Nestled on Manhattan’s West Broadway in Soho, Salumé is an Italian feast for the eyes as well as the palette. This small shop is known for their exquisite panini renditions, consisting of the finest imported Italian meats and cheeses. As their sandwiches have become a favorite of many daytime diners, Salumé is now keeping their doors open a bit later to cater to the after-work drink crowd and offering a wonderful aperitivo service that will blow you away.
Courtesy of new owner Michael A. Spalding, this Italian hot-spot is serving up complimentary bites to accompany a wide range of cocktails, ranging from Italian vermouths, apertifs and digestifs, to wines and craft beers. Salumé offers wonderfully composed tapas from Raw items to Cured and Cooked items, as well as Sweet plates.
As a guest of the restaurant, my companion and I were able to sample a typical Apertivo evening. Chef Steven Hubbell prepared three Raw plates to start us off. Among these was a Fava Bean with mint and pickled Cippolini; a Heirloom Tomato with Raspberry Puree, Espresso Olive Oil Emulsion and Basil; and Crenshaw Melon, with Buffalo Mozzarella, Black Pepper and Ham Oil. All three were light, rich in flavor, and designed to melt in one’s mouth. We enjoyed these bites while sipping on some lovely Sparkling Italian Rose Wine. The slight sweetness in the wine complimented the natural sweetness of the tomato and the melon. This was a fantastic start to our meal and certainly a beautiful display of creative plating.
Chef Hubbell brought us some olives to begin our Cured sampling. The olives were drizzled with oil and covered in columbus crespone, pizzuto almonds, orange and thyme. To wash down the saltiness, Hubbell also served some lovely Vermentino 2010 White wine which had a lovely herb quality about it. We also had the pleasure of sampling their coppa wrapped fig plate, which was covered in red ribbon rorrel. This was a very decadent dish and one of the more filling plates we sampled. Again, the Italian influences were hitting the spot.
Moving onto the cooked portion of the menu, Salumé offered us a taste of their delicious roasted potatoes with black garlic aioli sauce, topped with parsley, poached leeks with dill; a Bottarga Di Tonno; as well as a crispy anchovy bite, accompanied by a flavorful Colatura mayo. All three dishes were hand crafted, which was a nice surprise. Sometimes heavier tapas can leave one feeling overly full – but this was not the case here. All of Salumé’s aperitivo bites are light and surprisingly health conscious. Chef Hubbell really knows what he’s doing.
For desssert, I recomment the Peach Gelato with pistachio glass, as well as the homemade frozen yogurt with lemon chip. These desserts were the perfect ending to our grand sampling and left us feeling completely satisfied. I also suggest trying one of their fantastic cheese and meat plates, which are served during Salume’s aperitivo service from 4:30pm to close.
Make a reservation for that special night out, you will not be disappointed!
Salumé
330 West Broadway
212-226-8111