Sea Salt; Naples

Last night I enjoyed dinner at Sea Salt - a relatively new restaurant to the 3rd Street area of Naples, Florida.  Chef Fabrizio Aielli comes by way of the DC dining scene, where he had a successful trifecta of restaurants.  However, after a few days of Florida sunshine several years back, he decided he had to open up shop down south.

Local, organic, naturally-raised... all are buzz words for Aielli's menu options.  Nautical-inspired wood, limestone and glass describe the interior.  The backlit photographs of Naples-famous locations (like the pier) infuse the perfect touch of neighborhood charm into the elegant restaurant. 

For those wanting an especially unique experience, request the chef's table, which sits in the midst of the kitchen - a very open operation into which people can (and do) check out what the chef is cooking on their way to and from the WC.  But even sitting at the table in the dining room will lend itself to the special experience.  The meal begins with the presentation of 6 types of salt - a trend in which even NYC isn't nearly saturated.  There is black salt - called kala namak from India - grey salt, Hawaiian salt, pink Himalyan salt, a particularly smoky salt and one that tasted like hard boiled eggs due to its interaction with sulfur while harvesting.

It was fun to get to try each salt alone - simply with excellent bread and olive oil - before selecting menu options that include many of the varieties.  I chose the kona kampachi carpaccio appetizer + a basket of crispy oysters to share while my dining companions opted for fantastic looking salads.

Entrees were very interesting - and, amongst the table, we had a wonderful balance.  Pan seared tuna with Cyprus black lava sea salt, fois gras mousse, silken cipolini onions and malbec mushroom ragout was a decadent pick.  Roasted Loch Duart salmon marinated in Limoncello, with green lentil mustard sauce, turnips, cipollini onion and topped with shaved poached pear looked divine.  My simply grilled salmon served with asparagus, grilled tomato and shitake mushroom was a solid pick. But I thought the braised lamb shank with roasted fennel, fontina cheese, swiss chard and mashed potatoes served with fig sauce looked like the tour de force.  We couldn't pass up the variety of fries and so opted for a classic basket as well as one flecked with Parmesan and white truffle oil. They came with black ketchup - made that way by a balsamic reduction - and pink mayo, thanks to chopped tomatoes.

It was a wonderful, memorable meal that has me ready to purchase and cook with my own array of salt asap.  My one hesitation with the restaurant is their dessert program.  The establishment has a little cafe in which they sell Norman Love chocolates and thus serve them for dessert at the tables as well.  The chocolate truffles are very tasty and indeed special.  But besides an ample array of them, there are only a few choices for made-in-house ice cream and sorbet; nothing else.  With a restaurant boasting sea salt, I'd love to see a caramel tart topped with a little of it.