The Florida Hotel That Serves A House Salad Topped With Ice Cream

Though a small Gulf Coast island might not seem like a foodie destination, Cedar Key has become an attraction for unique recipes. One — a heart of palm salad — is plated not simply with dressing but with a scoop of ice cream on top. Though the presentation may sound like some sort of lunchtime dare, the assembly is no mistake. Diners have noted that the dish might sound odd, but it is good. "That palm salad is amazing!" wrote a fan on Facebook. "Ugh! I can taste this and now I want one," added another.

Cedar Key's Island Hotel lays claim to the birthplace of this mysterious dish, naming Bessie Gibbs as the creator. For $14, the ice-cream garnished salad is served topped with seasonal fruits and sugared dates. The cool treat on top is often a fruity sherbet, but peanut butter ice cream has also been known to top plates. Hearts of palm is a Florida staple with a taste compared to chestnuts and artichokes, and when paired with a creamy, cool treat, the natural sweetness of the ingredient steps forward. The salad is both sweet and savory; as a result, it is something that isn't quite a dessert yet also not entirely an appetizer. It is a recipe of its own.

The heart of palm salad has been known to sell out at the Island Hotel, where the establishment serves up not only the salad but stories. Guests have noted beautiful antiques and appreciate the history surrounding the hotel, including a room where Jimmy Buffett once stayed. One visitor noted a bedside notebook with details about rumored hauntings of the old building. 

Cedar Key is accessible only by one causeway, making the journey to the establishment part of the lore. The ice-cream-topped dish has traveled, however, and other restaurants throughout Florida now serve up their own versions of the dish. Some of these recipe variations have been made with canned fruit and cream cheese. Cedar Key might not be a destination you randomly stumble upon, but a deliberate journey can be well worth the stories and the salad. After sampling one of these hearts of palm salads, you, too, may be sold on a sweeter way of eating greens.