Steak Roti Salad

DAY 14: ROTI MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

I try not to go back to the same place in any given month, but sometimes the reason to return is too great to ignore. Like today, for example. The nice folks from Roti recently deposited an extra 100 bonus points in my rewards account, which meant I had acquired the 300 points required to cash in on the June Free Salad special. So to Roti I went.

Steak Roti Salad from Roti

I decided to make a Steak Roti Salad featuring Roti's signature steak, which I'd actually never tried before despite having eaten at Roti very regularly for several years. It's an aged choice sirloin that's been marinated in a very flavorful blend of spices. To that, I added cous-cous, hummus, roasted vegetables, tomato and cucumber salad, and feta, which is one of my most loved salad cheeses. Roti's homemade roasted pepper aoli, which is my favorite Roti sauce, served as the dressing. And I had a piece of pita bread on the side.

Like the Chicken Kabob Salad that I had last week, this salad explodes with flavor. The generous heap of spiced steak is very tender, and the rich red pepper aoli compliments the meat with a nice kick. The roasted vegetables, which include carrots, green peppers, broccoli and onions, also add a lot of flavor due, I'm guessing, to a marinade. The cous-cous dotted with currants adds a layer of mild sweetness, while the chilled tomato and cucumber salad cools the heat from the aoli and provides some crunch. The smooth, creamy, garlic-laden hummus rounds out this salad. You can eat it with the meat and other ingredients, or eat it with the warm pita bread. I did a little of each.

The only downside to this salad is that the steak contains 213 calories compared to the chicken kabob, which only contains 127. In an effort to stick close to my 500 calorie maximum, I trimmed out the kalamata olives, which I usually add to my Roti salads, and I didn't clean my plate. I didn't feel the need to, though. It was a lot of food, and it was very satisfying. It tied me over until a picnic dinner, which didn't get served until after 7pm.



Roti's online nutrition calculator

Now I'm already thinking about my next Roti concoction. Will it be the chicken roti with vinaigrette dressing? Or maybe a vegetarian felafel salad with tahini? Stay tuned. For sure, I'll be back soon enough.

ITEM
Chicken Kabob Salad

EATERY
Roti Mediterranean Grill, 10 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606

MENU DESCRIPTION
Make your own salad with house-baked pita. Choose one: naturally raised FreeBird chicken roti, aged choice sirloin steak roti (add $1), naturally raised FreeBird chicken breast chicken kabob, felafel made with organic chickpeas or marinated, fresh roasted vegetables. Add unlimited sides and toppings: tomato & cucumber salad, cous-cous, red cabbage slaw, Spanish eggplant, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, olives and sumac onions. Pick your sauce(s): dill/yogurt/cucumber (mild), tahini (mild), red pepper aoli (medium), s’hug (spicy) or Roti vinaigrette.

CALORIES
668 (565 for salad + 103 for pita)

COST

FREE!

RECOMMEND

Definitely