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| - This is the kind of salad/soup/sandwich place I've been hoping Charlotte would get. It's stylish, clean, and it's got a well laid-out menu board with plenty of options, so there's bound to be something everyone likes.
CS is located in the food court of South Park Mall, in the old Blynk Organic spot, right as you enter the food court from the parking lot. They opened in February, right around Valentine's Day. The line moves quickly and when I went yesterday, it was packed. The folks working behind the counter were very friendly and quick to offer up their favorites and popular menu items.
Kind of like Crisp, you've got gourmet salads, or you can create your own. Prices wise, the gourmet salads range from $6 for a classic caesar, to $9.50 for the tilapia, which I had, and was really yummy. (Parmesan crusted tilapia, warm on carrots, edamame, bail and spring mix w/sesame ginger dressing.) My only improvement would be to cook the fish less. The edges were just a bit too crisp/tough, but the center was moist and flavorful.
My dining partner had the BBQ Santa Fe salad, which was excellent too-- chicken and corn, black beans, cilantro, cheese and tortilla strips. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but put together well and very fresh.
TIP: The salads are put into nice lightweight plastic bowls with lids, so even though the salads aren't as gargantuan and Crisp, in case you want to take it home, the container is convenient. (Seriously, this is important! Sometimes salad boxes leak and seep through.)
We also had one of the soups of the day, a crab corn chowder, which was excellent, and frankly, could have been served at Upstream in a fancy bowl and nobody would have looked twice.
You can also get wraps, flatbreads and kids items (mmm, Nutella and berry wrap!), along with side items that are a bit more unique than at say, Subway, and more on-par with Au Bon Pain. Think, Ms. Vicky's chips, baked chips, and those little hummus containers with flat pretzel chips.
You'll pay less here than at Dean and Deluca (and honestly, they have most of the same salad items here...maybe even more when you count the different proteins, like teriyaki chicken and pork tenderloin) and won't be overwhelmed with salad like at Crisp. (Though, don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Crisp.)
Can't wait to try out some more items!
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