Grey Dog Coffee

In search of a lighter, healthier, dinner one night, we wound up at Grey Dog Coffee, known in the neighborhood for its friendly service and relaxed atmosphere. Upon entering, we were slightly confused, wondering if we should wait to be seated, seat ourselves, or order at the counter. We eventually ordered at the counter, chose our seat, and then the food was served to us. The people watching was great as the crowd was very diverse. Even the servers had their own eccentricities that made the experience unique.

The food is standard fare, including sandwiches, salads, burgers, and breakfasts. We each tried a salad: the Cobb salad, and the seared tuna steak salad. All of the ingredients were very fresh and combined to make a great dinner salad. The portion was big enough to be a satisfying meal. Each was served with a piece of onion focaccia bread. I liked that they automatically served my dressing on the side, and that they would probably have allowed us to sit there all night if we wanted to.

All in all, a great spot for a light meal or a cup of coffee (except I don't like coffee).

Written by V.

Chop't

Chop't is a great salad place V and I came upon while walking around midtown. Essentially this is the Coldstone ice cream equivalent of salad: you choose your ingredients and dressing (or choose from their menu of predesigned salads) and they dump everything out on a cutting board and chop it all, mixing it together. You can then have it served as a traditional salad or a "salad sandwich" where everything is put in a wrap making it easy to eat on the go. We ordered the cobb salad which came with iceberg and romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, avocado, smoked bacon, crumbled egg, crumbled blue cheese, tomato and dijon vinaigrette dressing. This one salad, for $9.45 definitely was enough to serve the two of us. It was delicious, and the fact that it was chopped I think added to that - no big chunks of lettuce sticking out of your mouth, and a nice melding of all the flavors. I'd definitely come back here, but probably not for a meal on my own, as the portion was more than enough for one, and the price is a little high for a weekday lunch.

Starwich

Starwich is a sandwich and salad shop with a few locations around Manhattan. We stopped in for lunch on a Sunday afternoon and were really impressed. It is a casual atmosphere, you order at a counter and they bring your meal to you.

Starwich prides itself on offering its customers ingredients and signature combinations that were formerly reserved for more exclusive, formal restaurants.

I'd say they executed this mission well. We had good food that did seem more fitting for a formal restaurant. V and I each tried a salad, the "Starwich Cobb" and "Black Olive Crusted Seared Tuna." Both were very tasty, and sizable portions (except I had hoped for a larger portion of tuna). My only complaint about the Cobb salad was that the chicken seemed a little dry, but the pieces were large slices from a whole chicken breast, not the tiny chunks you often see on a Cobb salad. Overall the food was good and healthy. I'd go back, but probably not as a regular lunch spot, it was a little pricey: our two salads and sodas ran $28.