Meal To deal

A few weeks ago my roommate Tom and I successfully recreated Hominy Grill’s famous shrimp and grits. Satisfied internally but not mentally, we agreed it was just too easy.
If you’re going to bounce around town, indulging in the best of foodstuff, only to recreate it in your own kitchen, you might as well have the guts to challenge yourself. So this week I decided to go for something more testing, something a bit more elemental.
There aren’t many salads I would call irresistible; the mesclun at Rue de Jean, for the sweeter side of salad, maybe.  
But sitting down in Monza, the downtown holder of the Neapolitan niche, the rest of the menu becomes hazy.  Only their absurdly good Caesar salad stands out.    
Like a human Pavlov’s dog, if you’ve had this salad, your mouth will water.  A craving for crunchy croutons, parmigiano reggiano of the highest caliber, a perfectly balanced dressing and crisp romaine.  All topped off with a soft-boiled local farm egg.  That’s good eating.
Not actually named after Julius Caesar, it is easy to lose faith in the king of salads. Many times I have been served a soggy plate of wilted greens, seemingly rolled into a dollop of mayonnaise, topped with some Kraft cheese, put on the line and presented by a waiter with understandable hesitance. 
So here’s to Monza, the Caesar’s redeemer, making me a greener eater every time I walk through their doors.
Much more than a pile of greens in a bowl, it’s the synergy of the thing, more about ratios than anything else.  Like a pizza, the Caesar salad exists on a landscape of quality: the good, the bad and the ugly. 
It’s a combination of simple ingredients that can go quickly awry or oh, so right. Monza’s is served as an appetizer or main course, with shrimp or chicken.  Fresh, crisp lettuce is tossed in a salty, spicy dressing.  You can leave the mayo in the fridge. It’s topped with fresh cracked pepper, grated parmesan,  and my favorite part, the soft-boiled egg -- the king upon his throne.  It’s a delicate mixture, potentially dangerous, hopefully delicious.  We decided to give it a try.
Of course, the dressing must come first. Toss a few roasted garlic cloves in a food processor, olive oil for its robust flavor, red wine vinegar for tartness. Grab some quality anchovy paste and add it to the mix; use sparingly, that stuff packs a punch. With impeccably clean hands, separate an egg yolk, sprinkle some pepper and give it a spin. Test it out before putting it in the fridge. It took us a few tries.
On to the lettuce. I think you’ve got that part.
For croutons, I used sliced French bread, brushed with olive oil and crisped in the oven. 
Soft boiling an egg is a challenge in itself, frustrating as can be. Don’t let the egg crack when you drop it in the saucepan. The rest is up to you and Google.
For the Monza experience, turn on some trance music or an Indy car race, and sit in an uncomfortable chair. Or you can enjoy it your way, you are at home after all.