Caesar Shift

Caesar is an especially compelling landing place for black garlic. The salad already relies on a savory flavor profile, giving black garlic a natural opening to amplify umami while adding sweetness, earthiness and complexity. Its dramatic color can bring visual intrigue, too, helping differentiate a format consumers already know well.

At 101 Craft Kitchen, with locations in Ohio, the Black Garlic Caesar Salad combines shredded kale and romaine hearts with focaccia croutons, Parmesan, balsamic glaze and black garlic Caesar dressing, using the ingredient to put a distinctive signature on the familiar favorite.

Philadelphia’s Honeysuckle takes the idea even further with its Black Caesar, named for the 1973 film. Romaine, radicchio and little gem lettuces are accompanied by pickled shallots and Parmesan, while smoked herring and house-fermented black garlic step in for the traditional dressing of anchovy and fresh garlic. Cured egg yolk and breadcrumbs made from the restaurant’s shokupan finish a Caesar that uses black garlic as part of a broader reinvention of the classic.