YNot order a chop salad?

By Jennifer Mason
The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK

Something about a chopped salad just makes eating salad more enjoyable.

No knives required, no hassle getting odd-shaped lettuce in your mouth, and the flavors just meld together better.

A newcomer to Colley Avenue, YNot Pizza & Italian Cuisine offers custom-made "chop" salads starting at $5.95. The restaurant, which also has two locations in Virginia Beach, started offering them a few months ago and the response has been "unbelievable," says one of the owners, Tony DiSilvestro.

"It's something we saw in Manhattan," DiSilvestro said. "We basically mirrored their concept."

Customers fill out an order sheet similar to a sushi form. They pick a choice of greens - romaine, spinach or mesclun. Diners also choose up to four veggie toppings, and can add meat, cheese, fruit and nuts.

Dressing on the side? No problem. About 36 toppings are available.

Artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and feta cheese can provide a Mediterranean flare. Walnuts, dried cranberries and bleu cheese can add zip to a spinach salad. Want some spice? Try Cajun shrimp or chicken.

Four veggie toppings are included in the base price. Other items run extra. Grilled shrimp costs $2.99 and pecans are 75 cents. The average salad ends up costing about $8.75, according to DiSilvestro.

After a salad, perhaps diners won't feel guilty about indulging in YNot's gelato, which is Italian-style ice cream. The restaurant has about 12 flavors on hand every day, tempting customers from behind a glass case. On one recent visit some of the flavors included mocha, cookie dough and the exotic-sounding stracciatello.

Other items on YNot's menu include pizza just about any way you could want it, including Buffalo chicken, white florentine, meat lovers, vegetarian, bacon delight, breakfast (with eggs and mozzarella), and even peanut butter and jelly for the kids. They also offer dishes such as eggplant rollatini and mussels marinara, wraps, Philly cheese steaks and subs. Hungry yet?

Diners can enjoy sidewalk patio, or sit inside the restaurant, flanked by modern decor and televisions. There's a bonus for parents: Kids can play with pizza dough while waiting for their suppers.

Jennifer Mason, jennifer.mason@pilotonline.com