Venue Review: Crisp 7th Street Cafe

In a month largely devoted to junk food -- from what you'll stuff down while watching college basketball (I'm talking to you, wing nuts) to green beer on St. Paddy's to all that Easter candy -- you need an oasis.

Or at least I do. And Crisp is it.

This bright little contemporary spot at the corner of Seventh and Pecan focuses on salads, with some sandwiches and soups thrown in. But it's the salads that matter.

Walk in and you immediately face decisions, in the form of an attended salad bar. That means after you're graciously greeted, you'll be asked to figure out what you want. Hang back a little, if you're the indecisive sort -- or, even better, just opt for one of the signature salads on your first visit. You can do create-your-own next time.

My favorite to date is the F.C.N.: That's fruit, cheese and nuts, and it combines thinly sliced apple and pear, chunks of blue cheese, Craisins (dried sweetened cranberries), toasted walnuts and a sprightly citrus vinaigrette over mixed greens that are pretty sprightly themselves. The attending salad-maker puts the ingredients -- bite-sized! -- in a big bowl, seasons them with salt and pepper (after checking with you) and really tosses it.

That may not sound impressive, but it is an amazing step forward.

Salad's popularity suffers, I'm convinced, by how impossible places make them to eat. Unwieldy big pieces of stuff laid atop more unwieldy big pieces of stuff, topped with a puddle of dressing (and croutons the size of playing cards), all on a flat plate with no extra room. You can't toss it to evenly distribute dressing; heck, you can barely cut it up to get it into your mouth.

So kudos to Crisp for getting the essentials right.

I also loved the Steakhouse salad: romaine topped by chunks of well-seasoned, grilled-to-order flat-iron steak, with blue cheese bits, red onion, mushrooms and balsamic vinaigrette. All score well -- just leave off that out-of-season "vine-ripened tomato," please.

An Asian salad is about what you'd expect: chicken, mandarin orange, almond, soy-ginger dressing. The Cobb includes smoked bacon and avocado.

Sandwiches make use of some salad combos, like the Steakhouse and Roma (prosciutto, salami, mozzarella), and adds other creations, such as house-roasted turkey with brie and cranberry relish. White and wheat bread, sliced into long slabs, encase them, and you get a little salad on the side. Daily specials, like a pesto shrimp, are offered.

And of course, the make-your-own salad is popular. Choose a green: spring mix, romaine, butter lettuce or spinach. Add five toppings; they range from chickpeas to roasted red peppers. Pick a protein: turkey, grilled chicken, steak or shrimp. Decide on a dressing: eight run the gamut from smoked bacon Russian to buttermilk ranch.

Order at the counter and you get your food handed to you on black plates or in large shallow bowls. Then find a seat: You'll see sleek bright green and black chairs, granite tables in front of a banquette, even a few seats at the tiny bar (with a color-coordinated bunch of Granny Smith apples displayed decoratively).

Owner Jerry McCarthy is from Long Island, where he had a little Italian bistro and a California-style place before that, he says. He decided the fresh/healthy concept was what Charlotte needed. He plans to add dinner soon, along with wine bar offerings and some tapas. Expect pastas and pizzas to join chef David McLuckie's lineup then.