Who’s Behind It Executive chef Alejandro Buzzalino and managing partner Dallas Tambeau
What’s on the Menu A constantly evolving collection of deeply creative and globally inspired contemporary bites
When Salt & Brick opened in late 2023, the owner’s plans were ambitious. With two prominent chefs in the kitchen, a “fresh sheet” menu that changed daily, and an enormous multi-faceted room with a lounge, kitchen bar, private dining room and secret speakeasy in the back, the restaurant’s model was exciting, but somewhat chaotic. Two years later, the team behind the restaurant acknowledges that they’ve scaled back slightly in scope, but Salt & Brick is stronger and more electrifying than ever.
Since those early months after opening, original chef de cuisine Alejandro Buzzalino has graduated to executive chef and, while the menu is still constantly changing, he’s moving five to seven dishes in and out each week, rather than doing a daily overhaul.
This allows the chef to exercise his immense creativity — he makes anything from French onion beef tartare with roasted shallot aioli to large-format steaks with whisky-maple jus, as well as seemingly constant experimentations with foie gras — while making use of seasonal ingredients and patiently aged proteins from his dry-aging chambers. “I don’t think our dishes have ever been better, tighter or more well-executed,” Buzzalino says. “Before, we were doing so much amazing work but now we’ve got it down to the best hits all the time.”
The best place to experience Salt & Brick’s kitchen magic is from the engaging kitchen bar, which showcases the sunny camaraderie between Buzzalino and his team, including pastry chef Larissa Costella, who is making what are easily some of the most imaginative and delicious desserts in the city. The tightened kitchen focus has also led to more relaxed yet still attentive service, allowing guests to join in the fun while enjoying a cocktail or a glass of something from the restaurant’s thoughtful wine list.
211 10 Ave. S.W., 403-371-3429, saltandbrick.com, @saltandbrickyyc
