This month we met up at Salut Kitchen Bar. We’d never been, but their menu and food looked good. Too bad we didn’t get the memo about them only serving a brunch menu on weekends because that menu was NOT as appetizing as the one listed online.
It’s fine. We’re not huge fans of surprises, so we tried to find cocktails and entrees that sounded good and here’s what we got…
Jennifer ordered the Dog Peach Whisky Tea with Peach whiskey and ‘hibiscus iced tea.’ Why? Because Summer is coming. “I was looking forward to a summer- tea drink but instead I got more of a fake peach flavoring,” she says, giving everyone a taste. Jennifer said there was little to no whiskey and the drink was mixed with more black tea than hibiscus. In fact, there may not have been any hibiscus in the tea at all. Think about midtown Lux’s hibiscus tea drinks; they’re pink and floral scented. This drink was dark and brooding. Disappointed, Jennifer said the black tea overload wasn’t too bad “considering black tea and peach are a great combo. This cocktail, however, was less than impressive.” 
“Unfortunately, the $10 mule was lackluster with an overpowering cucumber flavor.” warns Macey.
This Hummus Nacho plate was a crowd favorite. The appetizer includes reduced balsamic over spoonfuls of hummus on crispy, yet still chewy in the middle pita chips. The red onion, feta, and balsamic are classic flavors that taste great together, but this is nothing you can’t recreate at home.
Macey, who had the beer and chorizo Benedict and the Oh Honey Mule, was a little thrown off by the brunch-only menu, but overall really enjoyed her meal. “The chorizo benedict was like if biscuits and gravy met traditional eggs Benedict.” Fluffy biscuits were topped with beer and chorizo gravy that’s spicy and warm with just a hint of smoke accentuating the bacon and poached eggs and came with a side of crispy homestyle potatoes dusted with a ranch-style seasoning. The bonus to this meal? Macey says it’s definitely the patio. “I really liked their shady, dog-friendly patio. If I lived closer, I could see myself going back for happy hour and hummus nachos, but I wouldn’t drive out of my way to return.”
Gretchen shares, “I ordered the bacon grilled cheese. The bread was honey butter toasted sourdough, and it was sweet perfection. It came with fries and was a decent sized portion. I even had leftovers for lunch the next day! My sangria tasted pretty watered down, but I’ve been spoiled with multiple trips to Spain so I’ll give it a free pass. Overall my food was good, but I probably wouldn’t venture back any time soon.”
Cameron ordered the ‘Salut Florentine,’ a take on eggs Benedict. “Meh are my thoughts,” she shares, acknowledging it lacked flavor. “My poached eggs were a little under cooked for my liking, the egg whites were still very runny.” Cameron was yearning for that regular menu. “I was very disappointed that they didn’t have their regular menu in addition to their brunch menu,” she said. It was super far away [from our usual Phoenix choices] and other then having a great time with my friends I wouldn’t go back.” The best part of this BFC meetup? “The hummus nachos,” Cameron says.
Delmara’s Chicken Pita wrap, “I tend to be a little weird about time of day and weather for eating breakfast food. Some people can enjoy an omelet anytime. me…not so much. Food club this round was on warm summer Sunday and we sat on the patio under the misters. I felt like the atmosphere would better call for a sandwich and beer than brunch options.” The menu didn’t offer much in the way of lunch so I chose the one of few options it had, the chicken pita with a Greek salad on the side. The pita was good.
The menu didn’t particularly strike her fancy, explaining, “The menu didn’t offer much in the way of lunch so I chose the one of few options it had, the chicken pita with a Greek salad on the side. The pita was good. It was filled with chicken, avocado, roasted peppers, grilled onions, provolone, arugula and garlic aioli. The aioli added a lot of flavor. I love all things garlic! The side salad had a delicious Greek dressing and lots of yummy olives, but it wasn’t as fresh as it should have been. Some of the greens were a tad browned.” Like Cameron, Delmara agrees, “The best part was the hummus nachos we shared at the table. It had crispy little pitas topped with generous dollops of hummus, drizzled with a thick delicious balsamic reduction then topped with red onions, pomegranate seeds, and feta. So good! The company of my favorite bitches always makes for a great time, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to visit Salut again.”
Meghan explains, “I was really looking forward to trying Salut’s beet salad that I saw on their website, so I was kind of bummed when they told me that they ‘don’t have another menu’ when I couldn’t find it on the mostly-brunch menu they provided.” Meghan instead opted for something light and savory, the ‘Simple’: Eggs, bacon, toast and diced potatoes. The eggs, which she ordered scrambled, and bacon were perfectly cooked, she says, but they didn’t offer a choice of breads for the toast, nor serve it with butter or other toppings. “Though seasoned well, the potatoes seemed like they had been overcooked or maybe even dehydrated,” she explains, “Their near weightlessness and small size made them difficult to coax onto my fork, too. And, our server committed one of my biggest pet-peeves: She brought me an unwrapped straw and was gripping the center of it with her bare hand AND the straw had smudges on one of its ends. The prices and portions were reasonable, though, and it has an enjoyable atmosphere…” You just have to suffer through medicore food.
The Full Review {their menu here}:
Favorite Appetizer: Hummus Nachos. There were only like 6 pita chips on the platter but totally worth ordering, the balsamic, red onion and feta complement the hummus and chips perfectly.
Favorite Entree: All of our entrees were just meh. The real menu has more options so you might want to try one of those.
Favorite Dessert: We didn’t even try any. I know. Shocking. But, like, we were over it.
1-10 Service {0 worst, 10 best}: 6. Everything was fine. but like just fine enough, and they did bring Meghan her straw unwrapped and hands touching it, which is pretty unappetizing.
Cost {$ $$ $$$ $$$$!}: $-$$ we ended up spending more because we wanted more hummus nachos and cocktail but overall prices were low-ish.
Mistakes {corrections?}: Not any mistakes, again everything was just fine.
Reservations? Salut takes reservations though Open Table. but honestly you probably don’t need them unless it’s a big group or weekend night, maybe?
Parking: Strip mall parking lot.
Would we eat there again? Doubt it, just wasn’t anything that impressive, if we were in the area maybe but not worth the drive from central phoenix at all.
Have you been to Salut? did you love it? hate it? what did you order? did we miss something?
xoxo, the Bitches.
Bitches Food Club 