My favorite stories growing up was always the ones associated with food. For example, when I was two, I ate my first salad. I was at a pizza restaurant in Boston and when my dad looked away, I snatched a piece of lettuce from his bowl, dipped it in the dressing and ate it. This started my lifetime obsession with salads. They have always been a present food in my palette. When I heard about Verde, I was immediately interested since salad has been my favorite food for as long as I can remember.

As I walked into Verde on 730 Coleman Blvd., it seemed incredibly clean. Behind the counter were the various lettuces and toppings you can choose from, arranged similarly to a Subway.

You can choose to get a salad with predetermined ingredients or make one yourself. I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of available toppings and lettuces. There were different meats, cheeses, seeds, vegetables — but one thing I did not find was red cabbage. Being my favorite salad topping, this was a disappointment.

Eventually I ordered a DIY salad with a mesclun base and asked them to top it with apples, carrots, cucumbers, croutons and cheddar with a balsamic dressing.

After my salad was prepared, I picked it up and I was surprised. It was HUGE. Salads are not sized at Verde. This as the standard, I was impressed. I had no clue how I was going to finish all of it in a single sitting because there was so much salad.

But I sat outside on the little back porch and ate it all. It was a perfect ratio of lettuce, toppings and dressing.

Verde has a relatively small menu with salads, wraps, a few soups and pressed juices. Deep down, the menu is in actually quite expansive with the available customizations for each salad and wrap.

Although Verde can seem a bit overpriced at $7.35 for a DIY salad or wrap, I think it’s totally worth it as a salad fanatic. The salads contain everything asked for in a salad and make for good leftovers if not finished all at once. If you’re ever in the mood for a salad, go to Verde.