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Do you consider a salad a meal? Me neither. Not a real one, anyway. But the innovative chefs at New Canaan's Filling Station have changed my mind. The newest addition to the Filling Station’s better-than-fast-food menu is the Station Salad, and it isn’t for sissies.
“We have so many wonderful customers who bring their kids in all the time, but who were looking for a lighter option for themselves,” co-owner Nicholas Type explained to me recently. “So we did a ton of research eating salads all over the county,” he laughs. “And what we found is that most of them just aren’t that good. We wanted to do something different, something better. Even the dressing is totally different. It’s our own concoction and you’re not going to find it anywhere else.”
As I drizzled the Station Dressing over my hearty 12 ounce salad, I was already halfway convinced. Rather than a standard bowl of romaine lettuce and two measly cherry tomatoes, the Station Salad is a heaping pile of greens, carrots, radishes, edamame, sunflower seeds, broccoli, corn, tomatoes and red cabbage topped with your choice of a homemade falafel burger or one of their signature beef burgers. And the dressing, a mild, smoky chipotle-style sauce, ties the whole thing together with style.
I told you it wasn’t for sissies.
“There’s enough good stuff in there to make your nutritionist happy,” said Nicholas, in between greeting customers in his customary style, which is usually by name and accompanied by inquiries as to how the rest of the family is doing.
“What are you having today?” He asked a mother of three as she herded her kids inside. “I’m not sure,” she said.
“You should try the new salad,” Nicholas suggested.
“It’s delicious,” I mumbled through my mouthful of insanely good falafel.
“And it’s good for you,” Nicholas tempted.
“I don’t want to be good today,” the woman laughed. “You can’t be good all the time.”
And while I unequivocally agree with her, I will say that this salad is so good, it almost makes you feel like you’re being bad. And that’s a great thing.
What's your bid for the best salad in Fairfield County?
Comments (1)
You can find great pre-purchased falafel called "Falafel Republic" to accompany your salad at Stop and Shop, Stew Leonard's and the BJ's in Stratford.