A lamb dish included some nice tender pieces of spice-rubbed grilled meat, along with sautéed sweetbreads. They were both nicely seasoned and well-executed. They came with an eggplant "tart," which was actually a short cylinder of purple-gray mush. It was so mild you could barely taste any of the sharp flavor of eggplant.
If we are going to take our kids to a nice meal, they should get a good dessert, and there we were disappointed. Our cake was dense, but more banana-bread-dense then the moist-dense one hopes for. But it was good enough for sopping up the big dollop of rich custard it came with, along with halves of slightly tart cherries. And Salt Exchange is good enough if you are going to treat the little people who make your life meaningful to a nice dinner out. They even open early for dinner — at five — a family-friendly touch. For adult fare, Salt Exchange could do with a bit more seasoning. Children like to experiment, and the cuisine at Salt Exchange is experimental as well. Sometimes that method is slow to achieve its best results. The Salt Exchange clearly has, as Brooks would appreciate, grand designs and high ambitions. It may take a bit more time to get there.
Brian Duff can be reached at bduff@une.edu.
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