Restaurant That Invented Caesar Salad Closes
The storied birthplace of the Caesar salad, the Caesar Restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, tossed its last bowl of romaine last week. Legend has it that the concoction was invented in the 1920s by accident, inspired by leftover lettuce, garlic, anchovies, olive oil, wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, egg yolks, croutons and parmesan. And the man behind the magic wasn't Julius Caesar—it was an Italian immigrant in Mexico named Caesar Cardini. According to the Associated Press, the restaurant wasn't able to pay rent anymore with the local tourism-dependent economy so devastated by swine flu, crime, and drug violence.
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7 Comments:
There is just something very sad about this.
jpolk at 11:56AM on 09/21/09
Sad indeed. Thanks to the Cardini family for one of my favorite foods.
badbear at 12:06PM on 09/21/09
Maybe they can move across the border?!
calico at 1:58PM on 09/21/09
Sad. Though I don't think I've been to the Caesar Restaurant, I recall many great meals in Tijuana--far beyond "Mexican food"--when I used to live across the border in San Diego. Many capable chefs there in many cuisines. But the town's situation has gotten out of hand in recent years.
Lorenzo at 3:29PM on 09/21/09
and a historical landmark has been closed,
being closed because of the swine flu and crime... truly sad
niicou at 7:23PM on 09/21/09
All these years and I never realized the yummy Cardini bottled caesar dressing was related to the original caesar salad. Sheesh!
The restaurant may be closed but the legendary salad will live on.
RIP Caesar's.
kayrob at 10:12PM on 09/21/09
On a similar note, we just got word that El Moderno restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico, just closed down, also victim to the crime wave and decreased tourism. My wife is from the border town across the river and we'd eat there all the time -- I was floored the first time I saw the plaque there talking about how one of their chefs invented nachos.
Technically, nachos were invented at a restaurant Nacho Anaya worked at earlier, but he then went on to work at the Moderno, and they still served his recipe up until today.
The closest thing we've found to them in New York are the "Nachos Vestidos" at El Parador.
moth23 at 12:57AM on 09/22/09