The Fork

We’re Getting There!

OK, we're going to get to the humanely-treated elephant in the room in just a sec (vis-a-vis, veganism), but before we do we just wanted to see how everyone's doing. So. How are you guys? Doing good? Personally, we're winding down from that time of the year wherein the holidays are over but we're still eating all the time because our bodies got used to it. We made no weight-loss resolutions, so … yeah. But while we're at it, we started thinking about potential salads we might eat and then decide we'd been good enough for a treat. Here are some of our favorites around town:

Palacio Café
209 E Palace Ave., 989-3505
The pear salad at Palacio will set you back $9 and comes crammed with field greens, sliced pear and candied pecans. We ask for it without blue cheese because, we don't care what you say, that stuff is gross. We bring this one up because it has so many pears you're bound to say something like, "Damn. That's a lot of pears."

Violet Crown Cinema
1606 Alcaldesa St., 216-5678
It's possible we've mentioned VC's Yucatan salad ($10) before, but it bears repeating what with its crisp jicama, juicy orange and pineapple slices and mini corn tortilla quesadilla. Y'heard us—quesadilla. In a salad. You win.

Cleopatra Café
418 Cerrillos Road (in the Design Center), 820-7381; 3842 Zafarano Drive, 474-5644
In the old days, one had to travel downtown for Cleopatra's Mediterranean fare, but with a Southside location (that we know has been there for years, so don't send us letters—we know!), you won't have to go far for the Egyptian salad ($6.50-$7.50). It's a simple one, with Romaine and onion, tomato and garbanzo beans, but the Egyptian dressing (which presumably has, like, some pretty good stuff in there) really sells this thing. Do it. Do it now.

So where do you go for salads? As always, we want your tips, especially if we're ever gonna ditch meat.

Also

Last week Digital Services Manager Brianna Kirkland said she'd be back with more healthy-eating tips, so here she is with some lunchtime ideas …

Speaking of salads, maybe you'd rather bring your from home but are looking for a little inspiration. It can get easy to get into the same green salad rut, but salads don't have to be boring. Or maybe you're dealing with decision fatigue at the salad bar and end up spending $17 on lunch. Either way, here's a couple of guides to finding the perfect combo of ingredients to keep you coming back for more.

– Ok, you're bringing your salad to work from home, but what are you going to put it in? Sure, you could throw it in any old plastic container, but might I recommend a specialty salad container? I really love this one by Sistema; it keeps everything separated so you won't end up with soggy lettuce. Another tactic is to build your salad in a mason jar. Pinterest is full of ideas here, and I really love the make-ahead quality of this approach. Are any of you folks doing this? What are your mason jar salad tips?

– I've always been frustrated with buying lettuce or salad mix that I could never finish before it went bad. I'd prefer to make one big salad and use all the greens up at once, but I can't eat that much salad either. So, I had this idea to start a salad club at work with a few like-minded individuals. That way we could pitch in for the cost of ingredients, and share a nice meal together. This didn't really take off initially, but maybe it's time to bring this idea back. What do you think, Fork readers? Will any of you be joining forces with your coworkers to support your healthy eating aspirations?

More Tidbits

-We heard tell of a San Antonio food writer who who ate over 1300 tacos in his hometown in a quest to be the dude who knows the most about San Antonio tacos. Mike Sutter didn't even let a cancer diagnosis stop him from taco-ing it up. That's dedication.

-Dunkin' Donuts, that letter-G-hating fast donut eatery we've all known and tolerated since the 1950s, announced it would cut its food and drink offerings down by 10 percent this year, starting in the Northeast now-ish and spiraling out across the country by March. Bad news for people from New Jersey who somehow think their coffee is amazing, just plain regular news for everyone else.

-That Chick-fil-A that's being built in College Plaza (2010 Cerrillos Road) is closer than ever, though we still miss the aptly-named Asian Restaurant (it was quite literally called Asian Restaurant and had killer crab rangoon) that once lived there. Also, like many of you, we still haven't forgotten the time CEO Dan Cathy got a little too weird about the biblical definition of family, so we probably won't go. Still, according to a 2017 QSR Magazine report, Chick-fil-A was the third most lucrative fast food joint in all the land. Yikes.

-We're trying to help out a Fork reader who wonders what happened to Chris's Café. A carwash now occupies the location at 3568 Cerrillos Road, but Helena loved their breakfasts and lunches. Have info? Let us know.

-Albuquerque wine champion Tim Gaiser recently achieved the level of Master Sommelier, an honor bestowed upon a mere 246 people on the planet. Hats off, Tim! SFR has ourselves a sommelier as well who writes about wine, though she hasn't quite hit master just yet. She will, though … she will.

-Speaking of New Mexico and booze, the New Mexico Brewer's Guild's seventh annual WinterBrew is a-comin' and is just what the doctor ordered (if your doctor is super into beer). Eighteen New Mexico breweries take part, including local faves like Second Street and Santa Fe Brewing, and you're reaping all the benefits. Also, here's a link to download Uber to your phone: Boom.

Finally

The outpouring of friendly "you should totally go vegan!" advice was overwhelming, y'all, and The Fork thanks you. Thus far, red meat and pork are both out of the diet, but the cheese remains the same (pizza is amazing!).