621433 Wed May 20 14:30:41 -0700 2009 15 8 Midwest 0 4701626 Hot summer weather makes me crave large portions of salad. Where can one get a great cobb or chop or whtever at dinner time. Please as a server myself no chains but no price limit either. Wed May 20 14:30:42 -0700 2009 294604 bobnotbob 1 4701698 Recent thread on Cobb salad: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/604813 Wed May 20 14:56:32 -0700 2009 4701626 12826 bob s 2 4701751 thanks Bob..Kafe 421 looks like a winner Wed May 20 15:15:20 -0700 2009 4701698 294604 bobnotbob 1 4706218 I know it's a chain restaurant, but I think Redstone's Rotisserie Chicken Chopped Salad is the best! I just had it again the other night - YUM! Fri May 22 07:27:51 -0700 2009 4701626 229073 Marnatee 2 4743730 For a chain I would say even better is the Wildfire Chopped salad. Huge portion (as requested) of amazingly good salad. Thu Jun 04 18:50:23 -0700 2009 4706218 39075 TDS1 1 4706651 Fireside Steak salad at Bonxai Cafe on university in St. Paul. Great Entree, little spicy, nice citrus and sweet. Definitely as far from a chain as you can get. Fri May 22 09:47:05 -0700 2009 4701626 38964 mitch cumstein 2 4707394 I second the Fireside Steak at Bonxai. It's awesome! Fri May 22 13:59:21 -0700 2009 4706651 220082 midwaygirl 1 4707364 I'm sorry to deviate from your suggestion, but if you haven't had a vietnamese salad (Bun) they are perhaps the best summer food every (IMO). They also definitely fit the bill when it comes to an entree. Fri May 22 13:43:31 -0700 2009 4701626 149048 babaoriley7 1 4707681 I love salads all year long. I have never found the perfect cobb, but I think babaoriley was right in his suggestion to try Bun (vietnamese salads - Saigon on University has great ones without cilantro, but with mint). Another thing to try at Saigon is the grilled pork spring roll - wonderful! (and in the winter, you can't go wrong with their pho!) Another place that is not a chain, but is within a chain, is the Greek salad at the Split Rock Grille in the Raddison (water park) hotel by the airport. They serve it either full or as a starter - I usually get the starter version with a cup of wild rice chicken soup. They make it with a light vinagrette-type dressing. It's got mixed greens - spring, romaine etc., usually grape tomatoes, black olives, feta, shaved carrots and beets, and I forget all else right now...I like it so much I don't remember all the good things about it. They also make a good chicken pizza there. Fri May 22 15:58:44 -0700 2009 4701626 111867 tart1 1 4708273 They are not open for dinner-but I had a great crab cake salad-with deviled eggs inside! at the Good Day Cafe in Golden Valley Fri May 22 21:34:55 -0700 2009 4701626 171426 jenniegirl 1 4709846 Papaya salad. Sweet Basil in Brooklyn Park has a knockout version, and I enjoyed Sen Yai Sen Lek's take as well. Sat May 23 18:57:48 -0700 2009 4701626 263371 kevin47 1 4736796 thanks every one..i`ll try the bonxai one..was there once and enjoyed the place..also huge fan of bun(sp?) at vietnamese places..ho bein on university at lexington is my personal fave..still a good cobb is my dream meal and havent found it yet Tue Jun 02 14:30:56 -0700 2009 4701626 294604 bobnotbob 2 4737739 If price is not an issue, have you checked out Fogo de Chao's huge salad buffet- I suppose you would have to make your own but the stuff would be all sitting in front of you. Tue Jun 02 20:43:48 -0700 2009 4736796 11890 faith 3 4741067 Below is more of a discussion starter than disagreement: By my lights, I'm paying for a salad because I can trust that the chef knows what he or she is doing. Nothing wrong with a salad buffet, but for the price, I'd rather have the chef go through the effort of putting together a recipe that combines those great ingredients. The salad bar at Fogo has a number of solid stand alone options, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make a decent salad. But I think the original post speaks to the fact that the craft of salad construction is a bit underrated. I'm not sure I could make a great salad if you gave me eight great ingredients, much less determine the right eight that would make a great salad. Salad bars require me to play chef. Wed Jun 03 21:17:29 -0700 2009 4737739 263371 kevin47 4 4741115 Well, how about the OP telling us what he really likes in a great cobb, and what he really doesn't like. Really, a cobb is what he asked for and people are telling him to get a vietnamese salad, so I figure if there are high quality avocado, chicken, egg, bacon and lettuce, how hard is it to put your own together? Bring me along and I'll do it for you.... Wed Jun 03 21:43:19 -0700 2009 4741067 11890 faith 1 4742316 This may sound crazy, but I really like the salads at Sally's on the U of M campus. My favorite is a Southwest Chicken, but I remember the Cobb being good, too. It's basically a bar, so not a nice dinner spot. Good for lunch, though, especially if you sit out on the patio. Thu Jun 04 10:12:44 -0700 2009 4701626 220082 midwaygirl