Greens and grains with an assortment of toppings, prepared fresh and served quickly, make Vinaigrette a welcome addition to the Teaneck restaurant scene. Jonathan Speiser, owner of Dougie’s, located next door on West Englewood Avenue, saw a need for timely, tasty but healthy meals for the many office and retail workers in the growing area. With his background in upscale food service and catering, he designed the approach and changing seasonal menu. Customers can select from a large variety of suggested salads and grain bowls, or create their own with Vinaigrette’s many toppings, including tuna and salmon. Some of the same ingredients can also be put into a sandwich. To chase away the winter chill, there is always a soup of the day. Vinaigrette has several options for diet restrictions, including gluten-free choices.
Open only a few weeks, Speiser said an early favorite among customers is the Number 5, a grain bowl with cauliflower rice, blackened salmon, avocado, tomato, black beans, corn, roasted peppers and haloumi cheese, served with chipotle Russian dressing. Another popular choice is roasted beet salad with baby arugula, green apple, walnuts and goat cheese. The Asian-influenced Number 4 is requested by many people who have a little more time to relax in Vinaigrette’s comfortable, newly renovated and redesigned space. The bowl begins with a blend of quinoa, wheat berry, barley and black rice and is topped with seared tuna, avocado, shredded carrot, julienne peppers, bean sprouts and daikon radish slaw, served with sesame vinaigrette and wasabi mayo.
Speiser created Vinaigrette based on his knowledge of food and what he thought people would appreciate, but it is an evolving process. He encourages customers to let him know what they like or what they want him to add. “We want our customer base to dictate to us how to move forward,” he said.
Vinaigrette, 182 West Englewood Avenue, is open Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. To order online, visit www.vinaigrette-nj.com. Find Vinaigrette on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Vinaigrette-1898577530471318/.
By Bracha Schwartz
