Minnesotans don't understand or appreciate a true Caesar salad. At least that's the inevitable conclusion a true aficionado must come to after months of looking for the real deal in our fair cities. For starters, any establishment that can't or won't put real anchovies on top should be required to wear a "hopelessly corrupted by regional preferences" label.
There may not be a lot of authentic Caesars around, but there are some that are ambitious and bold enough to qualify for "beyond authentic" categorization. The Bulldog in Northeast offers just such a salad.
Full romaine leaves are slathered in dressing (we love a dinner salad that you cut yourself with a knife, as if it were a nice big T-Bone steak), and topped with oiled bread cubes and two lovely little deep-fried anchovies. There was so much garlic in the dish that four hours later a friend sniffed the air and delicately asked, "Did you just eat a sandwich?"
