The good news: Americans are eating more romaine lettuce (full of vitamins) and less iceberg (full of not much).

The bad news: Romaine these days is kind of crummy.

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Grilled romaine, drizzled with vinaigrette or homemade buttermilk dressing, makes a unique summer salad.

"Commercial romaines ... can often have tough, rather leathery huge leaves," says Renee's Garden, a seed company.

Tell us about it.

Government sites tell us that romaine consumption is up because we Americans love us some Caesar salad - the '80s kind, without coddled egg/anchovies and with skinlessbonelessbreast/ranchy dressing. And if demand is up, that means production has to go up ... hence the new monster, leathery, bred-to-ship romaines.

It's unfortunate, because romaine is so good in so many things. Tijuana restaurateur Caesar Cardini ripped up romaine for his famous first Caesar salad in 1924. Sturdy romaine can stand up to tomatoes, cukes and torn-up pitas in fattoush, or to bacon, egg and avocado in Cobb salad. Like iceberg, romaine will stay crisp even on top of a hot taco. Unlike iceberg, romaine actually counts as one of those leafy greens we're supposed to eat. One 8-calorie cup of romaine delivers about half of your daily vitamin K and vitamin A. (Good to keep in mind, for those of us whose kid virtuously counts the leaf of lettuce on her hamburger as one serving of vegetables.)

Get rid of the leather trim, coat the rest in a good Caesar dressing, and supermarket romaine's not half bad. We also like it grilled (see today's recipe) with homemade buttermilk dressing or a vinaigrette, like wilted lettuce salad. Romaine was the lettuce of choice for the ancient Romans, and they - like the medieval popes, the French gastronome Escoffier and the Chinese for centuries - usually ate it cooked.

If you find a farmer's market or anyone with locally grown romaine, go for it. Our weekly hook-up, the Monroe County Farm Market, recently had a glut of organic romaine for $1.50 a head - less leathery, tastes great.

Reach Robert J. Byers at robby...@wvgazette.com or 348-1236. Reach Tara Tuckwiller at t...@wvgazette.com or 348-5189.

The Main Tip

Lettuce is one of the top 10 produce items for pesticide residue, according to Environmental Working Group tests (www.foodnews.org). Look for organic varieties.

Grilled Romaine with Sweet Onion Vinaigrette (serves 2)

 1 head romaine lettuce

The bad news: Romaine these days is kind of crummy.

We're not the only ones who've noticed. "Don't try to use the leathery part of the romaine leaves," cautions a Syrian cooking site trying to concoct a decent fattoush salad.

"Commercial romaines ... can often have tough, rather leathery huge leaves," says Renee's Garden, a seed company.

Tell us about it.

Government sites tell us that romaine consumption is up because we Americans love us some Caesar salad - the '80s kind, without coddled egg/anchovies and with skinlessbonelessbreast/ranchy dressing. And if demand is up, that means production has to go up ... hence the new monster, leathery, bred-to-ship romaines.

It's unfortunate, because romaine is so good in so many things. Tijuana restaurateur Caesar Cardini ripped up romaine for his famous first Caesar salad in 1924. Sturdy romaine can stand up to tomatoes, cukes and torn-up pitas in fattoush, or to bacon, egg and avocado in Cobb salad. Like iceberg, romaine will stay crisp even on top of a hot taco. Unlike iceberg, romaine actually counts as one of those leafy greens we're supposed to eat. One 8-calorie cup of romaine delivers about half of your daily vitamin K and vitamin A. (Good to keep in mind, for those of us whose kid virtuously counts the leaf of lettuce on her hamburger as one serving of vegetables.)

Get rid of the leather trim, coat the rest in a good Caesar dressing, and supermarket romaine's not half bad. We also like it grilled (see today's recipe) with homemade buttermilk dressing or a vinaigrette, like wilted lettuce salad. Romaine was the lettuce of choice for the ancient Romans, and they - like the medieval popes, the French gastronome Escoffier and the Chinese for centuries - usually ate it cooked.

If you find a farmer's market or anyone with locally grown romaine, go for it. Our weekly hook-up, the Monroe County Farm Market, recently had a glut of organic romaine for $1.50 a head - less leathery, tastes great.

Reach Robert J. Byers at robby...@wvgazette.com or 348-1236. Reach Tara Tuckwiller at t...@wvgazette.com or 348-5189.

The Main Tip

Lettuce is one of the top 10 produce items for pesticide residue, according to Environmental Working Group tests (www.foodnews.org). Look for organic varieties.

Grilled Romaine with Sweet Onion Vinaigrette (serves 2)

 1 head romaine lettuce

 2 tablespoons minced sweet onion

 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 1 clove garlic, minced

 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

 Freshly ground black pepper

 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon

HEAT a gas or charcoal grill to high heat.

REMOVE a few of the outer romaine leaves (reserve for another use or discard), until only the heart - the tightly compacted inner leaves - remains. Slice the romaine heart in half vertically through the core. Rinse any grit that may have accumulated near the core. Dry the romaine halves and brush all over with 1 teaspoon olive oil.

MIX onion, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a small container with a lid. Add remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, replace lid and shake vigorously or until dressing is thoroughly mixed.

PLACE romaine halves cut-side down on grill. Cook for 1 minute, or until grill marks appear. Turn romaine halves and grill for another minute.

SERVE warm, cut side up, drizzled with dressing.

Nutrition information: (Per serving): 168 calories, 130 calories from fat, 15 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 147 milligrams sodium, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram sugar, 4 grams fiber.