Hoping This Restaurant Is Worth Their Salt (and Ash) - CLOSED

Salt and Ash

1390 North Kraemer Blvd. 

Placentia, CA 92870

I have become quite obsessed with lists of restaurants. For a while, I was fixated on wings. Then I went crazy trying to hit all the burger spots on another top 10 list. I'm trying to hit up as many OC Register's Restaurant Critics as possible and Brad Johnson's top 75 restaurants on the OC list. I've already been to almost half of them, but that is not good enough for someone trying to eat their way through OC. So, I've made it my mission to tackle this list until another list strikes my fancy, and I attack that one.

The food community has embraced Salt and Ash for a restaurant that has only been open for six months. Not only has it been listed as one of the top 75 restaurants in OC, but it also got a glowing review in Orange Coast Magazine. Pretty good for a restaurant that is well hidden and in the suburban spread of landlocked Placentia. When we walked in, we also spied two of our good friends and prominent members of the OC food scene, Anita from Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman and Bobby of 100 Eats. Really good catching up with them, and proof that Salt and Ash has some great buzz surrounding it. Let's see if we thought this was the case after eating here.

Salt and Ash, as stated earlier, is in an odd shopping center next to the Placentia Post Office. Lots of wood all over the place, and a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere is provided. It is not too hipster, but it still has a youthfulness about it, even though they still serve beverages in mason jars, which was so yesterday, as any hipster could tell you. They have a small bar that straddles the back portion of the restaurant and the outdoor patio. About twenty tables in this rectangular floor plan are nicely spaced, allowing conversation in this rather loud environment.

The menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, desserts, and side items. There are about five options per section, with some extra appetizer options. According to our waitress, the menu changes with the seasons, which is a bummer because the much-hyped duck empanadas were missing when we dined here. Be aware that your favorite items might take a little hiatus on your next visit to Salt and Ash. Let's look at what was on the menu during our visit.

Since my duck empanadas were unavailable, we spontaneously went with these Dry Ribs ($11). These ribs were sans sauce but seasoned with sea salt, coriander, and black pepper. There was plenty of meat on them, but the salt overpowered them and detracted from the flavor of the meat. It's not one of my favorites.

Entrees came out rather quickly, and the first one to hit the table was my dad's selection, the Coastal Catch ($20). This plate changes with what's available on any particular day, and on this day, it was Grilled Ono, served with lotus red rice, baby corn, sweet peas, and an herb crema. My dad was pretty quiet about his meal, but usually, that just means he's very intent on not raising awareness about liking his plate and having to offer bites to anyone who would want some. Very selfish big guy.

Is a Cuban sandwich on the menu? Yep, that likely means my mom will order it, and she held true to form by ordering Our Cuban ($15). If you are an avid blog reader, you know how I feel about Cuban sandwiches. They are the most balanced sandwiches ever, and a good one can be life-changing. This one was good but not life-changing. Roasted pork, pickles, mustard, and cheese are sandwiched between grilled bread. A Cuban usually includes ham, but this version did not. Still good, but the bread seemed off to me. It was a little stiff and had too much of a panini feel. We liked the house french fries that she chose as her side item. They came out with a tomato jam and a much better aioli. My mom enjoyed this sandwich and took half of it home for lunch the next day.

I was torn between the burger and the steak, and as you can see from the pictures above, the Hanger Steak ($24) won out. Hanger steak is quickly becoming one of my favorite steaks, and this one was right up there. The steak was tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare. I would have liked a more substantial sauce, as this one was too watery. The borsin mash was good, but the turnips got lost here. A solid plate, but not one that I'd have to revisit.

Katie zeroed in on the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13) at Salt and Ash. She reported that this sandwich was inconsistent. Katie liked the crunchy breading coating the chicken, but some bites were bland, even with a chimichurri sauce and peppers between the focaccia. She absolutely loved the calabacitas that she picked as her side item. I had no idea what calabacitas was before this evening. I learned it's a Mexican-flavored vegetable side dish containing squash, queso fresco, corn, and herbs. It was unique, and Katie was pretty stoked about this.

Reviews of this place advised me to save room for dessert, so we saved just enough room to try two of their four offerings. This Layered Chocolate Cake ($9) had some of the best frostings around. Very smooth and not overly sweet, it was a great vehicle for the cake portion, which could have been a little moister. Still, it was tasty and definitely worth having again.

Salt and Ash rotates a pretty impressive selection of pies, which they feature on their Facebook page to alert guests about what they will feature on any particular day. On the night we were here, they had this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie ($8) as their seasonal pie. This fell flat for us. The texture was there, but the filling could have been more exciting. Only a little chocolate was included here, and the peanut butter needed to be more subtle. It has a good crust, though.

I had mixed feelings about Salt and Ash. I might have had it hyped up too much in my own head, with it being named one of the top 75 restaurants in OC. Based on this one visit, it was good, but I don't think it is the top 75 good. I would not consider any of the items we had on this evening to be crave-worthy. In other words, I would not go out of my way to come here again, but if my parents suggested it, I'd return and give them another try. Our server, Kaitlin, was right on top of things and extended excellent service during our stay. Now, we're off to tackle more of our restaurant wish list.

Out of five tennis rackets (because the city of Placentia was once home to Hall of Fame tennis player Michael Chang, whom I once scooped ice cream for when I worked at Baskin Robbins), five being best and zero being worst, Salt and Ash get three tennis rackets.

For more information about Salt and Ash, head over to their website here: https://saltandash.net/