Dishes we love: Canoe’s compressed watermelon salad

In a city where restaurants come and go faster than a MARTA train, Canoe’s ability to last 30 years is no small feat. It has been graced with a stunning location on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Vinings, a long line of illustrious chefs (Gerry Klaskala, Terry Koval), and that elusive “it” factor that brings diners back time and again. “I think we have approachability and consistency—that’s the key,” says Canoe Executive Chef Matthew Basford. “You can’t be here for 30 years if you’re not consistent.”

Photo courtesy of Canoe.

Basford began working at Canoe as a line chef in 2005, and he knows the place inside and out. “I’ve seen it from the bottom looking up, and now from the top looking down,” he says. He didn’t originate the restaurant’s beloved smoked-salmon appetizer or its ever-popular popcorn ice cream sundae. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to touch their recipes. “There’s no point in changing certain things just for change’s sake,” he says. “You don’t fight against it just for pure self-ego.”

One dish he does claim is the compressed watermelon salad, which appears on the menu each summer. The vacuum-sealed creation has real weight to it; you almost need to cut it with a knife. “It has a meaty, tuna-type characteristic,” Basford says. “Compressing it gives it more of a bite.” He tops it with what he calls the “unappreciated combination” of peaches and pistachios. The sum effect? “People who get it are pleasantly surprised. Their vision of a salad is tossed greens; this is more composed. It’s one of our top seasonal dishes.”

Photo courtesy of Canoe

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