New York, Day 3: Part 2: Salmon River

Safely returned from our Bronx nightmare, the Dining Duo ventured out for a more upscale dinner than Dukes, deciding on Salmon River after careful perusal of the menu printouts Sheila had so compulsively brought from home. After an easy, very navigable stroll from the hotel to the restaurant without once getting lost (are you listening, Bronxie?) we slipped into the chic atmosphere of Salmon River.

The ambiance was wonderful with beautiful decor. Wall colors were warm and inviting, and there was a serene fountain adding to the peaceful atmosphere. It took us awhile, but we eventually noticed the very appropriate photography on the wall (those are closeups of fishing lures!)

This was to be our blow-out meal, using every bit of our per diem and then some. So we began with cocktails, since the beautiful atmosphere demanded something more refined than a beer. Jennifer channeled her boss, and ordered a lemon drop martini. It had a gorgeous presentation – arriving in a small shaker and poured out at the table. It wasn’t overly sweet as those martinis can sometimes be and was well appreciated by Jennifer. Sheila, after much internal debate, settled on the mojita, which she’d never tried and had been wanting to. Although rum isn’t her favorite, she really enjoyed the mojito, loving the great balance of mint and lime.

Several of the appetizers tempted, but the salads called the loudest. Jennifer had the Salmon River Rustic Caesar Salad, which had parmesan garlic croutons and an excellent anchovey dressing that combined with the fresh romaine lettuce to produce a very refreshing salad. It just may have ruined her for the lesser salads that so many places try to pass off as caesars. Sheila had no trouble picking a salad, spotting the Grilled Portobello Salad. It combines goat cheese, baby arugola, roasted red peppers, caramelized leeks and an herb vinaigrette. It was absolutely delicious, with a perfect blend of the different items.

While Jennifer debated some of the steaks on the menu, she quickly realized that at a place named Salmon River, the salmon is probably an appropriate choice, and picked the Pan Roasted Salmon from among the five or six choices that evening. It was served with scallion whipped potatoes, haricots verts, roasted pepper broth and balsamic glaze reduction. She felt it was excellent: perfectly cooked salmon with a wonderful sauce. The potatoes were great and the presentation was gorgeous.

Disliking fish, Sheila ordered the pan seared Filet Mignon served with red onion marmalade, whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus, and a red wine demi glaze. The first bite tasted suspiciously fishy to her, but perhaps that was just the aroma from Jennifer’s dish, because every other bit was fantastic. The filet had a perfect sear while still being beautifully rare inside (not often accomplished, much to Sheila’s disappointment). The asparagus tasted steamed, not grilled but they were still quite tasty. The potatoes unfortunately were very heavy on the scallions (and hadn’t been listed that way on the menu) so that was too bad. The plating was beautiful, and the red onion marmalade and red wine demi glaze both delicious.

Desserts beckoned, and Jennifer selected the pear tart and absolutely loved it. Presented warm with vanilla gelato, it completely surprised her how much she loved it considering she isn’t crazy about pears usually. Sheila chose the warm double chocolate brownie with vanilla gelato. A bit of a let down, the brownie wasn’t warm and was even somewhat stale. The gelato however was great, and at virtually any other restaurant the brownie would have been fine; it just didn’t live up to everything else.

Service overall was good, but there were a few issues. There was nice teamwork between the staff, which was nice to see, and water refills were prompt. The server didn’t know what some of the drinks were which was disappointing as she kept having to go check with the bartender and even then didn’t really know how to explain some of the drinks (hence settling on the martini and mojito). Finally, Sheila’s drink was cleared before she was done with it, so she didn’t get to enjoy the final sips of mojito goodness. Happily, we were not rushed at all and we were able to enjoy our great dining experience at a leisurely pace.

Food **** 1/2
Service ****
Atmosphere *****
Overall ****1/2

Salmon River (stupid music & auto-video-playing website).
3 East 40th Street