How low would you go for a great salad? By that I don't mean how much would you degrade yourself, but literally, how far under the ground would you go? If you’re willing to plunge yourself deep into the depths of the Chicago Board of Trade building (well, one floor below ground level), you can find Cellars Market, the perfect weekday lunch spot for killer salads and solid sandwiches.

Sandwiches, baked goods and breakfast options start the menu, including chilaquiles (scrambled eggs, crumbled corn tortilla and salsa), a nice Spanish-inspired choice to start your day. But the real stars here are fresh salads, with pieces like Spanish Italiano (spinach, orzo pasta, chicken breast, capers, black olives parmesan cheese) and the Asian salad (romaine and iceberg lettuce, snow peas, peppers, carrots, rice stick noodles, ginger soy vinaigrette) leading the charge of salads between $6 and $10. Or try the salad bar and choose from a plethora of ingredients to create a completely unique offering. And for those who love a power lunch that insinuates they have a lot of power, try 12 mouth-watering ounces of U.S. prime filet mignon for $24.95.

There's plenty of seating in the Board of Trade basement, which is good because the restaurant's popularity during the weekday lunch rush make things fairly hectic and crowded. Everything here is cafeteria-style, and the relative loudness of the clientele makes the whole atmosphere feel like you're back in high school. Well, except that everybody’s older than 15 and the food doesn’t taste like chalk.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Andy Seifert