Home > Bars & Clubs > Bar Review > Inside: Salt

Vibe: When I say "tavern," you probably think wooden benches, frosted beer mugs, and a 99.999 percent chance that the menu features some variation of the American cheeseburger. Salt, however, calls itself "a new American tavern" -- insinuating that it is more sophisticated, yet still guarantees a sufficient cloggage of your arteries.

At Salt, the idea of the "tavern of ol'" has been redesigned. With entrees like Coriander and Pepper Crusted Tuna and Duck Confit Ravioli served with wild mushroom sauce, Salt has an inventive menu. The greasy cheeseburger ship definitely sailed from here a while ago and it's probably in Fiji by now.

The look of the tavern has the same modern accent. It's airy with plenty of windows, and there are large circular lamps dangling from the ceiling that are the color of a Garnier Fructis shampoo bottle and look like they belong at IKEA. The inside walls are brick in the spirit of a traditional tavern, but they are decorated with pieces of local art.

Crowd: Salt only takes reservations for parties of six or more. I'm not the only one jazzed about the Duck Confit Ravioli -- so expect a wait. Still, the servers do a decent job of filing the mob in and out.

Libations: With more than 30 vintage wines, one could easily spend a day getting toasty in this place without getting anywhere near the dining room. The menu of specialty drinks includes martinis like the Green Tea Cocktail and the Salted Pomegranate. But as much as I like the sauce, I'll be the first to admit the drinks play sloppy seconds to the food here.

Sounds: Continuing the chic, elegant bistro theme, the tavern plays a lot of jazz. Since I tend to listen to Jack FM, I can't really expound on how good the selection is. However, I would try to bring some entertaining company with you -- especially if you're spacey like me, and have the attention span of a monkey chewing on a fly swatter.

Service: Salt is creative and features a menu filled with dishes that are all accented with something, or have something drizzled on them -- so, naturally, there's going to be a wait. Grab a glass of one of the extremely enticing wines available and snag a menu to mull over.

Bottom Line: It could have been the X-Files-style green lamps, or all the metallic furniture, but dining here is sort of like being on a spaceship. As has been stressed numerous times, this is not your average tavern. That means no 20-minute meal, no $10 dinner and definitely no excessive grease. If that's your style, and you're not looking to change, go to the Green Turtle. It's right where you left it.

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