When I was a child, the story Peter Rabbit was something I could always relate to. Off limits or not, who could resist a garden of delicious veggies? Old man McGregor wasn’t that scary after all; I’d gladly dodge a garden sieve or two to get my furry mouth around a couple of plump radishes. Luckily for me, spring is here, and I don’t need to squeeze through a dilapidated wooden fence to peruse Spokane’s prime assortment of roughage. I thought it would be unfair if I simply spotlighted the simple garden or Caesar salads you could stumble upon at any restaurant in town. I raised on my haunches, conjured my gluttonous inner bunny and bounced my way to salads that I’d fight a farmer for.

Hay J’s Bistro:

21706 E. Mission Ave.

Seafood Cobb Salad

If you’ve ever made fun of someone ordering a salad, this menu item is sweet revenge. Hay J’s packs your plate full of langoustine, blackened ahi, avocado, bacon, Gorgonzola and a hard-boiled egg. Mix in some light Gorgonzola vinaigrette and top it with a giant gulf shrimp, and you’re quick to learn the joke’s on whoever didn’t order this one-of-a-kind Spokane masterpiece.

Twigs Bistro: 4320 S. Regal St.

Bistro Steak Salad

If you’re looking for a hearty meal but still want to keep it light, Twigs offers the best of both worlds with tender steak pieces sautéed with Worcestershire and garlic over mixed baby greens and romaine, tossed with feta cheese, red onions, tomato, roasted cashews and a balsamic vinaigrette. Perfect eats to accompany Twig’s uber famous happy hour martinis.

The Blackbird: 905 N. Washington St.

Tomato Garden Salad

I’ve always felt tomatoes are among the world’s most underrated foods. Chef Molly buys them locally in bulk and cures them to have fresh flavorful colors on her plates all year long. In a fresh herb salad, they are undeniable. A perfect match with mozzarella curd, arugula and lemon vinaigrette. The special touch is their in-house “Soil”—a crumb mixture of cracker and secret spices.

Wiley’s Downtown Bistro: 115 N. Washington St.

Strawberry Chicken Gorgonzola Salad

It isn’t spring until you start eating berries. If I have a say, filling your salad with pungent tart strawberries is the best way to do so. Wiley’s must agree. I got my hands on a delicious version that added grilled chicken, Gorgonzola, candied walnuts, tomato and finished the whole thing with a berry vinaigrette. It’s never a bad thing when you get lunch and dessert on the same plate.

Clover: 913 E. Sharp Ave.

Smoked Salmon Salad

When people ask me what my favorite food is, I often answer with vinegar. So when you find a salad that has both stone-ground mustard vinaigrette and cornichons, you start to slowly fall in love. She’s beautiful, with crunchy bibb lettuce, avocado, artichoke hearts and chewy flakes of house-smoked salmon. Clover continues to be top of the food chain in just about any category.