Bites Nearby: The Cooking Company

It's the weekend and it's not raining or snowing! You have worked hard all week and the last place you want to be tonight is the kitchen. Let’s eat out!

Restaurant name: The Cooking Company

Address: 187 Route 81, Killingworth and 1610 Saybrook Road, Haddam

Phone number: 860-663-3111 (Killingworth); 860-345-8008 (Haddam)

Cuisine: Salads, sandwiches, entrees in a New American style

Price range: $3.50 to $9 per pound for some items; $5.50 to $6.25 for sandwiches

Take out: The Cooking Company is primarily a take-out shop. Both locations have chairs and tables, but there is no table service.

Kid-friendly:  Kids can step up to refrigerated cases and choose what they’d like to eat or order a custom sandwich.

Why you should go right now: If you can’t deal with the tumult of a popular restaurant on a busy weekend night, The Cooking Company offers a great solution. The extensive menu of salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts suits all tastes. The choices are beautifully presented in the display cases, and the best part is the food tastes as good as it looks. Classic also describes the “old-fashioned” chicken salad of good-sized chunks of chicken, celery and scallion bound in mayonnaise, but variations such as the tangy apricot almond chicken salad or grilled Caesar chicken tossed with pasta and fresh vegetables also are tempting. The salads and vegetable dishes always look inviting and fresh, while those with more substantial appetites can dig into specials such as Beef Enchiladas or Orange Chipotle Glazed Chicken. And don’t forget dessert, either a pretty pastry or a large home-style cookie.