The fare at Super Salads is more clean than delicious, picture perfect rather that tasty; it offers the opportunity to improve your vegetable vocabulary where you get your midday fuel.

Located on the Paseo de Montejo in the north of Merida, the space is a delight of blonde wood, produce inspired art and the kind of “modernist” sensibility you feel in a very optimistic museum of the future.

I started with a smoothie, the bananaranja - say that three times fast. Made with banana, orange, and strawberries, it was fabulously thick and yummy. They also offer licuados, juices and agua frescas.

The menu is a paper and pen choose your own toppings thing. There are wraps, sandwiches, soups and salads (natch). You can do a half sandwich combo and choose from a list of salads already constructed or build your own.

Malcolm and I worked together to get what we wanted on our salads. I know the word for most everything I like (in the veggie department) but was stumped by apio (celery), and cangrejo (crab). The Campriano sandwich features lomo as well as ham and cheese. I still don’t get it. I had plain grilled chicken on the side and a light cilantro dressing that tasted not unlike low calorie booger snots. Malcolm’s spicy ranch was good.

All the food was very sterile and pleasantly presented on big yellow plastic plates with little matching ramekins. The food was fresh in a sort of Platonic ideal sense. Kind of like food in the 28th century after we’ve long destroyed the environment and scientists recreate the look of vegetables from books and films without ever really capturing what is unique and juicy about each thing.

They also have a list of coffe drinks and desserts. Coming soon (Proximamente) Italian pressed sandiwches. A flat screen TV displayed scenes from Animal Planet or Discovery. nice touch.

Now that we know what not to get (pickles) and what we’d like to try (cream of brocolli soup) we will go back for a more calculated attempt at a satisfying meal. It’s bright, fun, fresh and fairly easy. I would ask that they change their name to Totally Acceptable Salads, Etc.