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10 Vogue Editors on the Best Caesar Salad They’ve Ever Had

vogue.com 2 days ago
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from Bon Appetit, June 2010

In 1924, chefs Césare and Alex Cardini began serving Caesar salads at their restaurant, Caesar’s, in Tijuana, Mexico. The dish—romaine lettuce covered in garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce—soon traveled far beyond the Mexican city. During Prohibition, Americans in Los Angeles and San Diego would frequently drive south across the border to drink and dance in Tijuana—and they fell in love with Caesar salad. A decade and a half later, when Cardini himself moved to California, he brought his recipe along with him, and the rest is history.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the now iconic menu item, Vogue decided to ask our editors to share the favorite Caesar salads they’ve ever had. Below, find their picks.

I always enjoy the elaborate Caesar salad—prepared table-side!—at Surf Club in Miami. The salad itself is quite classic and simple, but the presentation and preparation are what make it a real real star. Not to mention, it is delicious—especially when enjoyed with fries and a martini. –Christian Allaire, senior fashion writer

I started eating Caesar salad wraps before I started eating Caesar salads. I was maybe nine or 10 at the time—at the age where I was too old to order chicken fingers but not old enough for like, real food—and left unattended at my pool’s snack bar for the first time. I felt very adult, and so I ordered something I heard my mom get once. I’ve had plenty of fancy Caesar salads at plenty of fancy restaurants since. But it’s that one—at a run-down snack bar and probably made with Newman’s Own dressing—that’ll stick in my mind forever. –Elise Taylor, senior living writer

One of my favorite restaurants growing up was the now-shuttered Sam & Harry’s—a Washington, D.C. steakhouse where on any given night you were liable to see senators, foreign dignitaries, and perhaps a president or VP, feasting on bone-in strip and creamed spinach. It was there that my father introduced me to Caesar salad. Though I’ve consumed many, many more since, the one at Sam & Harry’s—tossed with the most delicious, anchovy-filled dressing, covered with fresh parmesan, and topped with buttery, homemade croutons—was the absolute best. –Leah Faye Cooper, digital style director

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