Bachelorette Party: Dinner at SALT

Continuing on with Bachelorette Party week... this post focuses on our private dinner at SALT, in Central West End. 

Chef Wes Johnson (previously at The Shaved Duck and Eclipse) opened SALT this past May, and Jessie, the Viz girls and I had a chance to go opening week.  SALT has a very unique atmosphere and is in an old white mansion that used to be a funeral home.  After our May dinner, we got a private tour of the 2nd floor "Egyptian Room" and the private wine cellar in the basement.  Once I saw the wine cellar, I knew it would be the perfect setting for a bachelorette dinner to start the festivities of the bachelorette party night ("classy to trashy!" lol!).  That next weekend, I started emailing with Melody, SALT's event coordinator, and the rest is history!

Below is the custom made menu that I helped put together for the event:

Small Plates (Family Style):



Duck Fat Frites
with house made ketchup and garlic aioli



Mac n' Cheese



Scallop wrapped bacon

Pork and fennel meatballs in blackberry jam

Pear salad with smoked jowl, blueberries, mint in pork fat chili vinaigrette

Choice of Entrees:

Seared Trout (not pictured)

with potato, corn, pea hash, local greens, lemon vinaigrette

Pork Steak (not pictures)

with apple sauce risotto, guancale lardon

Overall, SALT's charm is in its small plates.  I suggest getting a bunch to share with the table.  Our top picks are their duck fat fries (unbelievable homemade dipping condiments!) and Chef Wes Johnson's trademark meatballs in blackberry jam.  We were also pleasantly surprised with the pear salad with the bits of smoke jowl (think pieces of chewy bacon).  And the chef made us our own version of Mac N' Cheese which was soooo good and has a wonderfully toasted bread crumb crust (unfortunately this is not a regular menu item, but it should be!).

Next on Bachelorette Party week... we go from CLASSY to TRASHY!!!  WOOT!!!

Cheesecake Factory's New "SkinnyLicious" Menu

The Cheesecake Factory just announced plans to introduce a new menu focused on healthy, low-calorie options.  The "SkinnyLicious" menu will list around 40 items, from entrees to desserts, with strict calorie guidelines, and will be a separate insert to their current menu.

Who doesn't love Cheesecake Factory?!  I just can't get enough of that brown rye bread they serve, the menu is like a novel, full of endless types of cheesecakes, and the food portions are ginormous.  However, the average entree at Cheesecake is pushing 2,000 calories (and that's not including the additional 1,500 calories that comes with dessert!).



Earlier this year, Cheesecake Factory introduced Skinny Cocktails
with about half the calories as their signature drinks

Health nuts are dominating society right now and we can see the changes all around us with healthy fast food chain Subway taking over the market and McDonalds trying to introduce healthier options such as fruit and oatmeal and reinventing the Happy Meal (Happy Meals will now come with a choice of apples, or a smaller amount of fries).  If anything, Cheesecake Factory is slow to jump on this bandwagon, but I am glad it did!

So what will the new skinny menu look like?  Fresh veggies will replace potatoes on steak and fish entrees. Tacos will have less cheese. And chicken salad will be made with light mayo. 

Future "skinny" menu item:
herb-crusted salmon with lemon sauce and assorted fresh vegetables.

Between Aug. 8 and the end of September, all 150 locations will roll out 15 entrees under 590 calories and 12 appetizers under 490.  Will you try the new skinny menu? Or will it be impossible to resist the Bistro Shrimp Pasta, at 2,730 calories (the equivalent of 14 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts)?!