BITE OF THE MOMENT: Meet the New Kid on the Block - Sall Restaurant & Lounge

[all photos by Conor Rose]

Let’s give a warm welcome to the new kid in town - Sall Restaurant & Lounge. Located in one of the few areas of Hell’s Kitchen that isn’t packed with many sit down eateries, Sall brings an upscale vibe to this section of the neighborhood. Newly open since the end of August, the space is still young and relatively undiscovered.

The food, however, is already on point. New American with an emphasis on seafood and craft cocktails, the menu offers something for everyone - but if you’re a seafood person, this is the menu for you. Starters include dishes such as the steamed local mussels in a flavorful broth of saffron, white wine, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, shallots, cilantro, served with a side of crusty bread.

For entrees, we naturally gravitated towards more seafood, with incredibly tender miso glazed scallops atop a bed of black rice, rainbow Swiss chard, and a hefty swoop of cauliflower puree.

One of a restaurant’s best tests lies in how well it crafts a burger, and Sall’s stands up to the heat, created with a signature Pat Le Freida blend (short rib, chuck, and hangar), dressed with caramelized onions, romaine lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion, Sall’s special sauce, and sandwiched between brioche and served with house made fries.

The cocktail list will rotate seasonally, and on a humid summer evening we chose the Too Cool for School (Crop cucumber vodka, St. Germain, ginger ale, garnished with a cucumber) and Peach-Tree Margarita (Herradura, peach liqueur, agave, lime juice). Happy hour is available as well, and can be enjoyed at the long, spacious bar if you only want drinks.

With plush royal blue seating, crystals dripping from the ceiling, but also widescreen TVs playing college football in the background, one gets a sense that the restaurant is still trying to get its footing in identifying its own atmosphere, yet in its early days, its potential in such a competitive culinary field is still great. We already know they've got the food locked down.

To visit Sall Restaurant & Lounge, head over to 818 10th Avenue in Manhattan. This meal was provided by Sall Restaurant & Lounge, however all opinions are our own.