Food Fight: Best Caesar salad in Chicago
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The smoked trout Caesar at Armitage Ale House. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
As part of our regular Food Fight series, we are hailing the venerable Caesar salad and arguing over the best one.
Here are the top three, according to us:
Monica's pick: While everyone else is ordering the bone marrow pot pie at Armitage Ale House in Lincoln Park, I'm choosing the smoked trout Caesar ($12-$24), showered with a fluffy wig of Parm and flecked with salt & vinegar potato chips.
- The smoked trout stands in for anchovies, creating a smoky but still quite salty affair. Don't try to eat the whole large version alone. It's too much.
Carrie's pick: Let's be honest, a kale salad can sometimes be BS. The leaves aren't massaged enough, and the stems are rampant. But the Kale Caesar ($17) at Zarella in River North does it right. The kale's shredded, but not so finely that it's hard to grab a hearty bite with your fork.
- Enjoy Parm-infused breadcrumbs with a nice salty crunch and red onions that balance a tangy dressing so good I want to drink it.
- I know it's a fight, but man, Monica's salad looks fab. I'm hitting that one next.
Justin's pick: Saving the best for last with a stunning Caesar ($17) from Pizz'amici in West Town.
- The pizza is the star at this hot spot, but don't sleep on this classic salad with greens, pangrattato, a tasty Caesar dressing and the most important ingredient, white anchovies!
The intrigue: Do Monica and Carrie's picks even have white anchovies!? DISQUALIFIED!