Wednesday, July 11, 2007

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD: Four recent Georgetown University graduates are hoping to make life a little greener in the neighborhood with Sweetgreen (3333 M St. NW; 202-337-9338), a health-oriented salad and yogurt shop poised to open later this month in a former fast-food landmark: Little Tavern.

The idea was born of necessity during their senior year. "We got sick of what was out there," says co-owner Nicolas Jammet, 22. "There were no fresh options, nothing updated." So he and his classmates set out to develop salads that would combine their appreciation for good food and innovation (one of Sweetgreen's salads is a "deconstructed guacamole") with an interest in the environment. "We're all big foodies," says Jammet, whose parents owned the late La Caravelle in New York, a tribute to haute cuisine.

Among the six $9 mixes at Sweetgreen will be curried chicken, toasted almonds, shredded coconut and chopped romaine with mango curry dressing, served with naan; and paprika-roasted chicken, chickpeas, roasted peppers and baby spinach tossed with a hummus-lemon-tahini dressing. Customers also can create their own salads, which start at $6 each, from dozens of vegetables, cheeses and "crunches" (those would be wasabi peas, candied walnuts and garlic pita chips).

Sweetgreen, which uses reclaimed hickory on its floor, wall and ceiling, also wants to be eco-friendly. Its menus are printed on recycled paper and customers will have the option of buying "Tupperware-esque" bowls for future use. Neat feature: a little compartment to hold salad dressing in the lid of each bowl. Push a button, and the salad gets blasted with dressing.

-- Tom Sietsema