SALL RESTAURANT & LOUNGE Comes to Hells Kitchen

Sall Restaurant & Lounge is a new Hell's Kitchen destination featuring top-notch New American seafood and craft cocktails, from husband and wife team Isabella Nartey and Demba Sall. Helming the kitchen is Executive Chef Jamell Williams, a seasoned chef with 15 years of experience in NYC restaurants. Owners Sall and Nartey found that the neighborhood was missing a solid destination for unpretentious fun, so they created Sall to be a gathering place for friends and families to unwind with great drinks and well-executed New American cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. It's a perfect venue for both a casual happy hour with small bites and full dinner with drinks.

Executive Chef Jamell Williams' path to the culinary arts began in an unusual place: the recording studio. Before he ever put on an apron, he was a rapper, and during recording sessions, he started noticing his crew watching the Food Network. After tuning in to Emeril Lagassi one day, and successfully replicating one of his rigatoni recipes at home, Williams had an epiphany and moved to Vegas to attend Le Cordon Bleu. Upon graduating he moved to New York and landed at Dinosaur BBQ, where he helped out in the pit and learned the intricacies of real barbecue. Next he moved to Jonathan Moore's high-end burger joint, Stand4, where he received a crash course in scratch cooking and fresh ingredients. He then pivoted to the fine dining world, spending two years cooking at Aquavit under Marcus Samuelsson and growing tremendously as a technical chef. He followed up with more fine dining experience cooking at Le Cirque, before landing his first Executive Chef post at beloved Harlem speakeasy 67 Orange. In an unexpected turn of events, he was cast as Bobby Flay's sous chef on Iron Chef, and then won the pilot episode of Flay's competition cooking show, 3 Days to Open. More recently, he was Executive Chef at Ravi DeRossi's Ladybird, and Candle Café.

Williams uses relationships he's cultivated with purveyors over the years to source the finest ingredients for simple dishes worth returning for over and over. His menu will change seasonally, but the focus will remain on fresh seafood. Appetizers include Fried Oyster Poutine (buttermilk fried p.e.i oysters, seasoned hand cut fries, salsa verde, cheese curds, beef gravy and chives) and Lobster Roll Sliders (Maine lobster, celery, green onion, mayo, arugula and miso butter on toasted mini brioche with house made old bay chips), while a separate Starters section includes Lobster n Truffle Mac n Cheese (Maine lobster, grana padano, smoked gouda, NY cheddar, truffle oil, tarragon and toasted panko), and Buttermilk Calamari with pimento and garlic aioli. Entrees include a whole grilled red snapper with couscous, zucchini ribbon salad, cherry tomatoes, fennel, garlic and herb butter, and a Signature Burger (Pat La Frieda chuck, short rib and hanger blend, caramelized onion, romaine lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion, special sauce on toasted brioche with housemade fries). For dessert, the Sweet Potato doughnuts are not to be missed.

A soon-to-be-launched Southern bottomless brunch-conceptualized by owner Isabella Nartey-will feature specialties inspired by Chef Williams' childhood in Charleston, South Carolina. Highlights are red velvet corn bread, Charleston Shakshuka (baked eggs with tasso ham, collard greens, okra, white pimento cheese and crusty bread) and low country shrimp & grits. The bottomless drinks will be a variety of eight different mimosa flavors.

The seasonal list of craft cocktails was also created by Chef Williams, and features nine choices from light and fruity to spirit-forward. Standouts are the Too Cool for School (Crop cucumber vodka, St. Germaine, ginger ale, cucumber wheel garnish), Sall's Peach-Tree Margarita (Herradura, peach liqueur, agave, fresh lime juice), and The CEO (Jack Daniels, Cointreau, sweet vermouth, angostura bitters, brandied cherry and ice). There are 8 beers on draft, 6 by the bottle, and a selection of red & white wines and champagne.

Sall was designed as a simple comfortable destination for diners to come unwind. Bar seating and a row of two-tops provide and area for cocktails and small bites, while a larger back dining room with comfortable royal blue banquettes sets the stage for dinner. Crystal lighting fixtures evoke the sea sparkling in sunlight. There is also an outdoor back patio for enjoying in the warmer months.

Sall Restaurant & Lounge is located at 818 10th Ave. New York, NY 10019. Call them at 212-601-2643 and visit their web site at http://sallrestaurantnyc.com/. Their hours are Sunday to Thursday 4pm-12am; Friday and Saturday 4pm to 2am.

Follow Sall on INSTAGRAM: @sallrestaurantnyc

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sall Restaurant & Lounge

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