The salads at North Woods Inn are not the kind you forget after a meal at a restaurant. There are the bright, tangy red cabbage salad in its distinctive purple hue, and the crisp green salad dressed with rich blue cheese dressing. They are very different personality-wise, but together they are part of what makes the restaurant experience so recognisable.
This North Woods Inn salad recipe is inspired by those familiar flavours. The appeal is not a long list of fancy toppings. It’s the difference between assertive dressing, crunchy vegetables and the hearty foods they are usually served with.
If you are replicating at home, the first thing you need to know is that North Woods Inn has 2 different salads. Keeping the distinction clear helps you choose the right dressing and get closer to the flavour you are trying to recreate.
What is North Woods Inn Salad?
North Woods Inn is affiliated with Clearman’s restaurants in Southern California, whose rustic dining ambiance and heft of meals have become part of the restaurant’s persona.
Of the salads, two are especially well known. One is a zippy red cabbage salad and the other a green salad with blue cheese dressing. Though they often go together, they’re not the same preparation.
The cabbage salad is more pungent and has a firm, crisp texture. The green salad provides a softer contrast with the richness and tang of blue cheese dressing.
Homemade copycat recipes may attempt to recreate both or focus on one of these salads. That’s why two recipes with the same North Woods Inn name can look surprisingly different.
The North Woods Inn Salad: What’s the Big Deal?
Much of the appeal is that these salads have more personality than a typical side salad of lettuce and bottled dressing. The cabbage salad is very tangy and the blue cheese salad is creamy and rich.
The contrast is even more enjoyable with warm cheese bread, another food strongly associated with the restaurant. One meal with crunchy vegetables, creamy dressing and warm savoury bread.
For those who remember eating at North Woods Inn, those tastes are tied to a certain dining experience. It’s more than just making a salad, recreating them at home is about getting close to something familiar.
The secret to a good copycat is balance. Your dressing should have personality, but not so much acidity or saltiness that it overpowers the vegetables.
What is in the North Woods Inn Salad Dressing?
Depends on what kind of salad you’re making. The red cabbage salad is served with a tangy, seasoned dressing, and the green salad is known for its blue cheese dressing.
Homemade red cabbage copycats tend to go with vinegar-based dressings, with seasonings that give a sharp, savoury flavour. Exact ratios vary and an online copycat should not be taken as gospel for the restaurant’s formula.
Blue cheese dressing is a different texture. Its creamy base mellows the cheese and offers a luxurious coating for the crisp lettuce.
If you want to get that restaurant experience, don’t go overboard on the strength of the dressing. An overpoweringly salty blue cheese dressing or an extremely acidic cabbage salad can throw it off.
The vegetables should still have a flavour and texture of their own.
What Types of Cabbage Are in the North Woods Inn Salad?
Red cabbage, or purple cabbage, is the normal choice for the restaurant’s sauerkraut salad.
Its sturdier texture, relative to many salad greens, makes it a good candidate for a strongly flavoured dressing. Its natural crunchiness also helps to keep the salad interesting with hearty dishes.
Another important detail is colour. Red cabbage has pigments that change with acidity, so the colour can change with the dressing.
You can use green cabbage in a lot of salads, but it won’t look the same and it won’t taste the same. If you want to have the cabbage salad of the North Woods Inn, red cabbage is the closer match.
Select a cabbage that is heavy for its size, with crisp leaves and no bad odour.
Tips for Making the Most Authentic Copycat North Woods Inn Salad Every Time
The cabbage texture deserves as much attention as the dressing. Thick pieces can be awkward to eat and ultra-fine shreds can sometimes lose some of that satisfying crunch.
Fresh cabbage makes a difference too. The older leaves can get dry around the edges and a strong dressing won’t fully disguise that loss of freshness.
Watch out for the blue cheese on the green salad. Some are relatively mild and creamy, while others are sharper and saltier. That makes a great deal of difference in the dressing.
Don’t assume that more dressing automatically improves the salad. The vegetables should be coated enough to carry the flavour, but not swimming in excess liquid.
And serving temperature is important too. A good chilled salad provides a refreshing contrast to warm cheese bread, steak or roasted meat.
What Ingredients are in a Classic North Woods Inn Salad?
The old favourites are pretty straightforward and that’s part of the appeal. The red cabbage salad is mostly about the cabbage and its tart dressing, not an elaborate variety of toppings.
The green salad gets much of its character from the blue cheese dressing. Variations on the homemade may have extra vegetables, but the dressing is the main flavour.
If you like croutons, nuts or other toppings, definitely add those. But remember these additions take the salad further away from the usual restaurant-style look.
To create a recognisable copycat, balance the dressing and keep the vegetables fresh — more important than adding decorative extras.
What Goes With North Woods Inn Salad
Cheese bread is one of the most natural pairings, as it is so closely related to the restaurant experience. The warm, savoury bread is especially good with the tart cabbage salad.
Steak and roasted chicken are good, too. The acidity of the cabbage is a nice foil to rich meat and blue cheese dressing can be a good match for those grilled flavours.
For a lighter meal, serve the salad with a simple sandwich or grilled chicken. The dressing is very flavourful on its own, so the main dish does not have to be complicated.
If you’re serving both salads, smaller portions of each will let your guests experience the contrast without piling too much dressing on their plates.
How to Save Leftover North Woods Inn Salad
The cabbage salad is generally stored differently from the green salad. Red cabbage is tough, but will mellow as it sits in dressing.
Lettuce is more delicate and wilts rapidly when dressed. If you want to make the green salad in advance, it’s best to keep the vegetables and blue cheese dressing separate for the sake of texture.
Homemade blue cheese dressing contains perishable dairy ingredients and should be refrigerated. Keep prepared salads at 40°F (4°C) or lower.
To get the best eating experience, don’t keep dressed lettuce any longer than you have to. Even if stored properly in the refrigerator, its texture can degrade quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions About North Woods Inn Salad
North Woods Inn salad with red cabbage?
One of the restaurant’s signature salads is made with red cabbage, but North Woods Inn is also known for a separate green salad with blue cheese dressing. Both are attached to the restaurant. Find out what version your recipe is meant to recreate.
Yes, you can use bottled blue cheese dressing.
Bottled dressing is convenient, yes, but the taste and consistency may not be the same as a homemade restaurant-style version. Some are mild and sweet, and others are much stronger with their blue cheese flavour. Pick one that fits the result you are trying to achieve.
Can I prepare the cabbage salad in advance?
Cabbage is tough enough to stand up to dressing better than delicate lettuce, so some advance preparation is possible. But it will keep changing texture as it sits. Follow the chilling and storage instructions for your specific recipe and don’t assume that longer marinating is necessarily better.
Is this the restaurant’s exact recipe?
A homemade copycat is an interpretation unless the recipe is from an official verified source. It’s not about pilfering the restaurant’s secret recipe, it’s about bringing back the familiar tastes and textures.
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