Spring’s warmth is crossing quickly into summer’s heat this year.  As inevitable as oak pollen and intermittent flash flooding, my craving for “meal” salads arrives with the buckmoth caterpillars, and it doesn’t depart until gumbo weather returns in October.  Fortunately, La Divina’s Garden District location (3005 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA) read my mind:  last Saturday’s special was a grilled shrimp salad.

Fat, head-on (but peeled) shrimp rested on avocado, endive, and matchstick radishes, all swathed in a citrus vinaigrette.  Contrasting textures reinforced the variety of layered tastes, making it the antithesis of the bag-lettuce-drowned-in-cruddy-dressing species of salad often found in casual restaurants.  The thoughtfully composed, $9 salad easily could have appeared in any fine dining venue in the city–high praise for food emerging from an ice cream shop.  (For the record, I followed it up with salted caramel and milk chocolate toffee gelato.)

Back in December, La Divina hired chef Mia Calamia (who previously handled pastry at  Patois and Herbsaint) to oversee its savory food and pastry offerings.  The weekend salad special is ample evidence of her attention to detail.  I’m looking forward to other salad creations from her hands…

Tomorrow:  another salad full of big flavors…