 We take a heart of romaine and we cut the very top off, which is the very leafy, dark green. Here at the restaurant Boucherie, chef Nathaniel Zimmit says caesars are a staple. We have a grill on, we have lettuce, we have parmesan. Cooking lettuce, he admits, is not traditional. But he thinks caesar salad is improved by searing the romaine. It's almost like it locks in the crunch of it. Is it cold? No. Is it hot? No. Is it charred? Absolutely not.