It was a late lunch at the Summit Mall yesterday but I wasn’t in the mood for pizza or a sandwich or Chinese and/or Indian fast food, so I finally gave Chop It a try. This new-ish vendor is located in the corner of the food court and it always seems dark and lonely over there.
The gentleman behind the counter asked if I had dined with them before. I had not and although I did not mention it, I never seen anyone else at the counter either. He enthusiastically proceeded to explain the menu. I don’t think he’d had the chance to do his sales pitch often, but he did it so well, complete with Vanna White gestures, that I clapped when he finished.
I decided on a custom salad. He up-sold me as the large was only $1 more for a container twice the size. There were 4 bases, and I asked for some of each (romaine, spinach, iceberg and arugula). He then added a melon-ball scoop of each thing I requested, including onion, red and green peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, craisins, beets and jalapenos. Avocado and Kalamata olives were extra, and I skipped both. Neither did I add a meat, although salmon was the special of the day. I also passed on cheese, croutons, nuts and other crunchies.
From a long list of dressings, I tried sweet & smoky chipotle vinaigrette, which was a touch too sweet. My salad went from my plastic to-go container into a stainless steel bowl where dressing was liberally added and the salad tossed to coat it all.
One of the soups offered was roasted pepper and gouda. A cup of that was plenty as it was a thick bisque, tart and tasty. Chip and salsa rounded out my order, but they won’t again. The multi-colored chips were fine but the salsa was disappointing, more puree than chunky and without any heat.
When I go back again, and I will, I’ll try a different dressing and ask them to go light on it so there’s no puddle at the bottom of my salad. I’d also try their soup again, should they have one that interests me that day. I might also try a meat, fish or tofu addition.
It’s good to have an alternative to mall pizza and fries.
