of salty, savory, crunchy, and sweet. A base of mixed greens is topped with cabbage, corn, red onion, garbanzo and kidney beans, carrots, cotija cheese, tomato, and pumpkin seeds, finished with a creamy dressing and tortilla strips. Add grilled chicken if you like.
LACQUERED
Lacquered (3632 E Broadway) is famous for its fried chicken, but the chef is also inspired by seasonal produce. Ingredients in the restaurant’s Super Food salad change with the seasons, but it usually includes fresh greens, herbs, a medley of vegetables, as well as flax, hemp seeds, and toasted nuts for even more nutrition. A recent variation included arugula, yellow chives, and marinated gigante beans.
PITA PITAKI
It could be said that the Greeks are the experts at acidity in cooking, with fresh lemon juice, briny kalamata olives, and vinegar lacing many Greek dishes, especially salads. Pita Pitaki (3401 Cherry Ave) is a family owned Greek restaurant in California Heights that locals rave about. If you crave a classic Greek salad, you can get one here, but try the “Roka,” with baby arugula, sesame seeds, dried figs, walnuts, and graviera cheese for a sweeter taste of Greece.
