When the temperatures rise, diners crave crisp greens, herbaceous dressings, and snappy vegetables. “Our salad sales almost triple in the summer months,” says Jeff Gosnear, president of Grotto Pizza.
The restaurant group takes note by offering seasonal specials, such as the Emerald salad, romaine spritzed with lemon vinaigrette and topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, almonds, tomatoes, and shredded Parmesan.
The addition on a casual restaurant menu is not surprising. “You have to have a salad on the menu—100%,” maintains Robert Lhulier, who manages the Brandywine Brasserie in Wilmington and will open Sardella Mediterranean Cantina in fall 2025.
“There’s an appreciation for vegetables,” agrees Jeff Matyger, corporate chef for the Platinum Dining Group, which added four salads to Hearth Kitchen’s menu in Kennett Square. “Diners no longer want a quick plate of mixed greens with a choice of four dressings. Chefs are really starting to think about flavors.”
The salad’s evolution is a long one. Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed mixed greens with a dressing, and conquering Romans introduced the concept to Europeans. Chefs in the 19th century weren’t limited to lettuce. After all, mayonnaise was a dressing. In 1893, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City created the Waldorf salad, a medley of apples, celery, and mayo—and later, grapes and walnuts.
Other restaurants have created signature salads—which Delaware chefs love to tweak.
Cobbled together
The Cobb salad was named after Robert Howard Cobb, owner of Los Angeles’ Brown Derby restaurant, who assembled lettuce, tomato, bacon, chicken, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, chives, blue cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette. He came up with the recipe to appease a late-night diner.
Lobster replaces chicken at Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes, and pickled onions lend a pop of pink. “It’s insanely popular,” says chef Maurice Catlett. 34401 Tenley Court, Lewes; 644-2267.
Fried chicken tenders distinguish the Cobb at Stanley’s Tavern in Brandywine Hundred. It’s served with Champagne vinaigrette. 2038 Foulk Road, Wilmington; 475-1887.
Meanwhile, Kid Shelleen’s Charcoal House & Saloon uses turkey instead of chicken. The salad bucks the norm with black olives and a buttermilk ranch dressing. 14th & Scott streets, Wilmington, 658-4600; 1812 Marsh Road, Wilmington; 308-3560.
The Cobb showcases a half-lobster, jumbo shrimp, and lump crab at Columbus Inn. Red onions and green beans are additional ingredients, and horseradish gives the Thousand Island dressing a kick. 2216 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington; 571-1492.
In Centreville, Buckley’s Tavern layers lump and backfin crabmeat in its Cobb. 5812 Kennett Pike, Centreville; 656-9776.
Not surprisingly, The Green House Gastropub in Newark emphasizes the produce. The restaurant’s Farmer’s Cobb salad has baby spinach, smoked bacon, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, blue cheese crumbles, a soft-boiled egg, and red onion. It comes with a warm bacon dressing. 102 E. Main St., Newark; 338-0081.
Like the Cobb, the Caesar salad was a last-minute solution. Caesar Cardini pulled pantry items to prepare a tableside treat at Caesar’s in Tijuana, Mexico. Basic ingredients are romaine lettuce and Parmesan cheese. However, the traditional dressing has anchovies, raw egg, olive oil, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
You can still order a tableside Caesar at Vincente’s Restaurant in Wilmington, where chef Dan Mancari follows in father Vincent Mancari’s footsteps, right down to tossing the cheese into the bowl from across the room. 5914 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington; 543-6451.
Hearth Kitchen uses Little Gem, an heirloom baby romaine that’s sweet, crunchy, and trending. “We’re putting a twist on it with Everything Bagel croutons,” Matyger says. 847 E. Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square; 484-732-8320.
Corner Bistro adds a hard-boiled egg on the plate, and manchego steps in for Parmesan. Owner Mickey Donatello says a chef came up with the egg, and it’s been part of the plating ever since. 3604 Silverside Road, Wilmington; 477-1778.
When Piccolina Toscana opened in 1991, it featured the Kitchen Salad entree—local greens, grilled vegetables, chicken, tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella, egg, prosciutto, crispy onions, and cannellini beans. “It was everything we had in the kitchen already at the time,” says owner Dan Butler. “I don’t think we’ve changed the ingredients since we opened.” 1412 N. Dupont St., Wilmington; 654-8001.
The big salad
Salads that make like a meal are so popular that Pizza by Elizabeths offers the choice of a mini or regular salad—and there are many options, including field greens with seasoned beef filet strips and shrimp. 3801 Kennett Pike, Wilmington; 654-4478.
Originating in the French city of Nice, the Niçoise salad traditionally includes tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, and anchovies or tuna. The Brandywine Brasserie uses sushigrade tuna, pickled haricots, Kalamata olives, fingerling potatoes, a seven-minute egg, and marinated tomatoes. 2000 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington; 240-4700.
Crust & Craft in Rehoboth Beach brought back its octopus salad, made with wood-fired octopus, cannellini beans, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, frisee, and harissa aioli. 18701 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach; 313-5029.
Not all salads have a European influence. Take the Kung Pao fried chicken salad at Thompson Island Brewing Company, which is garnished with crispy wontons. Spicy mayo and soy dressing add an umami heat. 30133 Veterans Way, Rehoboth Beach; 226-4677.
Pizzeria Maki’s poke salad is an artful arrangement of edamame, avocado, cucumber, pickled carrots, crunchy shallots, and daikon spirals. (The protein is extra.) 45 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, 484-800-4976; 4007 Kennett Pike, Suite A, Greenville, 654-8693.
A pretty presentation
No matter the ingredients, they must blend flavors, textures, and colors. “You compose entrees, so why not a salad?” Lhulier asks. “You can’t rush the guy who’s doing salads.”
At Jack’s on Main in Clayton, owner Matthew Schafenberg paints a picture with pistachios, fresh strawberries, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, and red onions. 314 Main St., Clayton; 223-6596.
The revamped Hearth Kitchen features a French-influenced salad with chicory, radicchio, frisee, and butter lettuce. Croutons, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and French dressing are the finishing touches. “It explodes with flavor,” Matyger says.
That’s a good thing. As author Fran Lebowitz once said: “A salad is not a meal. It is a style.”
Related: These Breakfast Sandwiches in Delaware Go Beyond the Basics
