With the Ides of March upon us, chef Grant van Gameren stepped away from preparing for his hotly anticipated restaurant opening long enough to sample our area’s best Caesar salads.
WINNER (pictured above)
The Octagon, 7529 Yonge St., $14.50 (Dinner)
This pick stands out for van Gameren for its mix of dark greens and romaine hearts. “It’s got a good amount of dressing; the flavour’s there; they make their own croutons; they seem like real bacon bits,” he says.
The bigger the better
Sotto in the Village, 425 Spadina Rd., $13.95
This dish catches van Gameren’s eye. “All the components really jump out at you — nice big pieces of bacon, nice big pieces of cheese, and these are the kind of croutons I’m talking about where they’re fried in oil, they’re seasoned,” he says. “Delicious croutons.”
The right bite
Brownes Bistro, 4 Woodlawn Ave. E., $8
This selection’s dressing has “a nice acidic bite to it,” van Gameren says. “The piece of bread is a really nice accompaniment,” he adds. But van Gameren thinks it could use some dark greens to enhance the flavour.
Packing a garlic punch
Glow, 7 Marie Labatte Rd., Unit E1, $11 (Large)
“This one’s got a really nice raw garlic, punch-in-your-face taste to it,” van Gameren says. Overall, it’s a little on the sweet side, he says, but it has a nice cheesy taste, and the flatbread is a unique touch, and this one is the most “plentiful” salad of the bunch.
A playful Asian twist
Miller Tavern, 3885 Yonge St., $9
“The romaine hearts are really crisp, fresh,” van Gameren says as he bites into this salad. He comments that fried wonton wrappers are fun to eat. He likes the panchetta but finds the dressing could be better balanced (not enough raw garlic and cheese).
Parm adds charm
Marlowe, 155 York Blvd., Unit 1, $6.95
Van Gameren instantly likes the big pieces of parmesan. He’s disappointed that the croutons don’t seem homemade, though. He adds that it would have been nice to pair the Parmesan with bacon of some kind.
At last, anchovy!
David Duncan House, 125 Moatfield Dr., $9.95
Van Gameren immediately comments on how nice and creamy this pick is. “This one’s got a nice fishiness to it, that nice anchovy flavour,” he says. Van Gameren likes the bacon, cheesiness and dressing, but he suspects the croutons aren’t homemade.
A feast for the eyes
One, 116 Yorkville Ave., $15 (Dinner)
Van Gameren comments on how beautiful this salad looks. He notices the Parmesan crisp adds nice texture. “It also has a good amount of shaved Parmesan and some kind of house-made lardon bacon.” But he finds cherry tomatoes make it a tad too acidic.
