The Salad "Wedge" Phenomenon

[Micca]

I've noticed more restaurants now offer a "wedge" salad. Instead of a chopped, tossed salad, they bring out about a 1/3 head of lettuce with some dressing on it. What's up with that?

My guess is that because they don't chop/toss the lettuce that it stays fresh longer, and of course it saves labor.

DW orders these sometimes and I'm always tempted to say "hey, you forgot to make a SALAD from the lettuce."

What's next? A whole fried potato from which you can cut your own french fries?

 

[Christine]

This style of "salad" is all the rage. I do think it is some revival of some 60s/70s salad dish.

I was at the Wegman's salad bar the other day and they had the wedges there beside the regular lettuce.

 

[luvmy3]

Who knew I was doing something uber trendy long before it was. I've always enjoyed a nice chunk of iceberg lettuce with a little bit of dressing. I don't like iceberg in my salads though, I'm a spring mix kinda girl

 

[jsmith]

not a new thing-it was the hieght of chic in 50s and 60s steak houses.

 

[Rora]

Ehh.. doesn't sound very good, IMO.

 

[Wish_I_Was_At_WDW]

I remember going to a dinner show at the Las Vegas Hilton in the '70's and I can't remember anything else about the dinner except getting served this big chunk of lettuce with dressing! I thought it was very cool at the time!

 

[lillygator]

we went to Ruth Chris once and DH was pretty surprised at the wedge salad.....personally I like my chopped up with lots of veggies...

 

[princesspiglet]

This is a pet peeve of mine. I recently went to McCormick & Schmidts for lunch and ordered a grilled chicken caeser salad. It came out with 2 full leaves of romaine lettuce and a whole grilled chicken breast on top of the lettuce. Dressing, croutons and parm cheese were all in little cups on the side. I paid $13 for this freaking salad and you want me to make it???

I have no problem speaking up, so I ask my waiter what I was supposed to do with this salad and he said, "we allow our customers to put their salads together so they can best accomodate themselves". I laughed and said, "that's a bunch of crock-your just too lazy to put it together yourself."

I did take the darn salad and make it myself though. I complained to the manager on the way out and he stated that he has heard this from others and will my suggestions it into consideration. He then gave me a coupon for a free dinner, which I will not be using!

 

[pooh4evr]

Everything old is new again or "retro", or "vintage"" even salads!

 

[luvmy3]

This is a pet peeve of mine. I recently went to McCormick & Schmidts for lunch and ordered a grilled chicken caeser salad. It came out with 2 full leaves of romaine lettuce and a whole grilled chicken breast on top of the lettuce. Dressing, croutons and parm cheese were all in little cups on the side. I paid $13 for this freaking salad and you want me to make it???

I have no problem speaking up, so I ask my waiter what I was supposed to do with this salad and he said, "we allow our customers to put their salads together so they can best accomodate themselves". I laughed and said, "that's a bunch of crock-your just too lazy to put it together yourself."

I did take the darn salad and make it myself though. I complained to the manager on the way out and he stated that he has heard this from others and will my suggestions it into consideration. He then gave me a coupon for a free dinner, which I will not be using!

That is odd considering a Caeser salad is made up of specific components. WTH would anyone that didn't want what came in it order it I think you are right, they were just lazy.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Easy......

A wedge of lettuce costs a FRACTION of the produce and labor needed to serve a nice tossed style salad with nice ingredients and toppings.

It is nothing short of a major cut-back and being cheap.

And to think that high-end steakhouses who actually charge a huge chunk of cash extra are doing this...

Follow the $$$$$$$

 

[Micca]

This is a pet peeve of mine. I recently went to McCormick & Schmidts for lunch and ordered a grilled chicken caeser salad. It came out with 2 full leaves of romaine lettuce and a whole grilled chicken breast on top of the lettuce. Dressing, croutons and parm cheese were all in little cups on the side. I paid $13 for this freaking salad and you want me to make it???

I have no problem speaking up, so I ask my waiter what I was supposed to do with this salad and he said, "we allow our customers to put their salads together so they can best accomodate themselves". I laughed and said, "that's a bunch of crock-your just too lazy to put it together yourself."

I did take the darn salad and make it myself though. I complained to the manager on the way out and he stated that he has heard this from others and will my suggestions it into consideration. He then gave me a coupon for a free dinner, which I will not be using!

...I'be paying the $13 plus tip in quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. I'm sure you can accomodate yourself!

 

[princesspiglet]

...I'be paying the $13 plus tip in quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. I'm sure you can accomodate yourself!

I should have done that!

I did leave a crummy tip, not because of the salad because I don't think the waiter had any control of it, but because of his superior attitude towards me and my guest. I left him $1.00-so he knew I didn't forgot- and a little note that said, "next time, adjust your attitude and your tip will be adjusted accordingly".

 

[DVC Sadie]

not a new thing-it was the hieght of chic in 50s and 60s steak houses.

Yep it was very chi chi.

I love a wedge of lettuce with shaved onion on top with a little bit of blue cheese dressing on the side. Charlie's Steak House had this on their menu for years. Heavenly, just heavenly. Oh the steak was excellent too.

 

[minniecarousel]

wow - who knew that growing up, my family was hoity-toity! In a family of ten, my Mom would sometimes take a head lettuce (or maybe two!) and cut them into wedges. It was up to us to drizzle on some salad dressing (usually homemade Thousand Island) and cut it ourselves.

I was surprised to see it more on menus these days. I thought - hey, my Mom wasn't the only one who got tired of ripping up lettuce!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

not a new thing-it was the hieght of chic in 50s and 60s steak houses.

 

[HM]

Yuck. Iceburg lettuce is awful (no flavor) and to have it by itself, with no other accompaniments besides dressing is just wrong. I would never order it.

 

[robinb]

This is a pet peeve of mine. I recently went to McCormick & Schmidts for lunch and ordered a grilled chicken caeser salad. It came out with 2 full leaves of romaine lettuce and a whole grilled chicken breast on top of the lettuce. Dressing, croutons and parm cheese were all in little cups on the side. I paid $13 for this freaking salad and you want me to make it???

I have no problem speaking up, so I ask my waiter what I was supposed to do with this salad and he said, "we allow our customers to put their salads together so they can best accomodate themselves". I laughed and said, "that's a bunch of crock-your just too lazy to put it together yourself."

I did take the darn salad and make it myself though. I complained to the manager on the way out and he stated that he has heard this from others and will my suggestions it into consideration. He then gave me a coupon for a free dinner, which I will not be using!

Just curious, did you ask for anything special when you ordered the salad ... like the dressing on the side? My guess is that many people will order a chicken salad at a steak house in order to have a calorie-light meal. Serving the items in little bowls allows those watching their calorie intake to add as much dressing or cheese as they would like v/s the regularly dressing laden Caesar. I wouldn't have minded putting together my own salad, but I would have ordered red meat at a steak house to begin with!

Oh, and I love lettuce wedges. There is something about the *crunch* of a wedge of iceburg lettuce that really appeals to me and I don't usually eat iceburg .

 

[Tikitoi]

I LOVE the Wedge Salad at Outback!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

This is nothing new. I was eating this when I was kid fighting off the dinosaurs.

I prefer darker greens like leaf lettuce or Romanine. Iceberg is tasteless to me.

DVC Sadie, is that Charlie's Steak House in Greenville, SC? There is one there that is the "Old school" steakhouse, it has been there forever. I'm sure it's not the only steakhouse named after a Charlie.