Within a cozy cottage-like building on Chain Bridge Road, Sweet Leaf Cafe has welcomed the spring season with four distinct new menu items. Conveniently close to McLean High School, students can enjoy a summery salad, smoothie, soup or sandwich without the hassle of an impractical drive.
Brussel + Pear salad: 3.5/5
The Brussel + Pear is one of Sweet Leaf’s new seasonal salads, featuring many organic components such as quinoa, goat cheese, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and pears. This salad is paired with a lovely pomegranate vinaigrette, crunchy bits of bacon and toasted pepita. The texture of this salad was mostly satisfactory: the Brussels sprouts were soft and firm, the leafy greens were lovely to chew and the pepita and bacon bits added a nice crunch factor to every bite. The goat cheese was a nice touch, but it was difficult to mix into the salad, leaving weird goat cheese blobs that overtook the taste of other ingredients when you bit into it. Similarly, the pear chunks were small and hard to taste as they mixed in easily with different ingredients. Overall, this salad was definitely on the sweeter side of things. It lacked a more salty factor to even out the sweetness of the ingredients and vinaigrette. It also could have used bigger pear chunks to rightly represent the name, earning this salad 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Blue Magic smoothie: 3/5
Blue Magic is a seasonal mango, banana, coconut and blue spirulina powder smoothie. This smoothie had a very nice color from the spirulina powder and a sweet taste. The banana and coconut flavors overtook the mango almost entirely, which was disappointing. Although the smoothie was lovely, the banana and coconut mixture gave it a Greek yogurt taste that wasn't bad, but it didn’t meet the expectations for this drink. The texture of this smoothie was very smooth, with tiny bits of coconut present in each sip, giving it a small but appreciable crunch factor. The drink and salad are okay by themselves, but they are overwhelmed with sweetness, so it's not recommended that you pair them together. The Blue Magic smoothie gets a 3/5 for its good texture, but the mango lacks flavor.
Italiano sandwich: 3/5
The Italiano packed a salty, smooth punch in each bite, satisfying the expectations of the classic sandwich, yet not offering anything new. Layered with savory meats such as salami, pepperoni and ham, the dish carried a hearty taste. Topped with airy provolone cheese and tangy pickled onions, the Italiano balanced its light and heavy flavors well, further enhanced by the addition of mayo and olive oil. However, the thick blanket of arugula did smother the sandwich with an overpowering leafy texture that undermined the rest of the ingredients. The Italiano was best served fresh out of the restaurant. Overall, the sandwich scores a 3/5, as it fulfills the flavors of an Italiano, but does not stand out as unique by any means.
Chicken Barley soup: 4/5
The Chicken Barley soup contains a delicious battle between wintery warm broth and summery bright flavors. The rich chicken, tender carrot chunks and delicate celery pieces had a melt-in-the-mouth softness to them, pairing well with the seasoned bath they floated in. The quaint texture and gentle tastes made the soup a distinctly comforting dish, flavorful but not overwhelming. The Chicken Barley achieves a 4/5 rating for its tranquil yet satisfying simplicity.
