Sweetgreen Brings Its A+ Salads To The Upper West Side
Fantastic news for Upper West Side residents who like to eat good things: Sweetgreen, the excellent salad "fast-food" chain just opened last week at 311 Amsterdam Avenue, on the corner of 75th Street. This is the sixth Sweetgreen location in New York City (there are nearly 30 more in places less interesting than here, mostly in the Washington DC area, where the burgeoning empire began in 2007) and, if we're lucky, they'll just keep coming… which is something I though I'd never say about a chain, but here we are. If you live (or work… it's PACKED at lunchtime) near any of these, you understand; and if you're an Upper West Sider who's never eaten these fresh, tasty, satisfying delights, well, prepare to stop in here and grab a quick meal about once a week
Why Is Sweetgreen So Much Better Than Other Salad Spots?
You're bored of Just Salad that just opened a few block from here, and not impressed with the Chop't that's coming soon right across the street, right? It's not that those other places are bad, but still, Sweetgreen definitely makes the superior salad, maybe because I always get one of their suggested mixes, rather than winging it with a choose-your-own-adventure order. The balance of ingredients and flavors and textures in their "dishes", from the Avocabbo (their take on the classic Cobb) to the Kale Caesar (ditto, the Caesar) to the Wild Child Grain bowl, is consistently well thought-out and prepared in front of you with care. A note on the servers: the young men and women working behind the counter at each of the Sweetgreens that I've been have unfailingly friendly, helpful, and patient, no matter how long the line is, which can be long indeed.
What To Order and Eat at Sweetgreen
Anyway, the brand-new Upper West Side Sweetgreen is wonderfully spacious, with both a large ordering area (most people get take-out in the evening it seems, grabbing dinner on the way home from work) and a separate dining room for those of us eating in. I've had most of the salads on the menu at this point, but last week at the new place I tried the Rad Thai (always a surprise how generous they are with the tender, plump citrus shrimps; and the spicy cashew dressing is genuinely attention-getting) and the November special, Thanksgiving-themed obviously, a Roasted Turkey and Brussels Sprouts number that benefited greatly from the chunks of sweet potatoes and the acid hit of the cranberry vinaigrette. Great stuff. This will almost certainly be a big neighborhood hit, for lunch and dinner.
For Menu and More Information on Sweetgreen
The new UWS Sweetgreen is located at 311 Amsterdam Avenue at the corner of 75th Street, and is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Other New York City Sweetgreen restaurants are up near Columbia, in Williamsburg, Tribeca, Nolita, and NoMad.
Posted in manhattan living, NYC Dining, Westside |
