It's hard to ignore 2,592 lemons.
As you enter Grey Salt, the terrific new restaurant just off the lobby of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the far wall is lined with rows and rows and rows of jars filled with preserved lemons. They announce that in this celebration of Mediterranean cuisine, North Africa will cede nothing to its southern European neighbors across the sea.
Each of the 216 clear glass jars — spread 36 wide and stacked six high — is filled with 12 plump, yellow lemons. The installation sets the tone for the modern, high ceiling space. There're smaller booths to the left, a series of huge, curved embracing cubicles down the center, and a group of adaptable tables adjacent to the open kitchen, which runs along the right wall until it hits a jog. Beyond that corner, you see the stacks of split log fuel tucked into the wall that eventually meets the plane of jarred citrus. It's a light, bright welcoming setting with a loud soundtrack that's in sync with the Hard Rock brand. Whether you consider this an appropriate dining soundscape depends on your perspective.
The friendly, knowledgable service team presents the wine list on an iPad-like touch screen tablet in a foldable case, enabling diners to search by grape varietal, by the glass or by food and wine match. It's as useful as it is fun. "Bread service" quickly follows on a long rectangular plate with a square dish of splendid housemade hummus served with lavash and a colorful, divine assortment of warm olives, large and small.
To start, we settle on three thin and long wood-grilled merguez sausages on a bed of perfect al dente Le Puy lentils dressed in tangy mustard vinaigrette. If you can handle the bite of the vinegar, the combo is terrific. So often, lentils are mushy; not so here. These have just enough resistance to the tooth and wonderfully balance the fattiness of the sausage. It's a great beginning.
After my margarita pizza marathon, I’m drawn to the grilled flatbread as another starter, but my dining companions make a persuasive case for the Moroccan-spiced lamb drizzled with tzatziki. The bold flavors pop in your mouth, and the crisp base tinged with flame is a worthy accomplice to take your breathe away.
The entrees are also sensational. Roasted Gulf Coast snapper boasts crisp skin on a tender juicy fillet with seasonal vegetables — in our case, a superb roasted corn-tomato salsa. It's served in a round, glazed ceramic clay dish that can stand the fire and heat coming out of the flame-fueled kitchen.
The thick wood-grilled pork chop is from England's desirable Berkshire breed, whose high fat content and heavy marbling lends itself to high-temperature grilling preparations. The succulent, juicy chop is well matched by eggplant caponata, Italy's version of vegetable stew with Mediterranean flair like its French cousin, ratatouille. Grey Salt's rendition includes corn niblets and pine nuts with a distinct vinegary tang. Executive chef Marc Murphy's multifaceted menu combines a host of flavors, but always seeks balance on the palate
Roasted duck breast is simple yet striking. It’s cooked on a block of Himalayan salt that renders the skin so crisp and flavorful that a bite of the pink, gamey bird is swoon-worthy. After I recover from my eyes rolling back in my head, I’m able to to add some of the dried fruit mostarda (we get delicious dark candied cherries) and baby greens that are in perfect synchronicity with the duck.
As is true of its sibling restaurant at the casino, Council Oak, the price point is for high rollers and the sides are à la carte. We had lentils in our starter, so we settle on ash-roasted carrots with local honey and crushed potatoes, plus Parmesan. Roasted to perfection, the whole small carrots are purple, white and the expected orange; they're firm to the bite and full of earthy goodness. Like the carrots, the small new potatoes are a variety of colors, with crisp skins, flecked with sea salt, that are creamy and delicious at the core.
A dessert star is crème catalana, the Spanish version of crème brûlée, substituting citrus and cinnamon for a French vanilla flavor profile. In Grey Salt’s version, the custard is very soft and adds a strong note of star anise. The thick burnt sugar topping isn't melted with a propane torch, though. The panache of a dramatic hot iron direct from the flames brands the sugar in one steaming, smoky step. The result is a delightful, sweet surprise.
The lone disappointment of the evening is the chocolate hazelnut tart. The pastry is seductive to the eye with whole golden nuts peeking through the top, but the chocolate isn’t evenly distributed, and the crust, which appears to have a large share of ground hazelnuts, is thick and dry. Even with a consistent chocolate layer, I'm afraid this one needs tweaking. I have no doubt the restaurant will eventually get it right since everything else is so on point, including the pine nut gelato accompanying the tart.
Grey Salt is a winner.
Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2015.