On the 100th birthday of the Caesar salad, I’m thinking about my first – some fifty years ago. I felt so grown-up out to dinner in the city with my aunt. A waiter with a cart rolled up to make a Caesar salad tableside. Mesmerized, I watched him crush anchovies and garlic in a big wooden bowl, grinding them to a paste with a pestle, adding an egg yolk, oil, mixing in romaine, parmesan shavings, a few twists of a tall peppermill, and finally croutons. He then ceremoniously divided his creation evenly onto two plates, and though a picky eater, I was curious. I tentatively took a bite, anchovies and all. It was delicious. Twenty-five years later, I was smitten by the Caesar at Zuni. In March 2023, arriving at a small hotel on the outskirts of Copenhagen after a long day of travel, Lucie and I were dismayed to learn the kitchen was closed. We sat at the bar, asked if any food was possible, and voilà – a most incredible Caesar salad materialized. Wondering if it tasted so good because of our weariness, we returned to the hotel’s restaurant on our final night and again ordered Caesar salads at the bar. It was still the best Caesar we have ever had. So HBD Caesar. To many more.
