Instructions: My favorite salad and I go way back, to 1991, when I first moved to California and before I even knew how to identify cilantro in a blind taste test.

The vegetarian Mexican salad at Country Gourmet changed all that, launching my double love affair with the pungent herb and with big salads.

I adore big salads. The first hint of my obsession began in college, and it took hold once I moved to California, where I got a taste of ultra-fresh produce and innovative ingredients. Like a rabbit would if it had a car and cash, I have munched my way from restaurant to restaurant around the Bay Area, eating Caesars, nioises and all manner of new entree salads.

In frugal years and in flush, salads have always given me lots of healthful food to eat at relatively little expense.

Salad is a relatively new notion, world history considered. It began in the very late 1800s and gained big-time momentum after World War II.

Over the years, a strange pattern developed: Many of todays salad classics were improvised during panic situations when cooks threw together ingredients at the 11 th hour.

Caesar salad, for instance, was created in 1924 when movie stars showed up in Tijuana to dine at Caesars Place during prohibition.

Caesar Cardinis brother, Alex, who was in charge of feeding the stars, realized the restaurant had run out of food. All Alex could drum up was romaine, bread for croutons, garlic, Romano cheese and enough fixings for a lemony dressing. A table-side preparation of the salad sent guests into a culinary frenzy, and food history was written.

Cobb salad, devised at Los Angeles Brown Derby restaurant by Bob Cobb, has a similar past.

Cobb threw the salad together based on what was in the refrigerator late one night in 1937 when his friend Sid Grauman of Graumans Chinese Theater showed up. Grauman returned and ordered it for lunch the next day, spreading his enthusiasm to others. Since then, more than 4 million Cobb salads have been sold at Brown Derby restaurants.

Although Im crazy about salads at any time of the year, theyre especially welcome in the hot, lazy days of summer. Theyre easy enough to make at home, if you have the desire. If not, its even easier to let restaurants do the work for you, cutting up all those beautiful vegetables and whisking up glassy vinaigrettes.

With that in mind, heres my list of all-star salads, the result of 10 years of informal - but concentrated - research:

[[ Spike includes these items because they give us ideas for making our own salads. Sometimes the most incredible mixture turns out to be marvelous, and these will give us courage to try!!! ]]

Country Gourmets Mexican Salad, ($7.95), 314 S. Mary Ave. at Fremont,

(650) 962-1700. This extremely large salad is the cream of the salad crop. Ive been eating it for years and it never changes: green leaf lettuce and romaine adorned with black beans, pinto beans, Monterey Jack cheese, tomatoes, avocado, fresh cilantro, tortilla strips and jalapeno vinaigrette. Ask for an extra plate and share with a friend. Another Country Gourmet choice: the smoked chicken salad - with grapes - for $8.95.

Pacific Athletic Club Restaurant Blackened Mexican Caesar Salad, ($10.95), The next best thing to getting a good workout is watching other people work out.

A new take on two classics, this salad contains blackened chicken breast, tomatoes, cilantro, romaine, avocado and tortilla chips tossed in a pungent and creamy Caesar dressing, garnished with edible pansy petals. Enjoy it in an elegant windowed dining room overlooking gardens, tennis courts and the club pool. With the clubs vast array of salads, another good choice is the Mediterranean Salmon Salad ($12.95) with capers, field greens, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and a lemon vinaigrette.

Suite 1125 at the Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair, Santa Clara, (408)

Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, (650) 325-2233. This salad is stacked and then garnished with crispy rice sticks and spiraled carrot strands. Because its a chopped salad, you get the full flavor of all ingredients in every bite: Napa cabbage, romaine, grilled chicken, red peppers, scallions, cucumbers, toasted almond slivers, snow peas, black sesame seeds and soy vinaigrette. Its addicting because the flavor is not overpowering, but theres just a hint of whatever makes you want more, said Karen Wong of Sunnyvale. One chef at the restaurant claims the salad is ordered by 100 people a day. Though its listed only on the lunch menu, I was told that if you make a special request for it at dinner, your wish will be granted.

The Cool Cafe Pasta Salad with Grilled Seasonal Vegetables, ($9), Cantor Arts Mondays and Tuesdays.) Organic chef Jesse Cool is no stranger to salads. This combination includes grilled vegetables such as patty pan squash, asparagus, carrots and zucchini, with field greens and chipotle aioli. The Tarragon Crusted Wild Seasonal Fish Salad with Tapenade Bruschetta ($12) is also a good choice.

Insalata Mista with Chicken from I Fratelli, ($9.50), 388 Main St., Los Altos, (650) 941-9636. Trust me on this one: It doesnt sound like much - greens, crumbled Gorgonzola, tomatoes, black and green olives, red onions, and a creamy Italian vinaigrette topped with chicken breast - but the secret marinade on the chicken slices and its interaction with the dressing makes this salad great.

Plutos Pick Your Own Salad, ($3.95-$6.05), 482 University Ave., Palo Alto

(650) 853-1556. People in the know go to Plutos, where the line for salad backs up to Highway 101 during mealtimes. My recommendation is Farmers Greens with Choice of Crunchy Fixings and Marinated Flank Steak. Youll get to choose from toppings such as grilled fennel, Parmesan, jicama, nuts and seeds and caramelized walnuts, to name a few. Go for broke and have it all, tossed in Gorgonzola vinaigrette.

A.P. Stumps Assorted Baby Beets Salad, ($7), (on the dinner menu only), 163 includes three varying tastes. First, red beets are marinated in a red wine and thyme vinaigrette. Then, yellow and Chioggia (red and white striped) beets come marinated in a tarragon vinaigrette. Finally, baby carrots feature an apple cider vinaigrette. Toasted walnuts, shaved Italian grana cheese with black truffles, chives, and a citrus-sherry vinaigrette complete the picture.

La Pastaias Nizza Salad, ($14), 233 W. Santa Clara St. in the Hotel De Anza , San Jose, (408) 286-8686. In this Italian variation of salad nioise, youll find seared Ahi tuna with tomatoes, green beans, eggs, potatoes and capers with a black olive vinaigrette. Or check out the Spinachi salad ($12), with spinach, warm goat cheese, prosciutto, grilled eggplant, fresh orange, basil and balsamic vinegar. For a quick, take-out lunch, try the cafes offerings.

Gildas Luncheon Salad with Crab, ($13), No. 37 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, years. Crab is the feature in this iceberg lettuce-laden salad with carrots, kidney beans, peas, olives, cucumber, eggs, radishes, red cabbage and Thousand Island dressing (my recommendation: Get the dressing on the side). Be sure to order it with avocado and cocktail sauce on the side, too, and get ready to be transported.

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