Celebrating the last of the winter saladsI’m not someone who usually seeks out salads in my daily life, mostly because I fear they won’t be filling enough and, in part, because I think the greens that fuel the salad industrial complex — romaine, little gem, iceberg, subpar arugula — are so, so boring. But when I’m playing Nikita the Restaurant Writer, I always order a salad. This is usually my last chance to enjoy something “light” before the heaviness of the rest of the meal falls on me like a ton of delicious, buttery bricks. Which brings me to my point: In the course of my recent restaurant outings, I felt moved to declare that the best salads are winter salads. These depend on chicories, arriving in hues of purple, red, pink, green and yellow, and are dressed to the gods with citrus, vinaigrettes, nuts and any number of accouterments. A winter salad on its worst day is better than any Caesar or wedge on its best. So, I invite you to savor the last of the winter salads while there’s still time — or at least seek out the most interesting salads possible the next time you’re cosplaying a restaurant writer. Also, we’re trying out a new format for the newsletter and we’d love your feedback. Send us an email at wheretoeat@nytimes.com. Confetti salad at Pitt’s
The gist: The newest restaurant from the chef Jeremy Salamon of Agi’s Counter fame, which took over the space that was formerly home to Fort Defiance. The vibes are cozy and rustic, and there’s a fancy cocktail selection from a Momofuku Ssam Bar alum. The menu leans Southern, a nod to Salamon’s time spent cooking in North Carolina. Why you should order this: The confetti salad ($17) is your last pit stop on the road to Sleepytown, because the menu at this restaurant is meat-forward and Southern-leaning (pork chops, lamb rumps, et cetera). It features a tasty array of purple and yellow-green endive topped with a “confetti” of diced green apples, Cheddar, biting red onions and pickled peppers under a bracing vinaigrette. But the best part is the crunch of the roasted peanuts they shower on the salad, a stunning reminder of the power of a toasty legume. It’s everything a salad should be and then some. A word of advice: Every single dessert at Pitt’s is incredible, but none more so than the pancake soufflé. You’re required to order it at the beginning of the meal because soufflés are always made à la minute. Also, Pitt’s has a kid’s menu for little gourmands! Open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner. 347 Van Brunt Street (Wolcott Street) Citrus salad at Zimmi’s
The gist: With flight prices as high as they are, Zimmi’s might be the closest any of us come to the south of France this year. The bistro-y restaurant is tucked into our most aesthetically European neighborhood — the West Village — with a menu inspired by the chef Maxime Pradié’s childhood summers in the Provence region. That means a menu with dishes like barbajuan, pissaladière and ratatouille. Why you should order this: If you’re a maniac for citrus, there are few salads that bet big on the fruit like the one at Zimmi’s. Based on availability, you can expect a mix of Cara Cara, blood orange, tangelos, oroblanco, navel, Meyer lemons and pomelo under a few glugs of good olive oil, mint, olives, capers and white balsamic vinegar. The citrus salad ($22) isn’t on the restaurant’s online menu, but I have it on good authority that it’s staying put for at least another month. A word of advice: Bar Pisellino count your days! A few days ago, the Zimmi’s folks began posting on the Instagram account for Bar à Part, an upcoming cafe and wine bar at the same location on Bedford Street. Apparently they’re looking to open the bar in the next two months, just in time for the height of l’été. 72 Bedford Street (Commerce Street) Sunn’s salad at Sunn’s
The gist: After years of pop-ups under the name Banchan by Sunny, the chef Sunny Lee finally opened her first permanent restaurant in December in the Dimes Square Autonomous Zone. The Sunn’s space is cozy and as narrow as a railroad apartment, but doesn’t feel penned in. Lee is still making her signature seasonal banchan while serving more fortifying takes on classic Korean dishes. Why you should order this: The Sunn’s salad ($18) starts at the bottom with a generous swipe of whipped silken tofu made nutty with sesame oil and tahini. That acts as a kind of culinary glue for a ring of Treviso leaves, which form perfect little vessels for thin slices of Asian pear, sweet persimmon, pickled radish and (my favorite part) lotus root. In case your server fails to tell you, this salad is meant to be eaten with your hands — conduct yourself accordingly. A word of advice: Don’t be deterred by the lack of reservations on Resy. I set up a notification alert for open reservations one weekend and so many tables became available. (New Yorkers truly are the world’s flakiest diners.) Sunn’s is open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner. 139 Division Street (Canal Street) One Reader QuestionMy husband is reluctantly embracing a gluten-free lifestyle. But his kryptonite is sugar: chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon roll buns, pastries. Where can we find good (actually good) gluten-free sweet treats in the city? — Allie Bogus Your husband and I have the same weakness because I am always thinking about my next sweet treat. First, I’d recommend the Seven Grams Caffe chain, which makes an especially mean gluten free (and vegan) dark chocolate chip cookie, as well as flourless brownie bites. Then there’s Post Card Bakery in the West Village, where the entire menu is gluten-free and nut-free so he can enjoy everything on the menu — raspberry mochi doughnuts, yuzu sandwich cookies, lemon buns or orange fruit sandos — without worrying about gluten land mines. Seven Grams Caffe, multiple locations Postcard Bakery, 31-33 Carmine Street (Bleecker Street) Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have New York City restaurant questions? Send us a note at here. Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
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