A Tale of Two Salads

A salad makes the first impression when eating out and can set the tone for the entire meal.  So why is it hard to get a good salad in a restaurant?  Too often chefs abdicate responsibility to servers who place a stock list of items concocted from a bag, can, or bin, on a plate with a cup of prepared dressing alongside.
Two weeks ago I was served the salad on the left (with the miniature corns) at a luncheon at our local golf club.  There was nothing obviously wrong with the salad.  It had color and eye appeal.  In addition to lettuce, the salad included grated carrot, grated beet and cucumber.  The dressing (the ubiquitous balsamic vinaigrette), was on the side.  But none of the salad's ingredients had pronounced flavor--that unfortunately came from the bottled dressing.   It was almost as though the ingredients had been refrigerated for too long. The cherry tomatoes were pale and mealy, the corn was tasteless, the croutons were like sawdust.  I was thinking that this restaurant had an opportunity to impress a group of local woman with an amazing salad––something that would make them sit up and take notice––and bring their husbands back for dinner.
Today I met a friend for lunch at another local place where the food is known to be good.  I rarely order Caesar Salad because it is tricky and can be soggy.  But today I was did and I was glad.  The lettuce, fresh and flavorful, was crunchy, crisp and moist at the same time, the dressing was obviously freshly made with lots of garlic and good quality parmesan cheese.  The croutons (the place is a bakery) were made from their own foccacia bread.   This salad made an excellent first impression.  And the soup was good too.  I'm taking my hubby back.