I've been to Salty's twice, for dinner. Â The first time I ordered chicken and shrimp scampi with broccolini, expecting something light, and got a mediocre fettucine Alfredo that was lukewarm and made me feel immediately guilty, bloated and gross without the "but this is worth it because it tastes so good." Â All the fat, carbs and sodium but disappointing to the palate. Â My boyfriend got fish and chips, and it was soggy and bland. Â Our friend ordered pierogis and she recognized them as the same ones she buys frozen to have at home.
The second time we thought we'd do simple - maybe ordering food that tries to be fancy at Salty's is hoping for too much, other such thoughts. Â I ordered the Roasted Beets, Goats Cheese salad, which is described as " 'Salty's Classic' fresh roasted beets, goats cheese, young arugula, Champagne vinaigrette, crostini & crispy onions." Â I expected a nice bed of arugula with some beets and goat cheese, but I got a pile of lukewarm and soggy diced beets with a tiny bit of goat cheese, 5 or 6 leaves of arugula, and the "crostini" was mediocre garlic bread. Â The crispy onions didn't pair well at all with the other flavors (nor the crostini). Â My boyfriend ordered chicken nachos and the cheese was clearly a mix of shredded bag cheese and canned nacho cheese that was starting to separate. Â They were edible, but nothing to write home about.
I don't think I'll eat at Salty's again - the food is REALLY bad and the prices are fairly high. Â It's disappointing - I want it to be GOOD since it's a homegrown independent little venture with a cool theme, but they need to just throw everything out and start anew if they want to stay successful or attract any new customers. Â Perhaps a better direction would be "stop trying to be innovative and foodie until you are able to make exceptional classics."
I'm fairly certain I'll be able to turn my meal into three - I easily have enough leftovers for two days' worth of lunch.
First, because I am 5 years old on the inside, I was extremely excited to see "Chocolate Mousse Shake" on the menu. Â That's right. Â A whipped chocolate milkshake, topped with whipped cream (if you're not me) and hot fudge sauce. Â YUM. Â I was also pretty excited by the risotto balls - deep fried risotto served with marina sauce. Â Of course, then I discovered that they have risotto specials of the day - today's option had cream sauce, asparagus, crispy onions, spinach, and tomatoes, so I didn't actually wind up getting the appetizer (but I was excited to see it, anyway). Â There are several protein options - pork loin, chicken, shrimp, scallops (and I think a beef option? Â I don't remember). Â Since it's a seafood place, I went with the scallops. Â The portion was huge, and it was really good. Â Parts of it were a little too al dente for my tastes, but I realize that's a personal thing. Â My boyfriend got the Mac 'N Cheese with BBQ chicken, and it was really good. Â The side salad was exactly what I'm looking for in a salad - field greens, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and croutons (I had them leave the olives off), in a good size, and the champagne vinaigrette was so good, I was dipping my bread in it. Â The bread was a little too crusty for me - I like soft bread.
I was intrigued by the plates I was seeing around me - a giant tortilla shell filed with fried clams? Â Maybe? Â i want to try it. Â Also, I was so very torn between what I got and the blue-cheese crusted pork loin with sweet potato fries (and the dessert menu) that, really, I think I have to go back.
Our pepper shaker was missing the top. Â Had I been so inclined, my delicious risotto uptopia would have become a sad mess. Â Luckily, it was well-seasoned, because I didn't notice the lack of top until I was done eating. Â Also, the waitress brought us someone else's check (oops!). Â So, maybe not a five-star experience, but a solid meal with good food.