Friday, November 22, 2019

My Favorite Salad Ever -- from The Tomato Head

Missy Tippens

This post is not going to be very long, because my favorite salad ever is from a restaurant, and I can't find the recipe for the dressing!

The good news is that my son is moving back to Atlanta this weekend! He's heading back to Georgia Tech, starting graduate school in January to get his PhD in Space and Planetary Physics and will start working on campus after Thanksgiving. The bad news is that we won't be regularly visiting Knoxville, TN, anymore, so I won't get to eat at The Tomato Head (sob!!).

When I recently visited him, he knew where I would want to go for lunch. He said it was a given. haha So I took a loving last photo of my very favorite salad ever, their Caesar (with Benton's Bacon added).



This amazing salad is made of romaine, mushrooms, black olives, and parmesan.

I could assemble these ingredients. I could even order Benton's Bacon.

But I cannot for the life of me find a recipe for the dressing, which is unlike any Caesar dressing I've ever had. It's more tart and vinegary (not really creamy at all). Maybe I'll call them and beg for it.

I did search and find that they've shared a lot of recipes online. You can check by clicking here. But you won't find the Caesar.

I did discover they use balsamic vinegar in some of their dressings, so I think I will do a little playing around in the kitchen to see if I can come close. If I ever do, I'll be sure to share it!

In the meantime, I may have to make the 3-1/2 hour trip when I'm craving this forever favorite. :) (Hmmm, I wonder if my son could bring me a salad in a cooler while moving??)

Salad dressing or not, we're thrilled to have him close by once again! As my oldest son once said about me: I love having all my chicks home. :)

www.missytippens.com

9 comments:

  1. Oh, Missy, that salad looks good! And Caesar dressing, which should be so simple, has a gazillion variations... but I bet this would be good with a raspberry or poppy seed dressing, too.

    Now I want salad!

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    1. Ruthy, it would be good with just about any dressing. They have the best romaine lettuce I've ever tasted. I'm sure it's local. Just wish I knew where to buy it! I did go to the Benton's site and may order some bacon (although the shipping cost is very expensive).

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  2. Oh.
    Wait.

    Congratulations on raising a real life rocket scientist!!!!!

    WOWZA!!!!

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    1. LOL! Yep. Years ago, when he was probably in middle school, I wrote a hero in one book who did something similar, and I dedicated the book to my budding aerospace engineer. Well, he came close!!

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  3. Ah -- the bittersweet homecoming! You get the son but not the dressing. Wait...if he's brilliant enough to be an aerospace engineer he should be brilliant enough to figure out the ingredients in that dressing!

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  4. I know you will love having your son close by again!

    And I understand the loss of a favorite restaurant... There was a Thai place in Kansas that I just loved, but haven't found anything close since we moved away. Memories of my favorite dishes just don't cut it!

    Hmm...maybe I'll have to learn how to cook Thai food!

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    1. Jan, I love Thai food! I have collected several recipes, but when I have a craving, we tend to just go to our favorite restaurants. :) Someday, I'll try one of those recipes and share it. My favorite item that I get just about every time is massaman curry with chicken. I also often get the fresh basil rolls. YUM.

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