Dishes of the Year: Artisan Greens Salad at Peterson's

Of all the slow-roasted, fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth dishes that I sampled as a food writer this past year, probably the most surprising dish I had was a salad at Peterson’s (7690 E. 96th St., Fishers, 317-598-8863). Anyone who’s dined with me knows I’m not an especially dainty eater, but this artfully plated toss of red oak leaf lettuce, frisée, and other delicate greens hits on every textural and flavor note: the rich tang of goat cheese, sweet cranberries, and candied pecans, and a bracing balsamic dressing. But the kicker comes in the form of microscopically thin shavings of root vegetables—sometimes rutabagas or carrot, often parsnips, usually beets—that crackle in your mouth for a second and then disappear into the barest earthy hint of the dirt they were grown in.

See more Dishes of the Year here. This article appeared in Menu Guide 2014.