Greenz, Dallas

Though Casie Caldwell loved posh restaurant salads, she couldn’t afford to eat them on a regular basis. And casual salad bars, though inexpensive, were too often stocked with limp iceberg lettuce and tasteless tomatoes. Frustrated by this state of affairs, Casie quit her corporate job and opened Greenz, where she filled reasonably priced salads with gourmet ingredients such as brie, portobello mushrooms, and daikon. Her hard work quickly paid off; Greenz’s tasty, healthy food drew a wealth of media attention from the likes of WFAA’s Good Morning Texas, the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Business Journal, and Examiner.com. Soon, Casie was launching additional Greenz locations across the state.

Although their menus vary slightly, each of these spots draws diners in with fresh ingredients in creative combinations. Goat cheese and crumbled bacon rest on foundations of mesclun greens, baby spinach, and chopped romaine. Hawaiian influences come out in a salad topped with pineapple and seared ahi tuna, and Asian flavors yield a medley of panko-breaded shrimp, daikon, and wasabi peas. Diners can also design their own salads or transform them into wraps that, like babies born during a blanket shortage, are snugly swaddled in tortillas. The menu also extends to meatier options, such as a barbecued-pork sandwich or the turkey-chili soup featured on CBS DFW’s list of the Best Bread Bowls in DFW.