After taking in a great performance of The Wiz at
CenterStage we headed with our friend Erica and Samuel to SALT just
east of downtown (www.salttavern.com) at 2127 E. Pratt St. which is a
totally residential neighborhood and a truly odd restaurant location.
The decor is lots of exposed brick and not such pretty artwork, but
that can work when the food is good.
I asked the server was SALT (there was just table salt on the table,
so that them made no sense) and she said the chef's grandmother used
salt a lot and it was the first taste he remembered as a child.
Anyway, we ordered a bottle of decent MULDERSBOSCH Sauvignon Blanc
2009 which the menu said was from the Steele in South Africa, but the
bottle said Western Cape.
There were lots of nice starter options and we managed to get Samuel
to agree to the ASIAN BEEF SHORT RIB TACOS, although he would have
none of the Kimchi, Fried Quail Egg or Ginger Creme Fraiche that came
with it! An order of DUCK FAT FRENCH FRIES was divine and their
excellent taste and crispness lasted for the entire stay. It came with
3 aiolis: White Truffle which was nice, Malt Vinegar which was
plainish and a slightly spicy and delish Honey Chipotle.
Will chose the MARVESTA SHRIMP CEVICHE which was decent, but no winner
in its field and I had the tasty flaky CRAB & CARAMELIZED ONION Tart
made from pretzel dough with a house made mustard. The combination
worked wonderfully.
For main courses we had the Coriander & Pepper Crusted AHI TUNA which
was tasty, but when cut with a knife had the weirdest almost "tough"
feel to it, despite its tenderness. It came with Seaweed Salad, Spicy
TUNA POTSTICKERS all with a Ginger Soy Glaze. Again the dish was
tasty, but no awards.
Will had the Chestertown MD CRABCAKES with Roast veggie Slaw and Old
Bay with Chive Buttered Gnocchi. This was probably the best main
course, but again the filler was a bit more than we are used to back
in DC (and this was Baltimore!!).
My Braised BBQ PORK CHEEKS with Foie Gras and Spiced Pecan Brussels
Sprouts were a total flop. Perhaps a spoon of Foie Gras was mixed into
the sauce, but none of the meat appeared on the plate and the cheeks
were way overcooked. had it not been for the sauce, they would have
been too dry and inedible. A glass of decent Laurel Glen Zinfandel
2008 from Lodi, California was a good choice from our server.
Kudos goes to the super bread served with a Red Pepper/Garlic
Tapenade, but I don't see us headed back to SALT soon.
