Black Salt Bistro and Bar
We love it when we find local unassuming places to try and it’s even better when we have guest Spoooners join us! Good friends and fellow foodies Bryan and Lauren suggested Black Salt, and we were excited to try it.
Just a hop skip and a jump over to Swansea found us at this cute, cozy spot with great food and a laid back atmosphere. When we pulled up, the parking lot was relatively full at 6:00 so I knew we would have a good night. Black Salt doesn’t take reservations for parties under 6 so we thought we would have to wait, but luckily they had a few tables open.
The interior of the restaurant isn’t fancy by any means, but simple decor and a clean restaurant are what you get at Black Salt. I immediately felt a home town vibe when we walked in as we were greeted by a staff member and taken to our table.
The menu, in my opinion, has just the right amount of offerings from appetizers to dessert. We were all hungry so we decided to start with three apps. Steak and Cheese Egg Rolls ( on special), Chicken Mozambique Dip ( on special) and a Cheese Flatbread ($18). I didn’t think to take a picture of the specials so I don’t have prices on those, sorry.
The Steak and Cheese Egg Rolls were sooo good! Crispy ( not greasy) on the outside and oozing with steak and cheese on the inside, I could have eaten them as a meal…no joke! The Mozambique Dip was different than we were all anticipating but still quite good. The addition of shredded chicken and cheese made the dip less like true Mozambique sauce but that didn’t stop us from sopping up all that goodness with the chips.
Now, I know a cheese flatbread may not seem exciting as an app but for the last year I have been completely obsessed with any and all things pizza. I won’t bore you with the entire story, but from the age of 13 to about a year ago, I had been lactose intolerant. By the miracle of modern medicine, I can now eat all the cheese and ice cream I want, so I just can’t get enough!!
Ok, back to the flatbread….it was a good size, covered with cheese and had a nice tasting crust. All in all, a solid app especially if you like pizza 🙂 We were off to a good start with our apps and looking forward to the next course.
It was difficult to get good pictures as the lighting was low but we did our best.
One of the best parts of having guest Spooners is that we get to try more things without feeling like total gluttons.
Now for the entrees…..Bryan and Jessica chose the Lobster Ravioli ($30), Lauren had the Chicken Parm Sandwich($17) and I went my one of my favorites….Short Rib($28). The lobster ravioli can be served with garlic, butter, sherry wine sauce or house made pink cream sauce. Bryan and Jessica both chose the pink cream sauce and enjoyed it. The six tender pillow like pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese and lobster, were gently coated in a rich flavorful sauce. Jessica couldn’t finish hers but Bryan was more than happy to lend her a hand.
Lauren’s chicken parm sandwich was HUGE! The toasted hoagie roll enveloped several lightly breaded fried chicken tenders covered with house made marinara and a house blended cheese. It looked amazing and smelled fantastic! Lauren also ordered a side of truffle fries and those also tipped the scales in terms of size. Crispy fries, shaved truffles and seasoning ……yes please! As for my braised short rib all I can say is YEESSS! Short rib happens to be a favorite of mine and I would stack this one against any of the places on the top of my list. The red wine reduction was balanced perfectly, the short rib was fork tender and the mashed potatoes were oh so buttery and smooth. I’m so glad I skipped the veggie and chose double mashed. After all, it’s winter and vegetables don’t provide body insulation like potatoes do! LOL!! DO NOT check that as an actual medical fact!! 🙂
At this point you would think we would be full but if you don’t try dessert are you really a foodie????
I also have to apologize for the fact that we didn’t take dessert pictures. We were having such good conversation and laughs that we just dig in and forgot the snap the pics. With that said, once again we went all in an ordered the Cookies and Cream Cheesecake, Espresso Creme Brulee’ and the Blueberry Crumble. We all enjoyed the cheesecake ( also a new venture for me) and although I have never been a creme brulee fan, the addition of the espresso made it quite good, but I think everyone’s favorite was the Blueberry Crumble. Just picture loads of warm sweet blueberries, with a light crumb topping sitting under a large dollop of cold vanilla ice cream……if it sounds delightful, that’s because it was!
From apps to dessert, Black Salt is a solid choice. I found the price point to be in line with not only the quality of food but in comparison to similar restaurants in the area. We enjoy the atmosphere so much that we were one of the last tables to leave as they were getting ready to close.
If you’re a local and haven’t tried Black Salt Bar and Bistro we think you should give it a try. The owners are brother and sister, and who doesn’t like to support a family restaurant? Oh, and when you’re there tell them Two Girls Spooning sent you!
Check out their website and menu here https://blacksaltswansea.com/
Happy Spooning! 🙂
Sara and Jess