Greek Salad at Taziki's

Among the many choices of salads available in central Arkansas restaurants, these are among our favorites.

Fresh Mozzarella Salad at Copper Grill: I order this so often at Copper that most of the servers know what I want: Creamy fresh mozzarella cheese alternated with slice of honest-tasting tomatoes on a bed of mixed baby lettuces and crumbled feta cheese. It comes with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. You might want to get the dressing on the side because the salad is so tasty you won't need much help from the dressing. It's especially satisfying when enjoyed with Copper's warm rustic rolls. 

Greek Salad at Taziki's: A crisp, colorful mix of lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, red onions, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, fresh feta cheese and lemony Greek dressing served with a couple wedges of grilled pita bread. It's a meal in itself, but if you need more, top it off with marinated and grilled chicken breast ($6.95), grilled lamb ($7.95), grilled tiger shrimp  ($8.95), grilled tilapia ($8.75) or lean oven-roasted turkey ($6.95).

Seared Tuna Salad at Boscos. This grown-up salad offers sushi-grade tune just barely seared (the first time I ordered it I almost sent it back until I found out how delicious it is) with mesclun greens tossed in a zippy sesame ginger vinaigrette and served with red peppers, pickled ginger and wasabi.

Mom's Shrimp Salad at Faded Rose: A simple, refreshing combination of chilled shrimp, icebeg lettuce, bell pepper, onion, celery and tomato. It comes drenched in the Faded Rose's signature buttermilk dressing but I prefer to get the dressing on the side, just to taste it, then douse the salad with sweet, mellow Pickapeppa sauce instead.  

One-trip Salad Bar at Downtown Deli: You can assemble an outstanding salad for lunch (eat in or to go) from the many ingredients offered on Downtown Deli's tidily maintained salad bar. I start with fresh spinach and pile on from there. Choices include broccoli, cauliflower, hardboiled eggs, baby carrots, green peppers, mixed lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, olives, pasta salad, three-bean salad, shredded cheese, pickled okra, raisins, nuts, and much more. There are several dressings (including a low-fat ranch) along with toasted slices of French bread and all kinds of crackers.