While scanning the menu at Branford’s Saltbrick Prime Steakhouse, the phrase “gilding the lily” crossed my mind several times. This upscale restaurant definitely thrives on touting its bells and whistles. One of its most ostentatious offerings is the (literally) Smoking Cold Seafood Tower, available in petite ($95; serves 3 to 4) and grande ($179; serves 4 to 6) portions, both featuring poached lobster, littleneck clams, oysters, king crab legs, jumbo shrimp and the “chef’s favorite conserva.”
Saltbrick’s signature steaks, meanwhile, are touted, obliquely, in the restaurant’s name, dry-aged as they are in a room walled with bricks of pink Himalayan salt. The room also contains UV lights on a “timed cycle,” part of a process that was granted a US patent and, according to the restaurant’s website, causes the meat to “absorb the subtle flavors of the salt” and become “extremely tender… with complex flavor profiles and irresistible umami taste.” Choices include 18-ounce 30-day ($59) and 55-day ($69) Ribeyes, an 18-ounce 35-day Bone-In New York Strip ($59) and a 38-ounce 40-day Porterhouse for Two ($129). The dry-aging doesn’t take place on-premises but rather at Foxwoods-based sister restaurant David Burke Prime Steakhouse, though there’s a facsimile salt wall behind Saltbrick’s bar.
The menu also offers “classic” non-aged steaks from a six-ounce Wagyu A5 Filet Mignon ($125) to a 16-ounce Roast Prime Rib ($49), which, like the dry-aged options, can be dressed up with a variety of “steak enhancers”: sauces ($7) such as the Horseradish Cream and Red Wine Bordelaise and “top hats” including Maytag Bleu Cheese ($8) and Crab Oscar ($15). Among a few non-steak entrees are the Roasted Chicken ($34), Cracker-Crusted Halibut ($38) and Lobster Thermidor ($55), which come with their own accoutrements, while a number of sides, like the Grilled Asparagus in Béarnaise Sauce ($12) or Pancetta Pimento Mac ’n’ Cheese ($23), create additional possibilities.
For economy’s sake, I timed my visit to coincide with Saltbrick’s $59 three-course prix fixe menu, offered Sunday through Thursday between 4 and 5 p.m. (the first hour of business). The choices here remain substantial, featuring the same appetizers and four of the same entrees as the main menu plus a trio of desserts.
My first course, a vibrant crock of French Onion Soup ($16 a la carte), was piping hot and brimming with oniony goodness, not to mention sourdough croutons and an irresistible gooey topping of fontina, Parmesan and Gruyère. I enjoyed it with the bread offering, fresh popovers, which were doled out one at a time (as if gold ingots) and served with a small ramekin of butter. A bit peppery and cheesy, they were a nice complement, though I found myself wishing they’d been served warm. Nonetheless, the combination would have made a fine light meal in itself.
Then came the main event: a 12-ounce cut of prime rib ($42 a la carte), cooked medium rare with a side of garlic whipped potatoes that could have satisfied four. Served au jus, the beef took up the better part of a dinner plate and was gorgeous in its simplicity: thick, tender, marbled, pink, sparingly peppered. The potatoes came in a separate dish, and though it might have been more aesthetically pleasing to see them plated alongside the meat, the jus might have ruined their perfectly fluffy consistency. Once again, the course was more than satisfying, with one quibble: While the meat was lukewarm, the potatoes were searing hot. A better balance would have been appreciated.
Dessert was a slice of New York Style Cheesecake ($12 a la carte), which wasn’t house-made but was nicely finished with a dusting of tart, freeze-dried raspberries, whipped cream (which was house-made) and a sprig of mint. I also treated myself to a Watermelon Sour cocktail ($15), a blend of tequila, watermelon, agave, lime, egg white and tajin dust. The drink was pretty, foamy, tangy, sweet, spicy and refreshing, though I wished the watermelon flavor had been more forward.
Despite such minor glitches, I’d happily return to Saltbrick Prime for its economically luxe prix fixe experience—even if I’d also be fantasizing about all the other bells and whistles I’d have ordered if money were no object.
Written by Patricia Grandjean. Images 1 and 3 sourced from Saltbrick Prime’s Facebook page. Image 2 photographed by Patricia Grandjean.
