Salt & Barrel — Restaurant in Town of Islip

I've been coming here for the past couple years for my birthday; keeping this new tradition alive, I went there today. Unfortunately, I had incredibly unpleasant experience with who I assume was the Manager.

I ordered an old fashion but did not specifically state that I wanted the, "S&B OLD FASHION" on their menu. I tasted the drink upon arrival and it in no way tasted as described. It should be noted, I have had this drink before at this location (it is typically quite nice). I spoke with our Waitress and expressed that I had made a mistake when ordering. I had ordered a generic old fashion, which was entirely my fault (and stated such), but would like to have the, "S&B OLD FASHION". I was clear that this was solely my error and that I would gladly pay for the original drink received, plus the new, "S&B OLD FASHION". After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the Waitress, she went off to confirm if what I had received was indeed a generic old fashion or perhaps a sub-par (or otherwise incorrect), "S&B OLD FASHION". Another woman returned in her place, I assume she was the Manager (I have to assume because she did not introduce herself). She stated in no uncertain terms that the drink I received was, in fact, a correctly crafted, "S&B OLD FASHION". I was told that the bacon flavour is essentially sometimes non-existent. This apparently is to do with the, "Bacon Washed Elijah Craig 94" being an inconsistent product. It seems the bacon flavour is sometimes weak (or in my case, non-existent). I was also told that if they made the drink again it would be exactly the same and that nothing could be done. She then asked if I wanted anything else. The interaction had an overarching tone of someone addressing a person with whom they'd lost all patience and were now being stern and curt. There was no acknowledgement that what I was tasting was indeed a poor representation of the cocktail (on the contrary, it was more of a, "take or leave it" attitude). There was no attempt to offer a similar experience or recommendation for a new cocktail. Even when I stated I would have a beer instead, stating that a Lager would be nice, there was no attempt to accommodate or suggest something. It is difficult to convey the tone of a person via text, that said, it was clear to me that I was being talked down to.

A couple things for your Owner/Management to consider: -Did you even taste the cocktail or the bottle of "Bacon Washed Elijah Craig 94" used? -If the bottles you buy is known to be inconsistent in taste/quality, why are you not taste testing them when opened? If you are tasting them, and they're sub-par, why are you comfortable selling me what you know to be of poor quality?

This is not a cheap place to eat and yet the reaction was that of a bar-tender at a dive bar telling someone, "it is what it is". It ruined the entire mood and poisoned the rest of the experience. I genuinely do not think I could have approached the situation in a more humble way. I was fully admitting the error was my own and that I would pay for both drinks.

I will not...

Found this spot as the highest rated for brunch in Long Island. It was my fiancée’s bday & mine all in one week. We know due to you know what has caused a majority of restaurants to be take out only, out door dining, and the worse - closed. However, some spots in LI still offer indoor dining & with proper covid regulations. Entire staff was masked & the servers wore gloves too. Seating was limited & spaciously apart.

The Brunch Menu is rather small, but with a decent variety of foods. They still offer their normal menu also.

For starters we had the fried calamari, tarragon biscuits, and New England Clam Chowder. The fried calamari was delicious. Myself, fiancee, and my goddaughters enjoyed them. Our only gripe was the red sauce was at the bottom of the dish, which was weird to us. So, you didn’t really get the ability to either have it with / or without it. The tarragon biscuits with maple butter was divine! No complaints. It was warm, moist, flavorful, and the maple butter added an umami flavor. The New England Clam chowder was ok. It was very watery/soupy. Not thick & hearty as you’d expect. The flavor was good but it was now NE Clam Chowder.

For entrees: S&B Burger, Poke Bowl, Kids Cheese Burger, and I can’t remember the name but a sort of stuffed French toast.

The S&B Burger, medium rare, was delicious. It was juicy, well seasoned, huge, and a little too rich but oh so good! I just recommend them going easy on the butter on the bread. It was a bit greasy & made it difficult to eat.

Poke Bowl with Sushi rice was a hidden gem. It was delicious. My GodDaughter however didn’t like the amount of sauces they used in it. Which I agreed. It took away from the taste of the tuna.

The French Toast was good but a bit on the sickly sweet side.

Cheeseburger for kids was good. Goddaughter enjoyed it! The Fries reigned supreme! They were nice and crunchy! We all loved it!

Service was excellent. Not once did I have to look car for my server. She was always near by & before I could ask she’d be there to ask if we wanted anything else & checked up on us nicely. I believe even the manager came by and asked how it all was going. Thanked us for coming.

Everyone was delightful.

Will definitely be back.

Parking is pretty good around here. There’s a parking lot about a block away & ample...

This was one of my favorite restaurants. I recommend them to everyone regularly. So when I started planning my baby shower, they were the first place I thought of and reached out to. I met with their event coordinator to discuss options and set up. For the number of people, it would most likely be a full restaurant buyout on a Saturday from 12-3 in the summer. Their packages run $36 per-person for food and $36 per-person for drinks. I discussed with the event coordinator doing a full open bar tab instead since it was a baby shower and many people would be traveling, pregnant, and not drinking. She told me they need to make sure it is worthwhile for the restaurant to be closed (totally understandable I worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years and understand the need to make money during caterings). She said she would discuss it with the owner and get back to me in a few days.

Five days later, no response, so I emailed her; nothing for a few more days, and I sent another email almost a week from when I was told I would hear back from her. She responds later that day, "Sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately, we cannot run a $9/person drink package instead of the $36. It just does not make sense to close down our regular brunch service at this price point."

I never asked to do a $9 per-person drink package. Just to have an open bar tab and they can decide the minimum. The pricing was never an issue, and it didn't make sense to have half our spend be on drinks when there wouldn't be much drinking. I responded immediately, asking about a guaranteed bar tab, and have yet to hear anything back. It has been 2 weeks.

My family told me to just move forward with the package as-is. But I cannot. Obviously, they did not want our business or to keep our relationship as a diner, and I don't want to feel like my event is unwanted for such a special moment. There was no offer of trying to figure out another avenue to make the event work. Most other restaurants do a minimum food and beverage spend for the amount they need to make a profit. We would have been happy to oblige.

Sadly, I don't think I will be back,...