Salut Bar Americain
After a stint away from the Twin Cities, I am back! I do have a lot of posts to write about my recent trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley…those are to come.
While I was gone, a new restaurant opened on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. Salut Bar Americain opened in the spot where Sydney’s used to reside. This is the second Salut Bar in the Twin Cities, the first of which is in Edina on 50th and France. To be honest, I didn’t know much about this place before we went. It was a recommendation from a friend. I didn’t care where we went to eat, I just wanted to relax and indulge on some food and wine. Done and done.
Upon arriving, I noticed that Salut Bar had extended the former patio space of Sydney’s, which I think is a great decision. Despite the new large outdoor patio area, however, there was an hour wait to dine outdoors, so our group decided to forego it and eat indoors. With a floor to ceiling liquor display in the bar area and the open kitchen in the main indoor seating space, I loved the indoor space as well. This is why, when we continued to walk through these spaces and into a small, walled off area near the back, I was puzzled. Why in the world did they put a wall up to shut off ten tables from the rest of the beautiful main dining area? It baffles me.
We opened the menu and searched among the French/American items of fresh seafood platters, sandwiches, and grilled meats. Almost immediately I was drawn to the ‘ze salut steak sandwich’, which was served with pommes frites. These pommes frites are noted on the menu as ‘award winning in the Twin Cities.’ Sounded good to me. The verdict? I really liked my steak sandwich. The carmelized onions and the tender steak were perfectly paired with a soft white roll. The pommes frites? Well, they were good but I would not go out on a limb to say they would win any awards from me. Perhaps they have some improvements to make at this new location before they should tout their fries as award winning.
All in all, I did enjoy Salut Bar Americain. Although the server seemed to be new, evidenced by some difficulties with menu items and major fumbling to open the wine bottle, he had a fantastic sense of humor. Sometimes a good steak sandwich and a good sense of humor can really make a meal.
Tags: Food, restaurants, twin cities
