New Saltwood restaurant opens today inside Loews Atlanta Hotel

APRIL 7, 2015

Saltwood, Midtown’s newest small-plate-style restaurant featuring a charcuterie-driven menu and craft cocktails, opens today inside the Loews Atlanta Hotel.

The casual dining concept – named for its emphasis on salted, cured meats and classically rustic presentation on wood blocks – merges the former Restaurant eleven and Bar eleven into one open space filled with reclaimed wood communal tables and modern, mismatched seating. A charcuterie station serves as the restaurant’s centerpiece where diners can pull up bar stools to sample house-made and locally sourced items while watching the restaurant’s charcuterie chef hand-carve meats and assemble charcuterie plates.

“When we opened in Midtown in 2010, we committed ourselves to growing and evolving with this dynamic neighborhood,” said Mark Castriota, general manager of Loews Atlanta Hotel. “Now, five years later, we’re reaffirming that commitment by opening Saltwood, which caters directly to the Midtown lifestyle and the demand for house-made and locally-sourced ingredients.” He added, “We’re excited to create a new gathering place that both local and hotel guests will enjoy.”

The 190-seat Saltwood, which includes the bar, restaurant, 20-seat patio, 125-seat private dining space, and chef’s table, specializes in small, shareable plates of signature house-made and locally sourced meats and cheeses, handcrafted cocktails and local microbrews.

Saltwood executive chef Olivier Gaupin, a native of Orleans, France, borrows both from his European roots and a decade living in the American South, to bring a unique yet refined approach to local ingredients and cooking traditions. Chris Español, restaurant sous chef, will help lead Gaupin’s culinary vision and day-to-day menu execution.

Gaupin’s passion for cured meats and high quality cheeses shows through in the menu where house-made and locally sourced charcuterie highlights include Pork & Duck Prosciutto (sweet peppers, capers, roasted pine nut, balsamic reduction), Rabbit Terrine (lentil salad, grapefruit, charred pineapple), Benton’s Smoked Mountain Ham (Dancing Fern cheese, fig molasses), and Saltwood Spam (pretzel bun, hoisin spicy mustard).

Beyond charcuterie, Gaupin’s seasonal menu debuts with dishes such as Chilled Cucumber Soup (almond crackers, toasted pine nuts, smoked yogurt) and Finisterre Octopus (charred, pear and poppy vinaigrette, pickled beets, chorizo, candied pistachios). Shareable plates range from seafood and meat to offal and pasta such as Gulf Coast Crudo (cobia, pickled rock shrimp, dill yogurt, smoked oyster aioli), Alabama Grassfed Rib-Eye Steak (duck fat frites, black truffle oil and parmesan, charred ramps and cracked pepper hollandaise), Veal Sweetbreads (fried, almond crust, kecap mani, scallion and mint jam) and Tagliatelle (braised veal cheek, port mushroom reduction, glazed cipollini, local pommery mustard, red dragon cheese).

Throughout the entire menu, local and regional purveyors take center stage with favorites including cheeses from Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, charcuteries from Atlanta’s Spotted Trotter, jams and marmalade from Fairywood Thicket Farm in Fairburn, smoked country ham and bacon from Madisonville, Tennessee’s Benton’s, breads from Atlanta’s Holeman & Finch Bread Company and fish from Apalachicola, Florida’s Water Street Seafood.

Saltwood is located at 1065 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta. Valet and self-parking are complimentary. Saltwood is open Monday through Sunday for breakfast from 6:30–11 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m., and dinner from 5:30 –10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5:30 – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Brunch service will begin in May 2015. The Saltwood bar is open Sunday through Thursday from 12 p.m. until 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m.–2 a.m. For restaurant updates, follow along on the Saltwood Facebook page. For more information about Loews Atlanta Hotel, visit www.loewshotels.com/Atlanta-Hotel.

Loews Atlanta Hotel

Located in the vibrant Midtown district of Atlanta, Loews Atlanta Hotel boasts 414 supremely comfortable guest rooms, including 44 suites featuring panoramic views and luxurious amenities, plus more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space. Guests can enjoy a full range of spa and wellness services, fitness equipment, and classes at the luxurious exhale Midtown Atlanta, and artisan charcuterie and locally-inspired small plates at the new Saltwood. Just a short, tree-lined walk to some of the city’s most popular locales and within minutes of Atlanta’s leading cultural centers, attractions and landmarks, Loews Atlanta Hotel delivers a superior guest experience in one of the country’s most dynamic cities.

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