Phoenix’s 18 Most Iconic Dishes

"When chef Bernie Kantak left Cowboy Ciao to open Citizen Public House, he brought the Stetson chopped salad he invented with him. An informal custody battle ensued until Cowboy Ciao closed its doors in 2018, but Kantak’s famous salad survived. Now called the “Original” chopped salad, it lives on at Citizen as well as at Kantak’s Camelback Corridor restaurant — the Gladly. It’s a colorful mix of ingredients that play well together — smoked salmon, arugula, pearl couscous, pepitas, dried sweet corn, and marinated tomatoes — arranged in neat rows, sprinkled with Asiago cheese and tossed table-side in herbaceous buttermilk dressing. Salty, sweet, and loaded with texture, it’s the kind of salad that invites imitation; indeed, the recipe — in some form or other — has been posted on the internet repeatedly. But why make it at home, when you can eat the original “Original”?" - Nikki Buchanan, Chris Malloy