Not Your Average Salad

Easily versatile, fresh with the season and always packed with a textural punch, is there any reason not to love a well-composed salad? We knew the Bay was stocked with culinary talent, but salad geniuses? We couldn’t be-leaf it.

Pear-ed to Perfection

Pizzico Ristorante in Barrington showed us that protein doesn’t always have to be a salad’s main event. Sliced, grilled pears brought their baby spinach salad with raw walnuts, smoky “mind-blowing” Gorgonzola and a maple balsamic vinaigrette to another level. 308 County Road, Barrington. 401-247-0303

Mouthwatering Medley

If you’re a goat cheese lover, you need to try Simone’s flank steak salad, tossed in a housemade goat cheese vinaigrette. Paired with fresh mixed greens and roasted red peppers, Simone’s lightly seasoned salad sat atop slices of savory focaccia. Thin slices of grilled steak incorporated seamlessly into the dishes bold, roasted flavors, so we spent less time cutting and more time noshing. 275 Child Street, Warren. 401-247-1200

The Classic Greek

In Rhea’s Kitchen’s Greek salad, we could taste the freshness of ripe Campari tomatoes, English cucumbers, Kalamata olives and scallions and appreciated its lettuce-less character. Generous amounts of Dodoni feta cheese were balanced with a homemade dressing that didn’t oversaturate the dish. 120 W Main Road, Middletown. 401-841-5560

Getting Cheesy with It

Christian’s, A Wood Fired Grille in Bristol, will get you excited about ricotta cheese, we promise. Their herbed ricotta was paired with fennel pollen, frisee and lemon thyme vinaigrette, and gave us a whole new salad craving. Sweet grapefruit and perfectly cooked beets complemented each other for a nottoo-tart, subtly earthy combination that we felt was expertly prepared. 382 Thames Street, Bristol. 401-396-9811

The Cobb Graduate

Eli's Kitchen's Ward’s Berry Farm Butter Lettuce Salad was topped with lightly salted but not-too-crispy bacon, thinly sliced 4 Town Farm radishes and perfectly hardboiled eggs. The house-made green goddess dressing highlighted the freshness without distracting from their simplicity. 40 Market Street, Warren. 401-245- 1809

Succulent Crustaceans

Melville Grille's Greek-style shrimp salad was a feast for the Mediterranean soul. Mixed greens tossed with vibrant vegetables were the perfect bed for shrimp. We loved the traditional Greek components of this salad; the lemon herb vinaigrette brought the whole dish together. 1 Lagoon Road # 10, Portsmouth. 401-684- 4400