The Roman statesman Cassiodorus once noted, "Some seek not gold, but there lives not a man who does not need salt." Though, he spoke of the value of this basic seasoning in ancient times, his comment is equally applicable to the recently opened restaurant Salt. Just a stone's throw from Rittenhouse, this petite 40-seat spot is an exercise in the power of understatement.
Situated on the corner of 20th Street and Rittenhouse Square, the glowing exterior of the restaurant bears no name. Rather, it is marked only by the door handles bearing the birds-eye view of a salt shaker. Inside, one is greeted by gleaming white walls, three futuristic circular lights overhead and an unexpected built-in fireplace. Servers clad in black from head to toe move discreetly amongst the seated diners. Though the restaurant's ambiance walks the line between chic versus pretentious with its air of comfort, it steers closest to the former.
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Salt
253 S. 20th Street
(215) 545-1990
Fare: French
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Upon first opening the menu, I thought that I had been given the wine list instead of the dinner menu. However, further inspection revealed the appetizer, entree and dessert offerings.
As owner and Penn alum David Fields later explained, he combines the wine list with the dinner menu in an effort to make the list less intimidating than the heavy tomes usually handed out at other restaurants. Along with the usual categories of white, red and burgundy was a notable "Hard to Find" list.
While the pricing was not cheap by any standards, Fields emphasized that at Salt, he sets the wine at much more affordable prices than the same bottles would be at other restaurants.
Thematically, the menu leans heavily toward seafood and mushrooms, with several appetizers and entrees combining both. The menu changes daily as Fields explained, different types of mushrooms may be substituted or a bottle of wine may added to the selection. Fittingly, chef Vernon Morales uses a variety of salts to season his dishes, ranging from kosher salt to the French sea salt, gros sel marin. Although everything from the name to the white walls to the heavy emphasis on seafood had the word "salt" playing on repeat inside my head, our selections from the menu were anything but briny.
We began our meal with two appetizers, both appropriately fresh catches from the salty sea. The crispy seared scallops, glazed salsify and a Meyer lemon and miso dressing were tender and tangy. The squid ink risotto with roasted rock shrimp, in a piperade jus was delicious, although extremely rich, leaving one to wonder how a fairly small portion could be so filling.
For our entrees, we selected the hanger steak served with a braised short rib crepinette, shallot cracklings and a serrano ham and potato terrine. Delicate and tender, the steak practically fell apart in my mouth while the terrine offered a dose of Spanish infusion to the plate. For our second entree, we chose the Nova Scotia lobster with chestnut puree, honshimeji mushrooms and a sea urchin emulsion. Likewise, the lobster was delicious as well, although the sauce was a bit rich for my guest's liking. Each dish was presented on modern white china, in keeping with the decor of the restaurant.
For our desserts, we chose the caramel poached apples with a star anise crisp and spiced ice cream along with the warm chocolate cake with hazelnut praline and chocolate sorbet. Each option was excellent, though the chocolate cake by far was the best choice, as each bite was a combination of oozing liquid chocolate and airy cake. On a side note, Salt wins extra points for serving La Colombe coffee.
Overall, Salt offers a cozy, yet inspired dining experience that is perfect for small groups or dates. And with an environment as warm and inviting as its food, this is a restaurant worth its weight in salt or perhaps even gold.
