By Mark Genovese
New to downtown Saratoga this summer
is Greenhouse Salad, a healthy alternative
to fast food.
“If you’re in a hurry during your lunch
break or trying to find a healthy snack late
at night – which I find extremely tough to
do — then this is your type of spot,” said
Lou Casale Jr., owner of the Railroad Place
establishment.
But Greenhouse Salad offers more than
just picking up a healthy meal. “Customers
have the option to customize exactly how
they want their meal,” Casale said. “They get
to watch it be prepared, chopped up with our
big mezzaluna knife, mixed and tossed with
dressing in a big bowl and served to them
with friendly service and in a timely manner.”
Greenhouse is a family owned and operated
business that believes in character.
“At almost all times, you’ll see a familiar face here because we attribute our success to having close relationships with the customers we serve and keeping them satisfied every time they come in.”
The menu offers more than 10 house “ideas” for salads or wrap creations that they’ve put together over the years, such as their Mexicali wrap of mesculin lettuce, Cajun chicken, Vermont cheddar cheese, green peppers, tomatoes, red onions, avocados, white beans, and corn mixed together with their homemade – as are all of their dressings — jalapeno ranch.
“What’s unique is that any of our ‘ideas’ don’t have to be ordered as listed,” Casale said. “If somebody would like to make a substitution, add, or remove any item it is done to the customer’s order right in front of them.”
They also offer customers the ability to build their own salad or wrap if they want to choose through a list of more than 40 ingredients. Salads and wraps are a healthy size. “The portions are very generous and we love to make sure our customers are fully fed,” Casale said.
Greenhouse has been open since mid-July and employs 15. He said he will hire more as it continues to grow.
The restaurant is located in the new Market Center, a project of Bonacio Construction.
“We asked the Bonacios to please build out the store to give it a similar feel to what our Albany location looks like, yet have its own character that fits Saratoga. They did such a beautiful job with not just the aesthetics of Greenhouse, but were fantastic people to do business with and become friends with throughout the process.”
Casale and his staff have run a similar restaurant in Albany for eight years. He said the first couple of months in Saratoga have been “awesome” for his new business.
“We love the atmosphere, we love the community, and we love how the customers have embraced us,” said Casale. “I can’t tell you how many people have told us how happy they were to have us here or complimented us on how much they love the store and the food. It’s been a fantastic start to what will hopefully be a long relationship with the community.”
The business can be reached at 450-1036. Its website is www.eatgreenhouse.com.