Silver Lake: BOMB! Salads at the Farmers’ Market

UPDATE: BOMB! Salads is now BOMB! Foods, but you can still find them in the Silver Lake Farmers’ Market.

When Rowan Moore Gerety wrote me, he had two questions: a.) had I tried Tacos La Fonda in Glassel Park and b.) did I know about his salad stall at the Silver Lake Farmers’ Market. The answer to both questions was no, but I was easily lured by his description of BOMB! Salads—fresh salads made to order with produce purchased on the spot.

Sign me up.

Every Saturday until 2pm, Gerety and his business partner, Jesse, (who’s taking over while Gerety is away on assignment in Mozambique) whip up salads, soups and mashed potatoes from scratch. The menu and ingredients change depending on what’s in available at the market. On my visit, I tried two salads: one with chopped broccoli, julienned apples and cilantro (pictured above) and another with curly kale, gold beet, dandelion and cucumbers. Both were really delicious with a light dressing of sunflower with lemon and yellow mustard on the kale and green pea and peppercorn on the broccoli salad. The crunch factor of both salads (super fresh!) was a plus, and the plate-sized portions were a fair deal for $6.

The high point for me were the mashed potatoes, made the moment I ordered them. The chunky texture was accented by smooth goat cheese, a hint of port wine and a very unexpected addition of strawberries. Sounds odd, but it totally worked. I would have liked to try the roasted tomato, bok choy and sage soup, but they were all out. That’s what I get for arriving at 1:30. To make up for it, I was given a taste of their Lemon Ginger Spritzer, a really refreshing drink for which I would have gladly paid $2.50.

Rowan and Jesse have big plans for BOMB! Salads, including an expansion to more farmers’ markets across town. Their simple concept is a great one, and I hope it blows up. Pun intended.

-Valentina

BOMB! Salads
Silver Lake Farmers’ Maket
3700 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, 90189