NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Dressing on the Side

There are NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centerspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Dressing on the Side

Constructor: Will Eisenberg

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Will: This theme was sparked by a trip to St. Louis, where the restaurant Sauce on the Side seemed to have a name with intriguing levels of crossword possibilities. Personally I love a good chicken caesar salad, and I can't resist any theme about food!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• RAMEN (20A: Kitakata soup) The three most popular RAMEN styles in Japan are Kitakata RAMEN, Sapporo RAMEN, and Hakata RAMEN. Kitakata RAMEN has a soy sauce-based broth, and relatively thick noodles. Kitakata RAMEN originated in 1927 at the Genraiken noodle shop in Kitakata, Fukushima, Japan.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• SNAKE (9A: Egyptian cobra, e.g.) and ASP (36A: Egyptian cobra) This is an interesting clue echo. The Egyptian cobra is a type of SNAKE, and is the SNAKE generally referred to by the word ASP.
• ISLA (14A: "La ___ Bonita" (Madonna hit)) "La ISLA Bonita" (Spanish for "The Beautiful Island") is a 1987 song by Madonna, from her album True Blue.
• HENNA (16A: Eid al-Adha dye) Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival honoring Abraham's obedience to God. Applying HENNA designs is a significant part of many Muslim celebrations, including Eid al-Adha. HENNA is associated with bringing good luck and happiness.
• RUSSIAN DOLL (25A: Netflix series starring Natasha Lyonne) On the Netflix TV series, RUSSIAN DOLL (2019-2022), Natasha Lyonne portrays Nadia Vulvokov, a game developer who is stuck in an ongoing time loop and repeatedly dies and relives the same night. Here's a fun thing: Today we have the theme answer RUSSIAN DOLL pointing to the new phrase RUSSIAN DRESSING. A little over a year ago, we saw the theme answer RUSSIAN DRESSING used to point to the new phrase RUSSIAN DOLL.
• EBT (28A: Payment method for SNAP participants) Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) is a system used to purchase food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
• CAESAR CIPHER (55A: Simple encryption technique) A CAESAR CIPHER is a substitution code in which each letter stands for another letter of the alphabet. In this simple encryption technique, each letter is represented by a letter some fixed number of letters from it in the alphabet; the shift may go in either direction. So, for example, using a CAESAR CIPHER with a right shift of 4, the letter A would become E, the letter B would become F, and so forth. And using this CAESAR CIPHER, the name of today's constructor would become AMPP IMWIRFIVK. The CAESAR CIPHER is named after Julius Caesar, who used this method to encode his correspondence.
• STEW (76A: Gumbo or moqueca) Gumbo is a STEW that originated in Louisiana. Gumbo is made of meat or shellfish along with celery, bell peppers, and onions. Moqueca is a seafood STEW that originated in Brazil.
• ISSA (2D: "American Fiction" actress Rae) American Fiction is a 2023 movie based on Percival Everett's 2001 book, Erasure. It tells the story of a Black professor who – frustrated with the lack of success of his novels – writes a satirical novel mocking the stereotyped writing expected of Black authors. To his surprise, the novel is mistaken for serious literature and becomes successful. Jeffrey Wright portrays the author, Dr. Thelonious "Monk" Ellison. ISSA Rae portrays another author, Sintara Golden.
• ENNUI (7D: Aimless, unsatisfied feeling) Hopefully solving this puzzle (or reading this write-up!) has not induced ENNUI.
• SHE (9D: "___ Keeps Me Warm" (Mary Lambert song)) "SHE Keeps Me Warm" is a 2013 song by Mary Lambert. The song was derived from the chorus Mary Lambert provided to the Macklemore & Ryan song, "Same Love" (2012).
• KNEEL (12D: Prepare to do hero pose) Hero pose is an asana used in yoga. As the clue tells us, the first step to get into hero pose is to KNEEL. The feet are then spread apart while the knees are kept together, as the body is lowered into a seated position.
• ACTS (40D: Performs in "Pass Over") Pass Over is a 2018 movie directed by Spike Lee. The film is a performance of Antoinette Nwandu's play by the same name. Jon Michael Hill ACTS in Pass Over, as do Julian Parker, Ryan Hallahan, and Blake DeLong.
• PEP (53D: "A ___ Talk From Kid President to You") Do you remember this viral video? "A PEP Talk From Kid President to You" was uploaded to YouTube in July 2014. Since then it has been viewed over 48 million times. If it's been a while since you've watched it (or if you haven't seen it!), I highly recommend spending a few minutes of your day watching it. The video features Robby Novak as Kid President.
• MEW (70D: Kitten's cry) It's been 12 years since my cat, Willow, was a kitten. Here's a photo of her from October 2011.

• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • PET RAT (8D: Squeaking companion)
  • TWO (38D: Number of fingers held up in a peace sign)
  • DATE (65D: Dinner and the zoo, perhaps)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• RUSSIAN DOLL (25A: Netflix series starring Natasha Lyonne)
• ITALIAN SANDWICH (42A: Submarine with ham, capocollo and provolone)
• CAESAR CIPHER (55A: Simple encryption technique)

On the left SIDE of each theme answer is a type of DRESSING: RUSSIAN, ITALIAN, and CAESAR.

The title of today's puzzle let me know exactly what to expect theme-wise. There's nothing wrong with that. I always try to guess the theme before solving the puzzle. Then the fun is uncovering each theme answer to confirm whether I guessed correctly. There's always a moment of satisfaction when I realize I am right. Thank you, Will, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers