She Ate

I’m a sucker for a good salad — something really special, with fresh, crunchy vegetables; little treats like candied nuts, dried cranberries or goat cheese croquettes; a nicely seasoned, generally grilled protein; and a dressing that has the right balance of creaminess, bite and whatever else I need to round out the dish.

These salads are somewhat difficult to find at restaurants, and instead of putting the waitstaff through a battery of questions beginning with what kind of greens make up the salad base, I normally choose to make them myself. However, a few years ago, Mr. She Ate and I were tipped off to the sirloin Cobb salad at Jimmy’s Pub ($22), and ever since, it’s been a trusty card in our back pockets when we want something that isn’t completely indulgent but is still tasty and we don’t have time to prepare it. It satisfies every requirement I listed above, and we love it.

In this busy season of evening county commission meetings, golf leagues and youth sports, it’s difficult to find time to eat in a restaurant as a family, and takeout rules. With that in mind, I went to Jimmy’s Pub’s website to use the online ordering tool, with which I’ve been pleased. When I opened the tool, I saw a grilled chicken Cobb salad ($16.50) and had to have it. The chicken Cobb isn’t on the menu, and it never occurred to me to sub out the sirloin, but it was worth a try. I realized I like the richness the steak brings to the dish, although it’s certainly gilding the lily in a salad that boasts bacon, blue cheese, avocado and hard-boiled egg. In any event, if you like Cobb salads, this one is worth a try.

Mr. She Ate tried the Italian grinder ($14), minus mushrooms, olives and tomatoes (I know). He liked it well enough, although he said it was unremarkable. He always chooses a tater-tot upgrade when it’s an option, and this was no exception. The children liked the tots, too — they must have been a perfect complement to the copious amounts of watermelon and shredded cheese consumed regularly in my house.

On a follow-up visit, we started with the Lebanese breadsticks ($8). These have long been a favorite of mine. Pita bread is cut into strips and fried, and if you’ve ever wondered how many pieces of bread you can eat when they’re presented to you differently than usual, the answer is a lot more than you’re expecting if you’re like me. I ordered a chicken quesadilla ($13) for the kiddos, having paid zero attention to the menu description and the fact that there were jalapenos inside. I told them to eat the darn thing or they weren’t getting any ice cream, but then Mr. She Ate tried a bite and wondered why I was torturing our children.

I went for the chicken-veggie pita ($13), which was milquetoast. I wanted something more Mediterranean-leaning, with red onion and tzatziki. Mr. She Ate had the turkey Reuben ($13), which satisfied him but didn’t overtake the sirloin Cobb as our favorite Jimmy’s order.

I remember when Jimmy’s moved to its current location and made the risky business decision to become smoke-free. It’s so strange now to think of what a gamble that was before smoking was mercifully banned in public places across the state. Kudos to Jimmy’s for being ahead of the curve, and for consistently churning out my favorite salad in town.