JUICE & BEYOND
Verde offers variety of tasty, healthy veggie-based fare
Not long after Verde opened, with its signature juices composed of various combinations of veggies, fruits and seeds, I bought several to help provide liquid sustenance while I recovered from dental surgery. They were tasty and nutritious, but the $10-per-bottle cost caused me to shy away from being a regular customer.
Ever since I heard that food service had started at the outlet, though, I had been meaning to give it a try. After recently returning from a week away from home, I thought it was a good time to get some quick meals through Verde’s grab-and-go menu.
Now, it’s understood that food sitting in refrigeration after being prepared ahead of time is rarely going to taste as good as something prepared on the spot for your plate. My experience with a couple of offerings at Verde was mixed.
The Santa Fe sweet potato wrap (half $4.50) included a lot of ingredients I favor but didn’t add up in a way that met my expectations. The roasted sweet potato and Anasazi beans sitting in a whole wheat tortilla tasted OK but had a rather unpleasant mushy texture overall. Although green chile was on the ingredients list, I didn’t taste it. I did enjoy the occasional zest from the avocado-lime sauce and wished it were more pronounced.
Another offering, the coconut hummus and veggies sandwich (half $4.50) surprised me by being tastier than I expected. The whole-grain bread held up well to its ingredients, maintaining its sturdy substance. The vegetable filling included lettuce, spinach, cucumber, carrots and sunflower sprouts, many of which offered a satisfying crunch. I’m not a particular fan of cucumbers, but these were sliced thinly and did not overwhelm the palate. The avocado-coconut hummus and a pineapple-mint dressing added a tasty counterpoint.
In both cases, the half-sandwiches were filling enough for a meal. I supplemented both with the Spicy Sunrise drink (12 oz. $6.95), whose cayenne pepper made 6 ounces sufficient for each half-sandwich.
Later that week, I joined a friend to sample Verde’s dine-in menu. The small dining area is bright and welcoming, with a clean and fresh ambiance. Our waitress was cheery, and she was helpful in explaining ingredients and tastes.
I was intrigued by the turmeric broccoli salad ($6.45), which more than met my expectations. The diced broccoli carried no hint of the bitterness that sometimes can afflict that vegetable — neither did the turmeric-cashew dressing. The broccoli’s sweetness was enhanced by tiny dried currants sprinkled through the salad, and seasoned walnuts added an earthy complement. I could easily develop a craving for this salad.
My friend decided to try the curry chicken salad with greens ($10.50), which was more of a mixed bag. This is another example of a dish in which the taste was OK but the texture was somewhat offputting. Combining the chicken with roasted cauliflower into a scoopable salad made the whole thing kind of mushy and stuck-together. Not quite what most people would expect when ordering chicken salad.
The bed of greens, though, was nicely fresh. My friend also ordered the Tropical Bliss (9 oz. $4.50) to drink — and while its minty sweet taste was delightful, it didn’t mix well with the curried cashew dressing for the salad.
That’s something to keep in mind if you order a fruit/veggie drink with your meal — consider how the tastes might mix. My milder Green Goddess (9 oz. $5.25), Verde’s most popular juice blend, did not clash with my salad.
We both were enamored of the hearty seeded crispbread served with our meals and were pleased to learn that although it isn’t made in-house, it is among the packaged offerings for sale in the store.
Overall, if you’re looking for healthy, nutritious, veggie-based food, it’s worth stopping by Verde and seeing what appeals to you. Besides the San Mateo Street location where we went, Verde also has a location at 105 E. Marcy St.