I work in a client centric profession, which means I’m a Massachusetts road warrior most of the year. For those more infrequent visits to home office (the Old Hancock Building), I have a handful of Back Bay institutions in my back pocket for catch up lunch/dinner/drinks with colleagues. When Back Bay Harry’s closed back in September, owner Jason Santos converted the space to a small plate styled Mexican cocktail bar.
Citrus & Salt has been on my list for a while, especially after I had such a positive experience at Buttermilk & Bourbon. Like many sisters I know, the restaurants could not be more different. Where B&B is dark and gritty, Citrus & Salt is bright, loud, and open. My girl Aysha and I ate here for an early dinner on a Wednesday night and it was pretty bumpin’. One observation Aysha had was the number of women in the restaurant. It became very clear this is a girls’ night out destination made for and by Instragram. I mean, just look at their Instragram feed… whoever is at the helm of their social media is seriously influencing the turnout of diners.
Stunning wall art by local Mark Grundig . gorgeous floor paintings not pictured
I didn’t text you, tequila did in a glass and on a glass
A fun, rather interesting cocktail menu including take your pants off and #unfollow
Tuna ceviche with pomegranate, onion, and cucumber
Salmon ceviche with pepper and watermelon radish
Grilled octopus with potatoes, fennel, citrus // Warm agave glazed cornmeal biscuits
Elote – flamin’ hot cheetos, smoked mayo, cotija cheese
Seared scallops, almond jam, gooseberry salsa, candied chiles
My favorite dishes were the scallops and the biscuits. The scallops were so sweet and delicious with perfectly paired condiments creating a complex yet balanced bite. The biscuits were practically dessert, served hot with a sticky agave glaze and large flakes of sea salt. They were served with a smoked canela butter and poblano pepper jack spread, which certainly made the biscuit more interesting. I’ll be honest though, I didn’t feel like I needed the spreads.
Another notable dish was the flamin’ cheetos street corn. It’s the type of dish that boasts a ton of social media buzz and the idea was enough to immediately hit up the ‘gram, but the flavor left a lot to be desired with that signature spicy punch never quite making an appearance. The grilled octopus and ceviches were all tasty dishes, but nothing to write home about.
I tried two cocktails, which I’ll admit was a little aggressive for a Wednesday, but I did it for the blog. I tried the #unfollow, which was a very smoky blend of mezcal, blackberry, agave, fresh cucumber & lime. The waitress warned me ahead of time that the drink was very smoky and boy, she was not kidding. With the ingredient list including blackberries, cucumber and lime, I thought it would be slightly more refreshing, but that mezcal totally took over. I love mezcal, but felt slightly deceived. My next drink, the I didn’t text you, tequilla did was insanely creative. The coconut and rum based drink was served with a salted caramel ice pop dunked in the drink. It was probably better suited for an actual girls’ night vs. my 5:30 p.m. dinner, but again, I do what I have to do for the blog. Also, I didn’t hate it.
I will certainly be back to try some new dishes from the fairly extensive menu, namely the fish tacos because I’m a huge sucker for fish tacos. I will also be back to try the dole whip (served with or without rum), which is just too fun to pass up.
Citrus & Salt
142 Berkeley Street
Boston, MA 02116
(833) 324-8787
Katie Eats Boston 