The editor is surrounded by a sea of fresh salad options at Wailana Coffee House.
The time of year has come again for us to embrace a new dawn and commit ourselves to heartfelt goals as we look toward the future. For many of us, that means making a resolution to lead a healthy lifestyle in 2018, starting with a nutritious diet.
What could be better than a big, bold and beautiful salad to get you in the mood for healthy dining? One of my favorite ways to enjoy a nice ol’ plate of greens is to go all out at the all-you-can-eat salad bars around town, which not only allow you to customize the colorful ingredients you want to put away, but also let you come back for as many seconds as you want until you feel satisfied — let’s call it guilt-free indulging!
Plus, the places I’ve picked out have stellar menus to go along with their salad bars — you know, just in case you feel the urge to cheat … just a little bit.
Wailana’s all-you-can-eat salad bar
WAILANA COFFEE HOUSE
When you want breakfast at any odd hour of the day, whether it’s 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., you can head to Wailana Coffee House. But perhaps lesser known is that when you want some healthier bites to accompany your cravings for homestyle diner fare, you can find that too at the 24-hour restaurant, thanks to its fabulous all-you-can-eat salad bar (available 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.).
The selection beams with a number of freshly made cold-salad options, which switch up regularly to keep loyal patrons coming back for more. When Ono, You Know stopped by, the lineup offered a delectable rainbow of creamy broccoli, carrot and raisin salad, bean mix, and pasta salad, just to name a few.
In addition to classic greens with veggies, there’s also a handful of more unique bites on this bar, including Jell-O, regular or li hing-covered pineapple and house-made kimchee.
Wailana’s Catch of the Day highlighting swordfish
True to the comforting nature of Wailana Coffee House, the restaurant knows how to put a homemade touch on its salad bar, as it makes the majority of its own dressings — choose from ranch, blue cheese, French dressing, thousand island and golden Italian (not made in house) — while the croutons are freshly baked, too.
Patrons may choose the salad bar as their side of choice for many entrees at Wailana, including the current Catch of the Day special ($16.75, price subject to change) featuring swordfish topped with mushrooms and tomato. You also can add the salad bar to a sandwich of your choice (add $6.25 to sandwich price), or make a whole meal out of the salad bar alone for $10.45.
RUBY TUESDAY
When you’re looking out over a vast expanse of garden bar options like that of Ruby Tuesday, the possibilities seem endless, and it won’t be long before you’re salivating over each and every fresh bite.
Ruby Tuesday offers tons of tasty toppings for your salad.
Don’t hesitate to dig right in to this “garden of eating,” where you can start with an array of bright greens — romaine, spinach and spring mix, among others. Then, take your pick of diced veggies and throw in some hearty pieces of cheese, ham, edamame and the like. And for a well-rounded touch of sweetness, add some fruit to your healthy creation.
Additional highlights of Ruby Tuesday’s garden bar include the potato salad, and broccoli salad with bacon and cheese that are made in-house every day. And if you haven’t been to one of the restaurant’s four Oahu locations in a while, there are some exciting additions to the garden bar to look forward to: namely pesto pasta, pico de gallo, roasted corn and Parmesan crisps that are a nice alternative to croutons.
Ruby Tuesday’s garden bar
Last, but not least, douse your hand-picked selections in one of eight delightful dressings — the most popular of which are homemade ranch and cilantro lime vinaigrette.
Revel in Ruby Tuesday’s all-you-can-eat garden bar on its own for $14.79; as part of various combos for $15.79; as an add on to menu items for $6.69; or as an upgraded side substitution for $4.99.
And since Ruby Tuesday is a haven for all-American fare, if you’re not ready to be 100 percent healthy yet, don’t miss this month’s special offering, a Half Rack of Ribs and two sides for only $14.99. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.
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