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| - From UsingEnglish.com: "People who are salt of the earth are decent, dependable and unpretentious." Isn't it ironic that a restaurant with such a name would be anything but? Perhaps its an aspiration.
At this price level (expect ~40-50 a person), SOTE gets 2 stars. Here's why:
Atmosphere: Very nice, new money, love the communal tables and chalkboard. This makes a really solid play at being a kitschy restaurant from a bigger city. However, you do not play any Eminem with those prices on the menu. No excuses there, it made the whole place seem like nasty club on the south side. Change the station, get a playlist, whatever. Also, when you have "Tartare" on the menu, that's great, but you need to say of what. Tuna tartare? Steak? Chicken? Tartare is just a method of preparation, why would you leave off the type of meat?
Also, the silverware is from IKEA.
Service: Awful. First bad impression - best reso you can do is 930? I expected to see the place packed; instead, there were many empty tables. At least call us once you have a better estimate of when you can seat us. Then - you switched our drinks up when serving us. Then, you brought out a glass of wine that was for another table. Then, you brought out appetizers that were for another table, and served it to them after one of us cut into it (that has applicability for the health department). Then, the waiter cannot explain what's in the dish, so he mumbles his way through it.
Food: Hit and miss here. The soup was good, the hangar stake tartare was great, the hamachi might have come from a can, and the duck was meh. I've had better duck. Good cocktails, though.
I recommend Legume over Salt of the Earth; the same price level there was justified by fantastic service and good dishes.
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