For week three of salad month, I’m talking one of my favorite traditional—with lettuce—salads: Columbia Restaurant’s 1905 Salad.
Years ago, St. Petersburg had a Columbia on the third floor of our inverted Pier building: our city’s landmark. The 360-degree view of downtown and Tampa Bay made for the most picturesque place to lunch in the ‘Burg; enjoying traditional Cuban food while watching the dolphins and boats pass by was icing on the cake. And, although I tried many of the menu items at one point or another, my lunch there was always the same: the ‘half and half combo’ with the 1905 salad, gazpacho and some of the best iced tea around. The warm, individual loaf of Cuban bread that came out shortly after your drink arrived was the highlight of the meal–no sharing required.
Alright, so I have waxed poetic long enough. Sadly, the old Pier building was demolished and a new replacement is being built as we speak. I have not heard any talk of Columbia claiming a space at our new pier…sigh. For the record, I realize that there are five other Columbias in the state that I can visit, including the original location in Ybor City; but, not having one so close has been killing me.