SALAD BOWL (JUST A SNIPPET)
This isn’t really a review. It’s just a story of a good way for an eatery, especially a new one, to do business. I wanted to give the new-ish Salad Bowl in Beverly Hills props for honesty.
A pal of mine had spotted a couple of write-ups on the internet about a promo this place was featuring, erroneously listing the dates for them as “Friday-Sunday.” She really wanted to go, so we showed-up there at the announced time of 6-8PM on Sunday evening. Well, of course it wasn’t even open! Mr. X would laugh because he says that everywhere I choose to go unannounced, the place is either not open at that time, or shuttered permanently!
Trust me, this was absolutely no biggie, but my pal wanted Salad Bowl to explain. She called a couple of times, but could not catch the manager in. Just to show her how it’s done, although I’m way too busy to care about a salad, I decided to call for her, without identifying myself as a restaurant critic.
I got Krista, the manager, told her our story, and asked what was up with them. She explained that the websites (Huffington Post and the Daily Thread, btw, both of which should know enough to thoroughly check the info they print) had the dates completely wrong. The promo had been running on the week-days, and ended on Friday, not beginning then. And they’re not even open on Saturday nights and Sunday!
So this was totally not the fault of the Salad Bowl, but rather of the unreliable websites. I asked if they’d honor their promo anyway, and to my shock, she said yes! I honestly couldn’t believe it. I was fully entrenched in my writing, was having a big issue with a demanding PR person at the time, and was definitely not even thinking of leaving the house. (Plus, it was that recent hottest day ever.) But, with my friend chomping at the bit to try the place, I threw on a cap and sunglasses, and we ran over there.
It was really too hot to eat even a salad, and I was distracted because of all the work awaiting me, but the little I ate seemed good. And the fixings they feature looked fresh and colorful. My posse and I will try to get over there to do a real review one of these days, but in the meantime, I just wanted you to know about a new establishment that is trustworthy in their business. That’s pretty rare in my experiences, so kudos to Krista.
350 N. Canon Drive Beverly Hills 310-858-8432 www.saladbowlcafe.com