Battle of the blades: Chop't vs. sweetgreen

"Fast food" and "fresh salad" don't have to be mutually exclusive. I've enjoyed veggie-filled bowls at two local salad purveyers, Chop't Creative Salad and sweetgreen. Both shops offer fresh, creative combinations that make it easy to eat your colors. But if they were side by side, I'd head for sweetgreen. Here's why.

There's some esthetics involved. The Bethesda branch of sweetgreen is a light, airy space, with all of the ingredients clearly presented below eye level, behind glass. Chop't is darker, and the diner has to peer over a tall stainless-steel counter to watch the salad assembly.

At first, I thought the Chop't folks' exuberant use of the mezzaluna was a showy gimmick. Did I really want my meal to be minced? But the chopping does serve to mix the ingredients thoroughly, perhaps more than can be achieved by tossing.

Caution: When the Chop't menu says "spicy," it's for real. (Another key word: "chili.") I like a little heat, but both of the dressings I've tried were potent, more heat than flavor. And I asked for light dressing.

sweetgreen was founded in DC by three Georgetown students in 2007. I'm happy to support local businesses, and I like its use of local ingredients, always highlighted and sourced on a prominent chalkboard.

This is the only salad I have ever craved: sweetgreen's Spicy Sabzi. Organic baby spinach and shredded kale with spicy quinoa, spicy broccoli, carrots, raw beets, basil, sprouts and roasted tofu, boosted with a Sriracha-spiked carrot chili vinaigrette.

Veggies don't have to be dutiful and dull!

Delicate heat

Himalayan Heritage
4925 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD

Certain retail locations seem to have an aura of doom, with businesses cycling through, soon disappearing. I'm hoping this doesn't happen to Himalayan Heritage, an attractive new restaurant serving Nepalese and Indian cuisine in downtown Bethesda.

This spot has been occupied by at least three restaurants in the last few years. Maybe the delicately spiced sauces and the "delights of Nepal" scattered through the menu will attract some attention and achieve permanence.

As we looked at the menu, we were offered a complementary small plate of spicy edamame, served with puffed rice. Our friendly server warned us that the dumplings we ordered might take some extra time. But the food arrived promptly, perhaps because we were the only diners having a late lunch.

I enjoyed the sunkoshi steamed momo, good-sized steamed dumplings filled with seasoned ground chicken. The aachar, a tomato-based sauce, carried some heat, but not at the expense of flavor. The generous portion was listed as an entree; I think it would be best as a shared appetizer.

The lunch special was a bargain, combining tender lamb kadai (cooked with tomatoes, coriander and ginger) and a well-seasoned dal made with small black lentils. Plain naan was soft and buttery, good enough to eat by itself.

Check in on Yelp and get a welcoming deal, or find coupons on the restaurant's own Web site.

Mussel Bar conquers Bethesda

Mussel Bar
Bethesda, Md.

The long-awaited Mussel Bar in Bethesda, Chef Robert Wiedmaier's latest venture, has been hopping from the start. A few weeks after opening, at 7 pm on a Friday night, there was an hour-long wait for a four-top, and they're not taking reservations.

Last Thursday at noon, however, there was no wait for a table. The gastropub's decor is dark and comfortable, with simple wooden booths, black and white photographs on the walls, and a sculptural metal light fixture adorned with beer bottles.

I was surprised to see Chef Wiedmaier himself -- at a weekday lunch service? -- intently surveying the dining room, occasionally stopping a waiter to examine a plate or alter his serving technique.

I don't normally drink beer at lunch, but I couldn't resist a citrusy, spicy Blanche de Bruxelles Belgian wheat beer. Just reading the Mussel Bar's beer menu is entertaining: Delirium Tremens, Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor, Ommegang Hennepin, Corsendonk Agnus Dei, Allagash Curieux, Unibroue La Terrible.

The mussels were so fresh, sweet and briny that I ate more than I intended. The "classic" broth of roasted garlic, shallots and sauvignon blanc was worthy of sopping with bread or frites.

The frites were good, not great. They arrived wrapped in a paper cone, in the same specialized metal server that I remembered from Brasserie Beck. There were holders for three types of mayonnaise for dipping, but our server contained only one. (By the time I noticed this, there were too few frites left to make it worth mentioning.)

The most eye-opening dish was this salad of roasted beets with grapefruit, cumin-spiced yogurt, preserved lemon and golden raisins. The mingling of earthy, tart and sweet flavors was incredible, first bite to last.

I'd happily return to have that salad all to myself and try another Belgian witbeer. I'd also have another go at the mussels; imagine red Indonesian curry with peanut essence, or grilled pineapple with sweet chili garlic. The pizzas coming out of the wood-fired oven also looked like fitting accompaniment to a good beer.