Side dishes front and center
Slaws and salads stand out for July 4 celebrations.
Independence Day is the day we celebrate America.
So why do our celebrations favor a microscopic subset of the vast hodgepodge of iconic dishes that have come to represent American cuisine?
Not that there’s anything wrong with hamburgers and hot dogs. But we’ve produced far too many uniquely brilliant culinary creations over the course of our history to let a small handful of them hog the spotlight.
So, as we first did last year, let’s take a moment to honor 10 more iconic American foods that can be found around the Valley, from wildly popular to bordering on obscure. Some are American riffs on dishes brought from overseas; some are unique products of our fields and shores.
But all of them are delicious, and all of them are American.
New England Clam Chowder — The Salt Cellar
Arguments about what constitutes a “proper” chowder are merely evidence of the dish’s importance to American cuisine. For the purposes of this piece, we’ll limit our scope to the white, dairy-based variant. Chowder has been traced, etymologically speaking, to the shores of France, but it’s the bivalve-laden beaches of New England where the dish became an icon. I’m not immune to the pasty charms of a cup that makes your spoon stand straight up. But nothing compares to a thin, milky, Boston-style clam chowder that balances briny clams, sweet pork and tender vegetables in a light and flavorful broth. Here in the Valley, I’ve yet to find a better representation of the style than the one found at The Salt Cellar.
Details: The Salt Cellar, 550 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. 480-947-1963, saltcellar restaurant.com.
Fried Cheese Curds — CheezHeadz and Casey Jones Grill
At the intersection of dairy and deepfried obsession sit fried cheese curds, America’s squeakiest paean to excess. North of the border, fresh cheese curds that squeak when you bite them are most popularly paired with fries and poutine