Salt is a delicious, needed Italian food addition to Downtown Provo
Ribeye cap at Salt Italian restaurant in Provo.
Bruschetta at Salt Italian restaurant in Provo.
Penne and broccoli at Salt Italian restaurant in Provo.
Lentil soup at Salt Italian restaurant in Provo.
Chocolate cheesecake, originally made at Emulsions and Fillings, at Salt Italian restaurant in Provo.
Amazing bruschetta, perfectly cooked steak and a to-die-for cheesecake? Yep, we’ll definitely be coming back to Salt.
With so many local Italian restaurants going out of business (goodbye, Oregano, Old Spaghetti Factory and Macaroni Grill, we’ll miss you), there definitely was a market demand in the Provo-Orem area for a new Italian spot.
Salt swept into Downtown Provo recently to claim that opening, in the same spot Oregano used to occupy, funnily enough. My hope is that this eatery goes on strong for many years rather than meet the rather short-lived fate of its predecessor, because we had a marvelous dining experience.
While visiting with my husband, we ordered the Bruschetta and Lentil Soup to start the evening off. I’m personally a big fan of bruschetta, so I’ve tried quite a few of the delectable tomato-topped bread dishes; but I can say without a doubt in my mind that this is the best bruschetta I have ever had the pleasure to taste. Beautifully arranged on a circular platter, Salt’s take on the dish included a variety of perfectly marinated, fresh tomatoes, small balls of mozzarella, fine strips of basil, thin slices of red onion, and classic balsamic drizzle, all stacked on slices of toasted French bread.
Our eyes literally widened at the first bite as we looked at each other across the table, and we quickly gobbled the platter up, legitimately considering the possibility of canceling our other orders and just requesting two or three more bruschetta platters. But alas, then I would have to try writing 900 words just on bruschetta, and who wants to read that? I’ll just say this, and then I’ll finally move on from the bruschetta: No matter what else you get at Salt, order this without hesitance (I’d suggest one order per two people, although I’ll probably order one all to myself next time).
The Lentil Soup was delectably savory. The dark broth was rich with flavor and packed full of veggies and lentils. My husband wasn’t terribly impressed, but he’s not much of a fan of lentils in general. The lone crouton added to the presentation but didn’t taste the best.
While waiting for our main courses to arrive, we looked around for our waiter, hoping he’d appear with a basket of bread and butter (yes, we are pigs who wanted even more pre-food before our entrees). But it seems to be a traditional practice at Italian restaurants, just like chips and salsa at Mexican eateries, right? Maybe we have too high expectations, but some warm French bread would have been nice.
Soon enough, our dishes arrived looking beautiful and professional. My husband ordered the Ribeye Cap and I ordered the Penne and Broccoli. The steak was seared at a textbook medium-rare, and he said it was the highest quality ribeye he’d ever had, with its tenderness and tasty balance of meat and fat. Below the steak was a thin layer of potato cheese puree, and dolloped on top was a potato and horseradish puree. Then, stacked on top of it all was a roasted carrot, which acted more as a pleasing aesthetic than a substantial part of the dish.
The two purees were delightful: the potato and cheese puree was creamy, savory and smooth, and the horseradish puree provided a zesty little kick to the dish without being too overpowering or strong.
My pasta dish was simple yet elegant: a delicious, light white sauce with a sprinkling of cheese, high-quality penne and a good amount of steamed broccoli (which was a little undercooked for my taste, but everyone’s broccoli preferences are different). I actually usually prefer a red sauce to white, but I decided to give the dish a shot, and was glad I did. Gobs of thick alfredo is not my idea of a great sauce, so the fact that it was simple and not heavy was great — I couldn’t stop eating it, despite my stomach quickly filling up.
My husband also helped me finish my pasta off, as he was left with a bit of room still in his stomach after his delicious yet smaller serving of a dish (the steak was a good size, but the other things on the dish were just small, non-filling additions).
We each ate until our dishes were practically clean, and we weren’t really considering ordering dessert until our server came to us with a most-welcome offer: They were giving us a free cheesecake as they were still sampling around with their dessert menu and wanted our feedback. We chose the chocolate option, and basically died and went to heaven while eating it.
The cheesecake was actually from Fillings and Emulsions — a dessert shop just down the street — and it definitely lived up to all the high praise I’ve heard of the place. It was so beautiful, we were hesitant at first to dig into the piece of art. But once we did, we were suddenly in a subtle competition of quick eating as we shared it (ah, marriage).
There were so many different elements, textures and tastes to the dessert, I won’t attempt to take up several paragraphs trying to explain it in detail. It was rich, but not too rich, and positively delectable. I believe cheesecakes run for about $6 at Fillings and Emulsions, and honestly I would pay double for that level of professionalism and quality. We enthusiastically reported to our server that the dish was excellent, and that we hope it becomes a permanent part of Salt’s menu.
Salt’s service was great — servers were cheerful and attentive, and the cook was pretty quick considering the artful job done on our dishes.
The atmosphere of the restaurant space has a personality of its own, with long, exposed brick walls, slightly darkened lighting from fun lamp fixtures overhead, and a self-playing piano. The restaurant was pretty empty when we dined, but we’re hoping that was just due to a combination of Salt’s newness and that we were visiting on a weeknight. Please visit this place and keep this local eatery in business! It deserves it!
SALT
Where: 223 W. Center St., Provo
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 5-9 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday
Prices: $9-$52
Info: (801) 888-7901
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