SALT & LOFT 15 JULY 2021

By LONG ISLAND WINE DAD July 21, 2021

Last week we ventured out to a free concert at the West Hampton Beach Village Green Gazebo and enjoyed the music of The Sound Symphony. The concert was outstanding with more details at liwinedad. Before the concert, we walked the village and happened upon a restaurant called the Salt & Loft. Salt & Loft is the classic local jewel well known to the locals but new to the Long Island community. The restaurant is very open, bright, and airy, with many inside and outside tables. The Salt & Loft location is convenient, directly across from the West Hampton Beach Village Green and a short walk to a municipal parking lot. The menu [1] is Hamptons style but moderately priced. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner as we worked our way through starters and mains, skipping desserts that looked quite good, but we were just too full, from all courses, next time we will save some space.

For openers, Jo and I had the Zucchini Chips [2] and the Big Eye Tuna Tartar [3]. The Zucchini ‘chips’ were a considerable portion (good for sharing) of a tempura-style fried Zucchini shoestrings complimented with a light lemon basil aioli. The shoestrings were hot, crisp, with minimal residual oil, and the aioli paired perfectly, not overpowering the delicate flavor of the Zucchini. The tuna tartar came sitting on a bed of Guacamole, Cucumber and finished with a splash of Sesame Chili oil that complemented the fresh tuna. On the side were rice crackers to scoop up all the tuna & Guacamole goodness. The tuna is one of the better renditions of Tuna Tartar I have had in a while. There were ten more appetizers, but alas, they will need to wait for a revisit.

Jo, for her entrée, had the Steak Frites [4]. This plate consisted of a generous portion of excellent quality grilled filet mignon, arugula salad, herb de Provence steak fries, and topped with truffle butter. Usually, the fries are a simple afterthought in this type of dish, but in this case, they equally shared the stage with the Filet Mignon. Next, I had the Panko Sesame-crusted Tuna [5]. Perfectly seared tuna arrived in a bowl atop Soba noodles, Napa cabbage, and stir-fried vegetables for my entrée. The marriage of all the flavors was outstanding, and again there was plenty for taking home.

The staff is bright, perky, knowledgeable, and efficient but without rushing you along. Salt & Loft is a perfect pre-concert dinner place, or use any excuse to work your way through the menu. We look forward to returning many times.