Before you post those “missing” flyers around town, we’d like to inform you that salt is safe. It’s just not on your restaurant table anymore. You may have noticed that salt shakers are becoming more scarce in big city fine dining establishments, which poses a problem for salt lovers everywhere. But according to a May 2018 Bloomberg article, restauranteurs are pulling salt from their tables for several reasons they say are beneficial for both the chef and the customer.
Chefs of upscale eateries have rejected the idea of using cheap salt on their high-quality foods. When you see a standard salt shaker on a restaurant table, it’s usually filled with iodized salt that costs about $1 per pound. The price reflects in the flavor. Table salt is harsh and can overpower the delicate, complex flavors of the meal.
“The days of those nasty little salt shakers with the ancient grains of rice are long gone,” Josh Capon of Bowery Meat Co. told Bloomberg. Capon said that more recently, chefs have decided to take back control over seasonings.
If your food is being prepared with the best of the best salts (such as “hand-harvested sea salt from the Greek islands”), it is an insult to the chef to throw more, lower-quality salt onto their perfectly crafted web of flavors.
The disappearance of salt is also a result of restauranteurs wanting to reduce clutter on their tables. This is especially true for establishments that are known for their shared plates.
And if salt is going to make an appearance on the table, it’s going to look a lot prettier. Higher-quality salts are now getting the celebrity treatment, appearing on the table in small bowls rather than communal shakers.
Chef ego and clutter aside, if you still want a dose of salt when you eat out at your favorite fine dining restaurant, ask your server and you should be able to receive. We all deserve to eat good food seasoned to our ~personal~ perfection.
Our fave fancy salt is one you can pick up at Trader Joe’s or on Amazon — and it’s super affordable! It’s Himalayan Pink Salt, and it gives your meal the perfect amount of pep.
Buy it here for $6.36.
