Salute — Restaurant in Rocky Hill

I along with lots of others have been awaiting the opening of Salute Restaurant in Rocky Hill. Happily that day is here! My husband and I went in for lunch today. I have to say when restaurants first open you expect some hiccups…definitely not the case here. Service was spot on and quick, food was not only wonderful but arrived in a timely manner. Quite an accomplishment on just day 2 of being opened. I started with a gin cocktail the Jabroni Negroni perfectly balanced smooth and very tasty. Warm bread was served with a smoked tomato butter, such a unique delicious flavor. I ordered the Shrimp Gnocchi, perfectly cooked, succulent, butterflied shrimp, served over house made ricotta gnocchi, topped with a pesto cream sauce and sundried tomatoes. Once again a deft hand in the kitchen struck a perfect balance in creating the pesto cream sauce, nothing overpowered, everything worked in perfect harmony to create a delicious sauce. My husband is vegan so he opted for the Butternut Squash Salad (without the goat cheese) a generous portion of greens, butternut squash, apples, pistachios and cranberries arrived perfectly dressed in a tasty apple cider vinaigrette. I was happy to see they were offering house made tirimisu here as they do in Hartford. A beautiful cloud of whip cream, mascarpone & espresso laced lady fingers, it truly is a delicious “pick me up” to end a wonderful meal. Something tells me Salute Rocky Hill is going to be every bit as successful as their first location. They are definitely off to a...

Long story short-ish, my mom and I had our first dinner here last week (sorry for the delayed review). We didn't realize that, until we ate the garlic bread and then Shawn (Shaun?) the chef came out to confirm that yes indeed, that the garlic bread and a few dishes were from "Hot Tomatoes" that closed down in Hartford (had been opened since 1981). My mom, who had been a loyal "HT's" customer since the beginning, spread the word to/with a lot of her friends/our family, who all became loyal customers of "HT's" throughout the years. Graduations, birthday parties, etc...Hot Tomatoes was a key/staple friend/family destination for us. THUS, when Shawn (Shaun?) the chef informed us that we were indeed eating some of "HT's" food made by him/other previous "HT's" chefs, my mom and I were blown away! 🤯🥳🤩🥰 OHMYGOSH, SO "HT's" is basically back and now in my town!!!! YASH!!!! "Salute", sign us up as frequent customers, hahaha. We've already spread the news to everyone (friends and family) that we know were "HT's" loyal customers. They too are SOOOOO happy that you're here albiet re-named. Yay!!!! 💗💗💗💗 We'll see you soon and then again and again...haha!

PS - Shawn (Shaun?) - thank you SO much for giving us a loaf of your "should be famous" garlic bread! It was enjoyed throughly the...

We stopped for lunch on our way to the beach and my only complaint is they aren't closer to our house. The restaurant was fantastic! If it could give more than 5 starts, I would.

The meals were delicious and a great portion for lunch. The sweet potato raviolis were sweet which a creamy sauce. The ricotta gnocchi in the pesto sauce were delightful. The pesto sauce was flovorful without being over powering. Also nut free! The pasta all a vodka was rich and had a nice tomato base without any of the acid that a strong tomato sauce can have.

The waiter was the best we have had in a long time. He was attentive, understanding of dining with 2 small kids (6 and 4 yrs old). He put their orders in early to allow more time for them to eat and prevent the hunger meltdowns. He even brought them ice cream sundaes on the house too.

When we were getting ready to leave the waiter came out with a large bag of hot walnut biscotti straight from the oven. The best my husband has ever had. He ate 3 pieces right there in the restaurant.

The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated. They had a large party off to the side in a private room and the noise level was easy to talk with.

Definitely want to...