Dayton’s Spicy Asian Salad: From the Sky Room to the Marketplace

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In 1947, Dayton’s added a new top floor to its flagship store on Nicollet Avenue and filled it with two dining rooms. Architect Robert Hansen designed the Oak Grill for businessmen and the Sky Room for everyone else, including women, who weren’t allowed in the Oak Grill without a male companion until the late 1960s. 

Hansen gave the Sky Room slate grey walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, a curvaceous white ceiling, eight Waterford chandeliers, and a view of downtown Minneapolis that a Tribune critic in 1949 called unequaled by any restaurant of its type in the country. It became, as one Sky Room menu put it, the public’s penthouse. Light food, good salads all with a panoramic view. An afternoon well spent.

By the 1970s the Sky Room had traded its chandeliers for a 40-foot salad bar and darker, earthier décor to accommodate the working women who’d replaced the leisurely lunch crowd. The glamour softened, but the elegance held on until the very last day of service on January 27, 2017.

This cold noodle salad is from that later era. Spicy Turkey Asian Salad à la Dayton’s was served in the Sky Room and eventually found its way into the Dayton’s Marketplace, where shoppers could grab it on their way out the door. 

The sesame seeds get toasted until they’re nutty, the ginger adds warmth, and the red pepper flakes are added to your taste. It’s cold, delicious, and ideal for summer. The perfect salad to make on a Sunday and eat from all week, or bring to a cookout or picnic without a second thought. 

Although it was generally a clothing store, Dayton’s always seemed to get their food offerings right. I think that’s why their recipes keep finding me. Each one has been tasty, easy to put together, and captures a moment in time when Dayton’s was more than just a memory.

Spicy Turkey Asian Salad a la Dayton’s

This cold salad was served in the Sky Room and later sold in Dayton’s Marketplace.
Servings: 6
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. spaghetti
  • ½ lb. carrots, cut into matchsticks
  • 5 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup vegetable or sesame oil
  • Sugar to taste
  • Pinch of ground ginger
  • 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter or tahini
  • Red pepper flakes to taste
  • 2 cups cooked turkey, diced
  • ½ cups green onions, diced

Instructions

  • Cook spaghetti until al dente, drain.
  • While the spaghetti cooks, toast the sesame seeds. Let cool.
  • Toss all ingredients together; chill.