Hilltop Tossers: The Corp tosses our salads with no regrets

The return to campus life from the bliss of spring break is an often sad time in the life of the Hoya. But fear not: this week, the beloved GU Farmers’ Market is back to ease the transition back to the Hilltop.

The Farmers Market returns with some new faces like Hiltoss, the newest Corp service. Hilltoss is the salad stand whose storefront is set to open next semester as part of the new Healy Family Student Center. The booth found in the Farmer’s Market is a preview of the full menu, featuring four different specialized salads and a create your own “custom salad” option.

I decided to trudge through the murky weather to taste some of these salads and assess the prospects of the upcoming eatery. Upon our arrival we found the stand bustling with onlookers, observing the menu and appraising the offerings but also without a line, unusual for many booths in the farmers market.

My salad, quirkily named “The Amalfi Coast” contained mixed greens, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and oregano and was dressed with a blend of balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. I also added quinoa, at the recommendation of my server.

After opening my bowl, it was very apparent that the dish had not been mixed well. My greens were concentrated at the top, while all other goodies had been deposited on the bottom.

Upon first bite I was overwhelmed by the strength of the balsamic vinaigrette, which was aggressively bitter and obscured all of the other ingredients. But after a little bit more mixing on my part, the salad progressively got better. The ingredients were truly fresh and their flavors together, sans the vinaigrette, worked quite well.

Overall, the prospects for Hilltoss look promising. They have an amicable staff, some good recipes, and an interested market. All of their faults can easily be attributed to lack of experience with the recipes and the format of the restaurant, which should be acquired as the semester ticks away. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how much these Corpies can perfect tossing salad before opening.