With the Ides of March upon us, we had chef Anthony Rose (a.k.a. Mark Antony Rose) stab his fork into the city’s most delicious Caesar salads.
Winner: Quanto Basta
“This looks gorgeous, I love the thick-cut pork belly and the polenta croutons are great! This is solid: it’s got a nice dressing, you can really taste the anchovies and the cheese. It tastes fresh and homemade, I could eat this whole thing.” 1112 Yonge St., $17
Runner-Up: Pantry
“I like how soft the kale is, it’s not dense. It has a good amount of cheese and a nice amount of dressing. It tastes fresh and delicious and it’s spot on. The chickpeas are a little spicy, which gives it a kick. I would eat this entire salad.” 1094, Yonge St., $11.59
Aloette Go
“It’s cool, but there are a lot of extras, and I would say this is the least like a Caesar salad that I’ve tried so far. The egg and chicken are both cooked perfectly, and this would be a great, hearty lunch.“ 171 East Liberty., $14
The Octagon
“I really like the dressing on this salad. I like the amount of garlic it has, but it could really use some acid. The croutons are nice and crispy
and I like that they are baked, but they are lacking in seasoning.” 7529 Yonge St.,Thornhill, $24
Planta Cocina
“I love the play on the Mexican theme with the tortilla chips and the cheekiness of it. The beans are a nice addition, but the mushroom bacon is extremely hard. I want the dressing to hit me with anchovy, but it tastes more like a lame mayonnaise.” Multiple locations including 10 Temperance St.,$15.25
Parcheggio
“The baby kale is okay but I think it would have been nice for them to also in- clude some romaine. I like the greenness of it. The dressing is a little too thick for a salad like this. I like the addition of the parmesan breadcrumbs and it has a good amount of garlic.” 2901 Bayview Ave. North York $17.95
Chadwick’s
“The bacon is really big but it’s not too fatty, which is nice. It’s very, very garlicky, and there’s quite a bit of heat to this. It’s a little overpowering. I like the addition of the crispy fried shallots and the anchovy dressing.” 268 Howland Ave., $13
Forest Hill Farmhouse
“I appreciate this salad. It needs some more dressing and seasoning, but I appreciate all of the extras in here — the chicken, the quinoa — I think the Caesar has room for all of this. It just needs about two more ounces of dressing.” 2 Lola Rd., $15.99