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Salar Restaurant and Lounge

Salar’s Chef Margot Invites You To Dinner at Her House!

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While the repairs are being done to the Oregon District eatery that was damaged in a fire in late December, Salar Chef and Owner Margot Blondet is hosting a series of 3 pop up dinners at her home.  Guests will get to experience a five course dinner, that will feature a few Salar favorites as well as some brand new dishes being considered for the menu when the eatery reopens sometime this summer. No exact date has been set yet, but stay tuned for updates.

Damage was pretty extensive, so while the repairs were done, Chef decided it was also a good time for to refresh the look of the restaurant.  Gone will be the dark feel in the bar and dining room,  it will be light and bright, according to Chef.  She also shared she’s very excited about being able to expand the patio and add a pergola.

You can find out more from Margot herself by attending one of the three planned dinners coming up.  You can make a reservation by emailing with your choice of date to gmsalarrestaurant@gmail.com.

 

Here’s the menu for the first one this Saturday night:

 

 

 

Salar Is Now Open

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480999_164515687048312_1882105122_nIt’s been a long time since Dayton has gotten this excited about a new business opening, but if the over 500 guests that packed out the VIP Grand Opening Reception for Salar Restaurant and Lounge on Wed  are any indication, this Oregon District Restaurant will be a hit.  Chef/Owner Margot Blondet has created a menu inspired by Mediterranean, Peruvian and French cuisine, the interior has been remodeled  and the cocktails have gone upscale, courtesy of  three star Michelin rated mixologist Brian Van Flandern.

While I usually am the first one to say “never judge a restaurant in the first few weeks“, we celebrated my friend Nicole’s birthday last night at Salar, on the first night they were open to the public.  It always  takes a while for the staff and kitchen  to learn the ebb and flow of the restaurant. Seven of us arrived with anticipation and excitement, and since most of the group have worked in restaurants we agreed not to judge too hard.  Other than a few timing issues, we all were quite impressed with the feast of flavors we shared.

We started with a few appetizers to share:

Salar apps

Shrimp Wonton’s with a spicy peruvian chili pepper and passion fruit dipping sauce
crispy rings of fried calamari,  marinated in smoked paprika served with roasted pepper garlic aioli, Peruvian Empanadas-  beef  tenderloin filled turnovers with a Peruvian kick, Chorizo in Sherry – chorizo onions and red bell peppers served with a sliced baguette and an old favorite I was glad to see on the menu: Seafood Pizza- shrimp, scallops, mozzarella and provolone with fresh basil and baby spinach- or ask my friend Karen said when I posted this picture on Facebook- Seafoodorgasm!

The portions were plentiful and we all decided to move right into entrees, agreeing to each order a different meal and share.  Words can ‘t do the food we enjoyed justice, and these photo’s don’t really convey the beauty on the platings either.  Remember, we were celebrating a birthday and not really there to review Salar, but we wanted to share, because so many people have been asking.

salarmeal3

 We also had a Pork Filet Mignon, but for some reason  I don’t have that picture.  The Cabernet Sauvignon reduction served with the Duck Ravioli and the Chardonnay and Saffron sauce that was served with the Salmon were so good, we asked our waiter to bring us bread so we could dip and enjoy the sauces, after we’d devoured our meals!  Our server Benjamin was great and very helpful, keeping our waters full and replacing silverware as needed.  Great attention to detail this early on is a great sign of good staff training.

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And of course a great meal is not complete without sampling desserts.  We orded each of dessertsthe desserts listed on the menu.  As a group we all agreed our favorite was the Lucuma Croustillant – a pecan pavloca with lucuma mousse topped with chocolate ganace (served in a martini glass).  The Chocolate Shades mousse cake came in second followed closely by the Passion Fuite Tres Leches cake.  We all agreed the Volador was our least favorite, the combination of thin crackly pastry with creamy dulces de leche.  It was just a little dry and might benefit from a cream anglise or fruit sauce, but that was the only miss of the entire meal!

Salar is open Monday – Saturday starting at 5pm. Reservations are most definitely suggested- you can call 203-3999 or reserve online with OpenTable.  For now Salar is just serving dinner, lunch will be added soon. Kudos to Chef Margot, Harry and the staff- you’re off to a great start!

Former Sidebar location to become Salar Restaurant and Lounge

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SalarSince the minute Sidebar closed last July, rumors have been circulating about a revival of the restaurant. Today, after months of planning, partnering and negotiations, Chef Margo Blondet and General Manager Harry Trubounis were finally able to announce that the lease is signed and the renovations are under way for the Salar Restaurant and Lounge to bring back to life the corner of Fifth and Brown Streets in the Oregon District. The name of the restaurant, Salar, is derived from a vulgar Lating slang for ” salt-encrusted,” which is so appropriate, since Chef Margot’s favorite seasoning is salt.

Featuring an exciting menu of Mediterranean-Peruvian fusion cuisine with French ChefMargotinfluences along with hand-crafted cocktails, the restaurant plans to be a reasonably priced, upscale, yet casual style restaurant. Chef Margot plans to feature an array of small plate entrees, distinctive salads, appetizers and pizzas, allowing customers to enjoy different courses should they choose to try a sampling of diverse dishes. Salar also will feature a wide selection of handmade cocktails created with house-prepared syrups, fresh fruit and juices, and only the finest spirits. Blondet will craft Salar’s menu, with entrée prices ranging from a $12 to $22 per person.

“Peruvian cuisine reflects not only the traditional dishes native to the area but also, through centuries of immigration, influences from Spain, China, Italy, West Africa and Japan,” Blondet said. “By integrating classical French techniques, our menu will consist of a fusion of influences that result in dishes that are both comfortable and unique. The outcome becomes an exciting twist, rather than a radical departure from the diners’ favorite foods.”

“This is exciting news for the Oregon District, downtown and the Dayton community,” said Dr. Michael Ervin, owner of the building in which Salar is located. “Interest in this space was extremely strong, which reflects growing interest from business owners in investing in a downtown Dayton location. I am confident everyone will love the fine food and cocktails at Salar, where they’re sure to have a dining experience like none other in the region.”

sidebar-5Salar also will provide on and off-site catering and carry-out dining will be available to lunch and dinner customers as well.

Saar plans to  be open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11-2 and at 4 pm. Monday through Saturday for dinner and closed on Sunday.  The dining room will be open Monday through Thursday until 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday until midnight. The bar will remain open until 2 am Thursday through Saturday.