Salt's Cure Is a Remedy for the Restaurant Blues

is not a fancy restaurant. There is no valet parking, only a few parking spots at the nail salon across the street. There are no tablecloths. There is not even a menu, just a handwritten list on a chalkboard of the day’s specials. But the food speaks for itself.

The self-proclaimed “cured meats restaurant” on Santa Monica Boulevard serves meat only from "humanely raised animals" sourced from ranches in California. It routinely procures whole pig carcasses and butchers them down in-house, transforming the meat into menu items such as Potted Pork and bone-in Pork Loin Chop. It also sells cuts of the meat in its butcher shop, which is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Although the menu constantly changes, favorite dishes include the rich and fatty Duck Breast prosciutto, served with a blueberry compote, and the Potted Smoked Halibut made with a generous amount of butter, both off the charcuterie menu. Don’t forget to add the Pickle Plate to the board, which showcases a variety of pickled vegetables and comes with Salt's homemade pretzel bread.

Examples of recent dishes off the blackboard menu include Grilled Oysters ($13), Rock Crab Claws ($14), and Garlic Shrimp with Dandelion ($15). Moving from surf to turf, Salt offers meatier dishes such as the Bacon Cheeseburger ($17) or the Chili Braised Pork Shoulder ($26). Portions are large, and sharing is encouraged. Make sure to try the Farmers Market veggie sides such as hearty Braised Kale ($5), buttery Mashed Potatoes ($5), and Grilled Artichoke ($6).

The wine list is worth mentioning for its small but excellent selection of organic and biodynamic wines. A nice way to start would be with a glass of the sparkling wine from Roederer Estate, the California outpost of the French Champagne house. After polishing off the bubbly, move on to a glass of Mourvedere from La Clarine Farm, a tiny winery perched high in the Sierra Foothills. The lighter-bodied wine tastes of raspberry, pure and sweet. But don't get too attached: The list is sure to change regularly, like everything else on the menu at Salt's Cure.

Simply put, Salt’s Cure is one of the most exciting restaurants to hit West Hollywood in a long time. It’s sure to provide a cure for the restaurant blues.