The restaurant does not take reservations and only opens for dinner at 6 pm, so we decided to meet right when it opened to avoid a long wait. Luckily, we scored a quiet table on the side before the crowd rushed in. We were first presented with a mini bag of perfectly crisp popcorn toasted with bacon fat, which provided a deep, smoky flavor. This small touch should already provide diners with an idea of how well thought-out and executed the food here is. We then asked our server to recommend a few dishes for us to share. Although I think he recommended some outstanding dishes, I have a feeling that everything on the menu is pretty excellent.
We started with the persimmon salad, which was a bed of arugula (my favorite type of leafy green to have as a salad at restaurants), topped with slices of persimmon, italian speck, spicy candied walnuts and tossed with a lemon-honey vinaigrette. The persimmon provided just the right note of sweetness, and the candied walnuts provided a slight kick and crunch to the salad. It was overall both refreshing and flavorful at the same time.
Next up was the scallops with roasted carrot puree and truffled corn salsa. This was so good, we attacked the plate before I got to take a picture. The bits of sweet corn and the puree provided a creamy and comfort-food-like touch to the scallops. The carrot puree actually reminded me more of a butternut squash puree since it was so sweet and creamy.
The waiter recommended the pulled pork sliders and the oxtail terrine, which both turned out to be true winners. The pulled pork made a big impression on me, because there was a substantial layer of pork in between the two pieces of grilled brioche buns (which is sometimes a problem with sliders when there isn't enough filling) and the meat was incredibly tender, with a slightly tangy flavor from the siracha bbq sauce. It honestly reminded me of the delicious Taiwanese beef jerky that I love, in the form of soft pulled pork. The two slices of pickles on top provided the perfect tangy accent. Upon closer inspection, my friend pointed out that the restaurant had actually grilled smiley faces onto the tops of the buns! Another sign of the little details that this place really pays attention to in delighting their customers :)
Our fourth dish was the oxtail terrine, which resembled a brownie on a plate initially, but when we broke into it, realized it was actually a block of braised beef, that was perfectly crispy on the outside and then tender on the inside. It paired amazingly well with the tangy onion puree on the side as well as the roasted mushrooms underneath. This was a surprise hit for me and only because everything else was so outstanding, would hesitate to say it was my favorite.
We were then presented with a tiny square piece of paper which had the desserts and we ordered the lychee panna cotta with yuzu buttermilk sorbet. Again, this was attacked before a picture was snapped. The lychee panna cotta was extremely light (although I almost couldn't taste the lychee) while the star of the plate was clearly the yuzu sorbet which provided intense spurts of yuzu flavor with each bite.
At the end of our meal, we were presented each with a mini bottle of Yakult, the probiotic drink I had as a kid and grew up drinking. This was another display of the whimsical nature of this restaurant. Overall, I was truly impressed with Salt & Fat, and will be coming back to Queens if this is any representation of the quality of the food there!
J, how does this compare to Social Eatz?
wow, social eatz is basically JUST the burger... this place looks amazing! look at that persimmon salad omnomom
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