Celtuce is not a vegetable we encounter terribly often in this country, but that is our loss. I first encountered it on the menu of a hip restaurant I worked at that lasted about a minute before it closed down (not because of the celtuce dish).
It’s entered my culinary world a few times since, but the best experience I’ve had with it has to be at Wenwen, a laid-back popular Taiwanese restaurant that I had been eager to try in Greenpoint.
Celtuce is a stem-like Chinese vegetable that gets its name from the place where celery and lettuce come together. While it is technically in the lettuce family, it looks and crunches much like celery.
At Wenwen, it’s served as a refreshing crunchy salad. The vegetable slices are enhanced with a dressing of red vinegar, numbing Szechuan peppers, sesame seeds, and lots of garlic. It’s wonderfully balanced and is not over the top with the heat, but gives just a light numbing sensation that is tamed by a hit of sweetness. It was so delicious.
I also enjoyed the addicting popcorn chicken here, but I would have been happy with the heady celtuce salad as my main meal. And how many people in this country can say they had celtuce for dinner? Price: $13
| WENWEN |
| 1025 Manhattan Avenue (between Green and Freeman Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn (646) 901-5644 |
| wenwenbrooklyn.com |
