When I took the trip out to Salem, MA for a tour of the Harbor Sweets chocolate factory, I also had the pleasure of dining out at the Adriatic Restaurant in downtown Salem.
I enjoy dining out in cities other than Boston. I also like it when I dine out with a small group of food connoisseurs instead of a large crowd. Since there were only three people (Kathy and Kevin and me) that signed up for the Harbor Sweets tour, it was a nice to have just the three of us sit around and really get to know each other, and the food we were eating.
Adriatic Restaurant is an Italian restaurant in the center of downtown Salem in the midst of cute cafes and shops. And by Italian, I don’t mean something like the Olive Garden or Bertucci’s. This food was authentic, and judging by the presentation and the taste, we could tell the menu had been carefully planned out to suit a wide array of palates — each dish sparking a flirty charm in a different way.
The restaurant had an overall romantic ambiance, with waiters dashing about in crisp white shirts, sleek hair, and tables adorned with candles (in this case pumpkin shaped). But it was also a very family-friendly atmosphere. Families were dining around us, but as Kathy described, even with a small child crying in the corner, she hardly noticed — the look and feel of the restaurant muted any other background noise.
For our first course, we were served Zucchini Blossoms and Zucchini Strips. Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables, and if you leave it in the pan too long, it gets soggy. Not enough, it’s too crisp. But Adriatic did them just right. They were lightly fried in a tempura batter and served with a touch of balsamic reduction. Plus, there was goat cheese. Those pretty blossoms were stuffed with my favorite food. Needless to say, I ate it all.
Our second course was Grilled Baby Octopus over gigante beans. I’ll say this upfront. Octopus tentacles weird me out. I like the taste of octopus, but I don’t like seeing the whole octopus in front of me on the plate. Sort of the same way where I wouldn’t like an entire fish served to me on the plate. Despite my squeamishness towards those little suction cups, I did take a bite of the octopus. And I did like it. The beans were also creamy and drenched in butter. I hardly had to chew them. Can you say “heavenly” with me?
Our third course (oh yes, there were lots—what else is new in the world of food blogging, though? 
) was Tagliatelle with Bolognese. This pasta was fresh and handmade. Perfectly sticky and perfectly al dente — so it had that distinct fresh pasta bite to it. The bolognese was true to form–made with veal, and the whole dish was sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese. I had to stop myself from eating the whole dish because I knew there were three more to come after this.
This next dish was my absolute favorite out of the whole night. Butternut Squash Ravioli with brown butter, sage, and grated Parmesan cheese. Remember when I made those butternut squash tortellinis a while back? And I mentioned that my favorite Fall item to order off a menu was butternut squash ravioli? Well my dreams came true. What really made this dish a hit was the homemade ravioli and the brown butter that it was sitting in. Browned butter tastes like caramel. And the sage on the top was a quick fried piece of sage. So it was crispy and perfect. In a sense, it was almost like eating candy.
The next two dishes I don’t have pictures of because it got dark while we were eating dinner. (And the Halloween parade was going on outside the restaurant window. So we had dinner and a show—what a treat!)
Our fifth course was Cod with Oven Roasted Tomatoes baked in parchment paper. The cod was beautifully cooked, but not seasoned to my liking. There were a lot of olives in the dish. And usually I like olives, but these ones in particular were overpowering. They made the fish much too salty, but not in a good salted way—-an olive-y salt that is not appetizing at all. I think the parchment trapped in too much of the olive juice. It just didn’t work. The tomatoes were beautiful, though.
Our last course was Grilled Flank Steak with salsa verde, roasted potatoes, and broccoli rabe. The steak was cooked well, but it was tough and a bit too chewy for my liking. The potatoes were tender on the inside but crispy on the outside, sort of like home fries, giving the dish a nice spin on “steak and potatoes”. I didn’t like the broccoli rabe, though. Overall, the last dish was so-so.
You didn’t think they’d forget dessert, did you? (I managed to snag a pic of this because by then the outside light had turned on.) This is a Nutella Pizza Tart. Um, right up my alley. Two layers of very thin crust and inside was a layer of Nutella. It was drizzled with hazelnut sauce and in the center was (I believe) hazelnut gelato. It was also covered in powdered sugar. Kathy told me it was OK for me to have two slices. (The wedding is still months away anyway…) As a Nutella fan, this dessert is basically asking for praise from me. I would love to make it at home!
Are you drooling by this point? Or are you just mad that I got to eat all of that delicious food on a beautifully cool Fall evening?
If you’re going to be in Salem for any Halloween festivities this month and are looking for a place to eat, this is a great option. Prices are reasonable, too. The main courses were priced from 16-25 dollars , and the appetizers range from 5-12 dollars (full menu and prices on their website).
Note: This meal was provided to me free of charge from Adriatic Restaurant, but as usual, all opinions expressed here are my own.
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