Salt of the Earth Restaurant

I love food. I actually live to eat. Sometimes I even dream about what I will be eating the next day. That is my passion, food and eating. Recently my two daughters and I went to dinner at Salt of the Earth. The head chef, 37 year old, Kevin Sousa was named chef of the year and is on the cover of June’s Pittsburgh magazine.

After reading the article, I mentioned my interest and my daughter, who is a chef and owner of her own catering business, called and made reservations at the restaurant for her, myself and my youngest daughter.

I am not the most adventurous person when it comes to food. But after reading the review about Salt of the Earth, I definitely wanted to dine there, and at least try something different. Salt of the Earth is located at 5523 Penn Avenue in the Garfield area of Pittsburgh. The inside of the restaurant takes on the appearance of an industrial styled interior but chic in appearance. The downstairs dining area is more of a communal eating are with long light wooden tables and individual wooden benches. The tall ceiling and sleek hanging lights just adds to the ambiance. The cooking area is exposed and one can get an idea and enjoyment of watching the chef and cooks at work in the open stainless – steel kitchen. The upstairs is more intimate with stainless steel tables with black tops, and chairs with black accents.

There are no menus but a chalk board that has the menu divided into Starters, Mains and End. The wine list is limited but interesting. Our waiter was dressed in a black t-shirt with a circle and the NA-Cl emblazed on it. All the waiters are knowledgeable about the menu. Our waiter was polite and delightful.

We started off with a punch drink that had Rhum Barbancourt, Benedictine, pineapple and orange chunks and Lemon Hart Demerara. It was a very refreshing drink with the flavor of cloves lingering. We read the menu a few times, talked about the selections and settled on three Starters to share: a salad with cucumber, honeydew, calamansi-soybean curd, samphire,(edible plants) and almond; cockscombs with cheesy grits, collard beans, truffled soy molasses, and Scallops with cauliflower, lobster roe aioli, banana and sesame. With my scallop allergy – I passed on this dish but my daughters enjoyed it, and acknowledged that it was truly delectable. The salad was delicious but my favorite was the cockscombs with all the exciting and different tastes that were tickling my palate.

When it came to our dinners, the Middle – my two daughters ordered Pork Baguettes – the baguettes were cut and delicately wrapped, and served with pate, jalapeño, citlantro and pickle. I ordered the Flank Steak, which was plentiful and so tender all I needed was a fork to cut it. The steak was accompanied by black –eyed peas, peach, asparagus and chimichurri, (variant of a green sauce). The color, flavor, and textures of the food left me feeling pleased that I had ordered this dish.

At the End, we shared an amazing dessert of white chocolate with lavender, honey, argan, (nutty tasting oil from an argan tree), and pistachio. The flavors of the dessert were something we still talk about. The taste of lavender, honey and the garnish of blood red orange are still on my palate, days later.

I speak for the three of us that we definitely would love to go back for another dinner. It was a comfortable, delightful dining experience. We would probably try something different, just to taste a new dish created by Chef Kevin Sousa.

But I would definitely order the white chocolate dessert for myself. It is a dish that I need to feed my palate and memory.

If you have ever been to Salt of the Earth – let me know how you felt about the food and dining experience.

Check out the website for Salt of the Earth (www.saltpgh.com)

The photo of the restaurant was taken by Laura Petrilla.