This salad features grilled and raw vegetables, nuts, and crispy garnishes to provide both texture and satisfying flavors. It pleases both visually and through its blend of sharp, silky, and crunchy components.

1. Pleasing both the eye and palate, this healthful
composition has it all — grilled and raw veggies,
sharp and silky flavors and a satisfying crunch
from nuts and crispy garnishing.
ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA

2. PRODUCE TRENDS
SALAD DAYS
Have Arrived
Chefs are upping the flavor proposition for greens
to meet consumers’ demand for bold, bright flavors
BY KATIE AYOUB
The overarching menu trend toward bigger, bolder flavors is sparking
chefs to get innovative in creating more-interesting, delicious salads.
“Many consumers say that a better overall variety of salad options
would encourage them to purchase more salads at full-service
restaurants, particularly at bar and grill (37 percent) and family-style
concepts (35 percent),” finds Technomic’s Salad Consumer Trend
Report. And chefs are responding to the data by viewing the category
as more than a home for Caesar salads and house greens. They’re
building salads with uncommon ingredients, like burdock root and
green peppercorn. They’re embracing kale’s bitterness while mellowing
its toothsome quality. And instead of limiting protein components to
chicken and shrimp, they’re adding quinoa, or perhaps duck confit.
From composed salads to greens, chefs are telling intricate flavor
stories, weaving the plot with textural play, exotic ingredients and
unexpected combinations.
THE CULINARY ADVENTURE
“The trick in offering dishes outside the comfort zone, of course, is
tweaking, but not going too crazy,” says Nathan Sears, executive sous chef
at Vie in Western Springs, Ill. “You also build trust with your diners.”
Vie runs a roasted and fried sunchoke salad with lettuce greens,
cheddar cheese and duck confit. Sears pan-roasts the sunchokes,
getting a good caramelization and a sweet, nutty flavor from them. He
also adds raw sunchokes to the salad, slicing them thinly on a
mandoline and then deep-frying for a lovely mouthfeel and crunch.
The greens mix includes red oak, green oak, mustard greens, pea shoots
and tatsoi. Duck confit and cheddar finish the profile.
“We were using duck confit elsewhere in our menu, and whenever
we can, we like to utilize product in-house, so we developed this salad,”
says Sears. “The sunchoke and the confit are warmed together on
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3. PRODUCE TRENDS
THE ROOT OF THE MATTER
Cutting-Edge CROUTONS Culinary adventure in a root vegetable?
When it’s the unfamiliar burdock, yes. With
Chefs are paying attention to the crouton, seeing it as more than an the consistency of a carrot and mild, earthy
afterthought of texture and tradition. Today, the flavor story is told with tones, it’s got a lot to offer. In Japanese
each and every component on a plate, ratcheting up dimension and cookery, where burdock root goes by the
distinction along the way. name gobo, these attributes are brought out.
At Sen in East Hampton, N.Y., General
PUMPKIN-BREAD CROUTONS finish a panzanella salad
Manager Jesse Matsuoka tweaks a family
— Vie, Western Springs, Ill.
recipe for the restaurant’s popular cold side
WARM POLENTA CROUTONS top a Caesar salad salad. He marinates the burdock root in soy,
— Houlihan’s Restaurant mirin and sugar, then woks it on high heat.
He adds soy, mirin and sugar, letting the root
GOLDFISH CRACKERS replace bread croutons on the kid’s
stew on low heat for almost an hour. He then
menu Caesar salad
adds shichimi togarashi, a spice mix that
— California Pizza Kitchen
typically combines roasted orange peel, chile
FRIED GOAT-CHEESE PEARLS top a crispy duck salad pepper, sesame and hemp seed, Szechuan
— The Lazy Goat, Greenville, S.C. pepper, nori and ground ginger. “The spice
mix rounds out the earthiness of the burdock
root really nicely,” says Matsuoka.
pickup, and they’re just really nice against
each other.” FAMILIAR…BUT BETTER
Although kimchi has gained traction, Chicken salad stands familiar and loved in
thanks to Korean food’s inroads with the pantheon of composed salads. Chefs are
barbecue and fusion dishes, it’s not often seen adding ethnic touches, turning them toward
outside of that context. At South Edison in India or the Mediterranean with different
Montauk, N.Y., chef/partner Todd Mitgang build-outs. But what about making the
serves a hearts of palm and kimchi salad with chicken less of the star? Indeed, we’re seeing a
preserved Meyer lemon, green onion, toasted movement toward entrée salads in which
sesame seeds and crispy shallots. protein shares the spotlight with produce.
“The preserved lemon adds a salty citrus Randy Zweiban, chef/owner of Province
flavor that is familiar yet foreign,” he says. restaurant in Chicago and now Phoenix,
“Kimchi adds heat in a fermented, turns a chicken salad on its head, making
At Chicago-based mouthwatering way. Hearts of palm bring in a apple the lead, with rotisserie chicken taking
Province, deconstructed different texture with a subtle brininess.” For a critical supporting role. “It’s been on our
chicken salad puts the
focus on crisp apple and crunch and a little heat, Mitgang adds Easter lunch menu since we opened, and I can’t take
jicama, with pulled chicken egg radish. “The salad has salt, heat, citrus it off; the lunch regulars really like it,” he says.
as an accent. and texture,” he notes. The salad is composed of seasonal apples,
candied olives, jicama, toasted almonds and
pulled chicken, finished with an apple-cider
vinaigrette. “Opposite ends of the flavor
spectrum play well together, so candying the
olives combines briny notes with sweet
beautifully,” Zweiban says. He adds jicama to
mirror the texture of the apples while
introducing a different flavor.
Beets and goat cheese are a classic
combination, where earthiness meets
tanginess in a beautiful flavor match-up.
Eric Sayers, executive chef at CQ’s
Restaurant at Harbour Town, located at Sea
PROVINCE
Pines, Hilton Head Island, S.C., serves beet
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4. PRODUCE TRENDS
Lettuce PLAY carpaccio with goat-cheese quenelles,
candied walnuts and strawberries. He makes
When it comes to thinking outside the box, chef Brian Overhauser of the salad more approachable by mellowing
the aggressive flavor of goat cheese with
Hahn Family Vineyards in Soledad, Calif., readily takes on the
whipped cream.
challenge. Overhauser’s go-to salad prep is a “heritage blend” with
“It’s one of my best-sellers,” he says.
vinaigrette and goat-cheese fritters. “People don’t prepare beets at home, so they
In a recent innovation aimed at maximizing utilization of a lettuce like to see them on the menu.” By slicing
them thinly, carpaccio-style, the beets deliver
mix, he put his heritage blend to work as a base for soup.
beautiful plate presentation.
Overhauser infused the mix into chicken stock, accompanied by
“But it also helps with food cost,” Sayers
garlic confit. He then pureed and strained it and adjusted the says. In the fall and winter, he changes out the
consistency and flavor profiles with cream, white truffle oil, salt and goat-cheese quenelles for blue-cheese mousse
pepper. “I added a little Kitchen Bouquet to give it a brown note,” he and replaces the simple vinaigrette with a
says. He served the soup in a demitasse cup topped with truffle foam. warm bacon vinaigrette.
“Because this particular blend is chicory-based, it worked. I wouldn’t
SLAW INNOVATION
do it with radicchio,” he says. “It has a nice earthiness and richness.”
Slaws are no longer relegated as an
Then Overhauser took the usable menu life of the lettuce mix a step afterthought side dish that mimics the
further; he strained the infused lettuce solids from the soup stock, mayonnaise-laden fare found at family picnics.
Indeed, chefs see slaws as another opportunity
mixed in goat cheese and stuffed the resulting mixture into ravioli. He
for unique flavor profiles—exhibiting texture
finished it with an heirloom tomato bisque reduced to a bright sauce.
and seasonality with each refreshing bite.
For Overhauser, the idea of a lettuce soup isn’t too far a stretch. Zed 451 is a high-end, all-you-can-eat
“Where I studied in France, there were numerous lettuce soups, and concept from San Francisco-based Tavistock
Restaurants. At both its Chicago and Boca
they all had a really nice flavor profile,” he says.
Raton, Fla., units, the restaurant prides itself
Minimizing waste while maximizing usage and profitability inspires on fresh and seasonal fare. Instead of a salad
Overhauser’s innovations. “When you’re rotating your lettuce-mix bar that offers greens with a selection of
toppings, Zed 451 offers its Harvest Table, a
inventory, use the new box for your salads and get creative with
collection of 18 composed salads. Its most
anything you have left,” he says. “It’s all about cost efficiency. I don’t
popular? Pad Thai Slaw.
care what level you’re at in foodservice, if you don’t think like that “It’s really big with businessmen. It’s
every day, you’re making a mistake.” — T.C. comfort food and a dish people can relate to,”
says Patrick Quakenbush, executive chef.
Green and red cabbage, carrots, cilantro and
peanuts are dressed with a pad Thai dressing
(peanut butter, plum sauce, sweet Thai chile,
cilantro, garlic, shallot and lime juice). “Our
diners like it even more than the high-end
stuff that costs us much more to produce.
They’re looking for the same, but different —
and this delivers beautifully,” he says.
South Edison’s Mitgang serves a Gala apple
and Brussels sprouts slaw with coriander aïoli
RIVER RANCH FRESH FOODS
and warm heirloom beans.
“I love how the sweetness of the apples
brings out the mild sweetness of the sprouts,
and how they match each other texturally,”
he says. “The aïoli adds just the right amount
of sharpness to bring the beans together with
Chef Brian Overhauser extends the menu life of his lettuce mix by
transforming it into a soup topped with truffle foam. the slaw.”
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5. PRODUCE TRENDS
THE PERENNIAL CAESAR
PROTEIN Over the Top The Caesar salad is a solid performer on a
salad menu, but not very interesting to a lot of
While entrée salads are nothing new, topping them with a greater
chefs. Some refuse to menu it; others carry it,
range of premium proteins is. One of the largest salad chains,
but reluctantly. But Province’s Zweiban
San Diego-based Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., which operates 112
features a Caesar salad and makes it his own.
Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation concepts, is just coming out of the
“When I opened Province, I said that we’re
first phase of testing six premium-protein salad toppers for guests to
first and foremost a café, so I wanted to carry
choose from, adding $2.99 to $3.29 to the regular price of the buffet
the standards: a good burger, fresh oysters, a
meal. The options include marinated and grilled sirloin, three kinds of
great rotisserie chicken dish and, of course, a
marinated grilled chicken (salt and pepper, Asian and balsamic-
Caesar salad,” he says.
vinaigrette-marinated), tofu and edamame.
But he branded it with a Province
“We're viewing this as a first step,” says Joan Scharff, vice president of signature, extending his sustainable
brand and menu strategy. “Opportunities for additional premium commitment by sourcing romaine from a
proteins — such as shrimp and salmon — are endless.” grower that employs aquaculture, using only a
The idea for the toppers came out of Garden Fresh's trial of a new tiny fraction of the water used in
express unit that opened in January. There, 50 percent of guests conventional methods. Zweiban replaces the
opted to add a protein. During full-sized-unit tests to date, 10 percent traditional Parmesan in the Caesar with
of guests purchased the add-ons. Manchego, which fits better into his pan-
Latin sensibility. He adds chile to the mix.
“We're thrilled! We looked around the market and realized that a lot And his croutons get a flavor boost from
of fast-casual concepts had the option of adding-on proteins to their smoked paprika, cumin and coriander. All
salads,” says Founder/CEO Michael Mack. “Doing it at Garden Fresh elements combine to change up the classic
just fits who we are, creates more choice for our guests and takes Caesar and make it memorable.
their experiences over the top.”
Because grilled is the favored preparation-flavor profile for the WARMING UP TO KALE
proteins, Garden Fresh is adding grills in central kitchens that serve Kale can be a tough sell. It’s a pretty hard-core
all its regions. The grills open up the opportunity to add a greater green, infamous because of its strong,
range of grilled proteins to Garden Fresh’s composed salads, soups, somewhat bitter flavor and rigid structure.
pastas, pizzas and flatbreads — “a black-and-blue salad, for But its health halo glows brightly, attracting
example, cross-utilizing the grilled sirloin,” says Scharff. the attention of diners seeking more-
wholesome offerings.
— Monica Kass Rogers
At True Food Kitchen, with two units in
Arizona and two in California, the Tuscan
Kale Salad is a successful, craveable dish. Yes,
craveable.
“Really healthy food can taste really good,”
says Michael Stebner, executive chef of this
micro chain, which plans to grow to 20 units
in the near future. The key to its kale salad:
“We start with cavolo nero, or dino kale, and
pull the ribs out,” he says. He then marinates
it for at least 20 minutes in extra-virgin olive
oil, lemon juice, chile flakes and garlic. To
order, he sprinkles the kale with bread crumbs
and Parmesan.
“The sum is better than the parts, like a
MANN PACKING
good Caesar salad,” says Stebner. “You get a
great richness from the oil, and the kale itself
is savory and wonderful.”
Jenny Ross, executive chef/owner of 118
Greens become a complete meal when topped with marinated, grilled
chicken. The extra price for add-on proteins still makes for an affordable dish. Degrees in Costa Mesa, Calif., says massage is
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6. PRODUCE TRENDS
But her average diner seeks out healthful
food; 118 Degrees serves food cooked below
that temperature, and the focus is on
nutritious, whole foods. So perhaps kale is an
easier sell here or at True Food Kitchen,
which shares similar philosophies.
“But our greatest success is our wide array
of customers,” says True Food Kitchen’s
Stebner. “We have college kids who are
political eaters; early retirement, who want to
take better care of themselves; and middle-
aged, who see their bodies changing and want
to feel better about what they eat.”
TRUE FOOD KITCHEN
So, who does that leave? Who does kale
not appeal to? Not surprisingly, it’s the 45- to
55-year-old male — “the steakhouse guy,”
Stebner says. “That’s who we struggle with.”
Toothsome, healthful needed to extract the true wonders of kale. BEST FRUIT FORWARD
Tuscan Kale Salad is a She serves a marinated kale salad, which The idea of using fruit as a salad component
hit at True Food Kitchen,
combines black kale with avocado, walnuts, isn’t new, as fruit can lend sweetness, perfume
featuring marinated
black-leaf kale, finished kalamata olives and cucumber. “I dress the and rounded texture. But chefs are stepping
with bread crumbs and kale in an olive-oil-based dressing, then add up their game here, too. Zed 451’s
Parmesan. avocado, massaging the kale with the tongs, Quakenbush menus a roasted pineapple
so the cell walls break down a little,” says “Madagascar,” where he sprinkles fresh
Ross. For plating, she compression-molds the pineapple with crushed green peppercorn,
salad, then tops it with fresh avocado. Out of then roasts it. Once caramelized, he finishes
15 salad offerings, the kale salad ranks No. 1. the pineapple with an orange-yogurt sauce.
“Green peppercorn is not as spicy as black,
so you get a distinctively different flavor,” he
Take-Away TIPS says. “It adds a subtle spiciness and texture to
the squishy, sweet pineapple.”
At Valhalla Table in Costa Mesa, Calif.,
VARY THE MIX: Try adding unusual touches like burdock root, sunchoke,
hearts of palm, even kimchi to assorted greens to create signature salads. chef/owner Ehrline Karnaga tosses romaine
with mango, white quinoa, avocado,
CRAVEABLE CROUTONS: Anything with a satisfying crunch will do, from fried
cucumber and red pepper. She finishes it with
cheese to crispy polenta cubes. If bread’s your base, jazz it up with zippy
seasonings or a dusting of finely grated cheese. tortilla strips and dresses it with a mango
vinaigrette (very ripe mango, rice vinegar,
BEET THIS: Earthy, ruby-red beets and goat cheese are a salad combo made for
each other. Thinly sliced beet rounds add drama and a better-for-you aura. lemon and orange juice, honey, red-pepper
flakes and oil). “It’s a really fresh-tasting
salad, and the quinoa is a great source for
protein,” she says.
“The way to increase your salad sales is to
offer something familiar, but elevated — a
salad with really great flavor.” &
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN
KATIE AYOUB, an award-winning writer and
former food-magazine editor, owns Katie Ayoub
Editorial Services; www.katieayoub.com
50 FLAVOR & THE MENU 2011 • Issue 3 www.flavor-online.com www.flavor-trends.com