Saltlik

Saltlik

My former co-workers and I try to get together once every few months just to catch up, and keep in touch.   Generally it's a fun night, and we try to pick something decent for a restaurant to meet at, and last night, given that some of the others aren't as adventurous, we tend to pick steakhouses and the like, so we decided on Saltlik.


I've had other meals in the past here, with fairly decent experiences, so I was looking forward to it.   We'd arrived early, but the table was already ready - a good sign.   As people straggled in, a few appetizers were ordered, including calamari and onion rings. 

I won't comment much on them, since I didn't try any, but unlike many other places, the calamari didn't look overly breaded/deep fried, but as I'm not a fan of squid, I didn't partake.   I'd heard it was slightly spicy though.   The onion rings looked good, thick cut, breaded, and golden.

I'd been eating a fair amount of steak recently, so instead of doing the usual and ordering a rib eye, I decided to try the halibut there.   The description on the menu reads thus:

Parmesan encrusted Halibut
Asparagus, herb marinated potatoes & tomato balsamic vinaigrette with fresh basil

While this sound good in principle, the reality of the dish was a bit plain.  I found it slightly unusual to find only one side of the halibut encrusted.   And while it was likely parmesan, to me it tasted more just of bread crumbs than parmesan.   The potatoes were nothing short of boring.  Imagine two boiled potatoes, cut in halves, with a sprinkling of herbs on the outside of the skins.   That's right, not smashed, not baby potatoes, not opened to get the flavours inside as you'd imagine a marinade might do.   Finally, the vinaigrette:   when I read 'tomato balsamic vinaigrette', for some reason I got the idea that it might be a tomato infused balsamic, or something of the like, not what ended up on my plate, essentially, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and 6 cherry tomatoes. 

The fish itself was cooked alright - if slightly over for my tastes.   I can understand that though, and it wasn't overcooked to the point where I'd find it inedible.   But boiled potatoes sprinkled with herbs just didn't cut it for me, nor did tomatoes rolling around in a small puddle of oil/balsamic vinegar. 

The others for the most part received what they'd ordered, aside from one person, who ordered a medium rare steak and received a medium well one.   Now - here's where I have to ask something to all you wait staff/servers out there.   Why is it you barely give enough time for someone to try a bite of anything before you come back to ask 'How are the first bites tasting?'   Well, let me tell you, 99% of the time, I've had MAYBE the chance to try one single bite of one thing, and it is NEVER going to be the main part of the dish.  It will always be maybe a bite of the starch, or a bite of the vegetables beside that main.   Well, this person didn't have a chance to even look at her steak before the waitress was off and running somewhere else. 

By the time she'd come back, everyone had finished their meals, and the steak had been left sitting there.   It was fairly obviously untouched, and yet the waitress never asked if there'd been an issue - granted, this was quite a small steak, so it might have been hard to tell if say half had been eaten.  Our waitress also brought refilled drinks, very rarely.   I tend to sip on mine fairly slowly, but usually over the length of a nice dinner, will have had at least 2, yet last night, I ended up with just the one, as the waitress never had the wherewithal to just bring me another when mine was nearing empty, nor to ask directly if I'd want another one.

Here's where the biggest problem lie in the night I think - our waitress simply didn't have the same skillset as others did in my experience in higher end dining - instead of asking 'Would you like anything else', the question should be 'can I interest you in a coffee or dessert?', while holding the dessert menu at the ready.   Generally for me personally, that's not that big a deal, but for the rest of the table, it was significant - especially when the waitress asked 'Is that it then, are you all done?'

I guess we were!  With 10 of us in attendance, they could easily have received far more for their efforts than what we ended up spending there.

Taste:   5.0 - So so preparation, very plain accompaniments 

Presentation:  4.0 - As mentioned, plain would be the operative word

Ambiance:   8.0 - Comfortable seating, steakhouse-style lighting, nice leather bound menus

Service: 1.0 - I thought about the evening I'd had with my family at the Keg, in the lounge.   We'd been better served by a country mile, by a restaurant that is supposedly lower end.  

Prices:   $25-35 per entree, and based on what portions I saw, overpriced.