A Memory and A Recipe -- Putsch's 210 Spinach Salad

The Country Club Plaza was and still is, the toney shopping mecca in Kansas City. In my youth, upscale but local merchants filled the Plaza such as Hartzfelds and a neat toy store (Kansas City's version of FAO Schwarz)

But yet, there were more ordinary stores as well -- such as Sears, a bowling alley and a dime store (I think it was Woolworth but it could have been Kresge's).

It was my mother's preferred shopping area and it also was where our doctor's and dentists had their offices. My parents even banked on the Country Club Plaza -- at The Country Club Bank!

And because to my mother, shopping was an occasional outing -- to fill closets with school clothes, to replace worn linens in the linen closet, to do Christmas shopping -- shopping was an all day (or almost) affair and that meant lunch as well. In winter, she went alone, but in summer, we (my brother and I) got to go along -- and our favorite place for lunch was Putsch's cafeteria.

The name Putsch's was a well known food name in Kansas City -- not only for it's cafeteria but also for it's high class restaurant, Putsch's 210. We didn't lunch there but my parents did go there for dinner -- for very special occasions. And, before I was married, a very sophisticated date took me there -- my one and only time.

These were the days before there was an excellent restaurant in every shopping center and before any chef's were nominated for a James Beard Award. Actually, it was before there were ANY James Beard Awards!

It was one of a handful of classy restaurants that served gourmet food.

And a favorite . . . .

Putsch's 210 Spinach Salad . . .


Sometime after the restaurant became Fedora's, the Kansas City Star published the famous 210 Spinach Salad recipe. I, of course, clipped it out. And made it a time or two or three.

But it has graced the pages of my personal recipe collection for almost 2 decades without being made again.

With baby spinach from the farmer's market, I decided to resurrect this wonderful spinach salad. It would go so well with the steak that husband Jim was going to grill for dinner.

I think you can tell that it is a restaurant salad -- for it goes together easily and can be done in steps which is great for entertaining.
With Farmer's Market eggs, cheese, onion and celery, it's a very flavorful salad. The mayonnaise dressing which I enhanced with a hint of horseradish (rather than serving it on the side as it was done at 210) it was a great first course for the steak and vegetables to follow.

Putsch's 210 Spinach Salad

10 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. vinegar
1/2 t. Tabasco sauce
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
3 hard cooked eggs, chopped (I sliced mine)
3/4 cup grated cheese
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. horseradish

Wash spinach and drain well. Sprinkle salt over spinach. Mix vinegar and Tabasco sauce and pour over spinach and toss. Add celery, onion, egg and cheese. Blend in mayonnaise until everything is well coated. Serve with horseradish on the side.

NOTE: I mixed the horseradish in with the mayonnaise.