Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Distance: 4

Taste: 5

Price: 4

Step through ProntoFresh’s door and bright splashes of color from the walls and counter – painted vibrant red, orange and green – gleam inside the caf.

‘I wanted this place to look like a salad,’ said owner Mark Bullis with a twinkle in his eye. ‘A big, bright, cool garden salad.’

Only 12 weeks old, the restaurant is still in its incubation phase. With a long bar of toppings for custom concoctions and a menu listing 14 other tasty salad options and sandwiches, ProntoFresh provides a variety wide enough to keep any avid salad consumer coming back for more. My dining partner and I ordered a crispy buffalo chicken salad paired with an herb roasted turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread.

‘There are other salad places in Syracuse, meaning that there are other places that serve a salad portion,’ Bullis said.  ‘But this is really the only salad restaurant.’

While we waited for our meal, the employees smiled and laughed with each other and the other customers. The whole place carried an infectiously fresh, cheerful feel.

Our salad arrived first. It was piled high with banana peppers, crumbled bleu cheese, colorful tortilla strips and crispy buffalo chicken. The zesty ranch dressing mixed into the fresh greens blended with the buffalo sauce, creating a spicy tang. The tortilla strips added a crunch more satisfying and delicious than the typical crouton.

I’ve wolfed down my fair share of buffalo chicken in the past, but these chunks stood out as particularly tasty. The caf expertly mastered the meat-to-crisp ratio. I felt like I had just experienced salad enlightenment, a divine revelation from the god of leafy greens.

Then our turkey sandwich arrived. It contained apple slices and cranberry mayonnaise. Although I’m usually extremely wary of mixing fruit with meat, I’m glad I took the plunge. 

The soft, thick slices of turkey complimented the snap of the crisp green apple, while the mayonnaise added a sweet but subtle flavor. Ripping through the thick ciabatta unleashed its hearty freshness. The diverse elements in the sandwich meshed into one cohesive and exceptional meal. Each bite reminded me of a warm spring day.

Although ProntoFresh currently only serves up quick, tasty food on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bullis said he plans on extending hours in the future. Here’s an insider’s secret: Even though it’s not yet on the menu, you can order the exotic Banh mi. This Vietnamese sandwich features pork, pickled carrots and cilantro.

Too full to finish our entire salad halves, my partner and I left with round to-go containers. Bullis divulged that ProntoFresh’s Reuse Reward would grant one free salad topping if we brought back the plastic vessels for our next purchase. Environmental awareness coupled with free swag sounds pretty good.

As I marched out the door, the cluster of tables out front caught my eye. With the weather promising to heat up again soon, ProntoFresh offers a perfect spot to enjoy a delicious meal that you likely won’t find anywhere else. 

jidonfro@syr.edu

Published on April 3, 2012 at 12:00 pm