BY JD DOTSON

THE MID-MARCH DAY WAS MILD IN TEMPERATURE BUT GRAY AND DRIZZLING EARLY. MY HUSBAND AND I WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD DAY TOGETHER, LUNCH AND TIME SPENT OUTSIDE, MAYBE COFFEE AND SHARE A DESSERT LATER, BUT DECIDED TO JUST GRAB A BITE AS THE WEATHER WAS AGAINST US. TODAY WOULD DEFINITELY BE A DAY OF PLEASANT SURPRISES.

Sam’ s Tavern

702 Highlander Point Drive Floyds Knobs 812.923.2323 www. samstavern. com

We started our day with lunch at Sam’ s Tavern at Highlander Point. We’ ve been to Sam’ s in the past and have always enjoyed our meals there, but today I wondered what I could find to eat. Summer is coming, so I am being careful with my diet, and I am always looking for a healthy option. Sam’ s has a pretty great lunch menu with $ 8 and $ 9 options as well as the full restaurant menu. Mostly filled with salads and sandwiches, the lunch menu had a variety of options to pick from, including fried fish and clams with French fries and broiled lemon pepper cod with rice and broccoli. As much as I love a fried anything, I chose the chopped kale salad with salmon. My other half went with a light lunch of pot roast and mashed potatoes with a cup of the most delicious broccoli cheddar soup I’ ve had in a long time. My salad was really beautiful, and if I wasn’ t writing about it for this story, I would’ ve taken a picture of it anyway. Topped with carrots, purple cabbage, red onion, edamame, sunflower seeds, cashews, blueberries and dried cranberries with kale, I opted for blackened salmon and finished it off with balsamic vinaigrette. This was a huge salad with just the right proportion of everything on it and plenty left over to take home for later. What a great surprise finding so many healthy options. Jonny loved his pot roast as well. The lunch menu is available 11 a. m. to 3 p. m. Monday through Saturday. We had a great lunch, fantastic service and noted on the way out that Sam’ s has a pet-friendly front porch. Our pups are coming along on the next trip.

34 EXTOL: APRIL / MAY 2018