THE SUPER SALAD

Last time I was in New York I dined at the very lovely Restaurant Commerce in the West Village moaning with delight. I closed my eyes when my teeth crunched through what I call the perfect salad. It was a blend of the freshest, crispiest salad leaves you can imagine (the delicacies must have been handpicked only minutes before serving), and equally fresh, heavenly aromatic herbs, lightly, I repeat LIGHTLY, coated with a very simple vinaigrette. Ah! Unfortunately, the blissful state didn't last long. All of a sudden, I remembered, that I had to return to L.A., the land of super salads, he very next day. Let me explain. For some reason the only thing that seems to come to mind to salad makers in SoCal is "more is more". No need to tell you, that I do not think highly of that concept when it comes to food. But in salads it is truly disastrous. The super salad usually comes in an oversized, deep plate that some eager hands have loaded with a pre-packaged (pre-washed, pre-whatever) salad mix (those salad mixes ALWAYS have a couple of limp, slimy leaves hanging in there). Then they happily grasp a huge bottle of pre-prepared (here we go again!) dressing and pour like there is no tomorrow - with the ultimate goal to drown the very last salad leaf. Usually, the dressing has a fancy name like honey-mustard or dreamy-creamy. Then they generously toss things like maple-syrup-roasted pecans on top along with the ubiquitous dried cranberries. But no, they are not done yet! What about some crumbled feta cheese or sliced mozzarella? AND bacon strips? Maybe some diced citrus fruit? Yeah, why not! Sounds so sophisticated. Gimme a break! I have no idea what bit me yesterday when I met a friend at one of the premium super salad places in town, the Alcove in Los Feliz for lunch and ordered - a SALAD! I must have been out of my mind. The moment the waiter put the plate under my nose I moaned. This time in despair. It could be so easy, guys: take the freshest leaves, add a little vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, all perfectly balanced, and toss and toss.