ST

My wife and i have recently started touring the restaurants of Aiken and last night our journey took us for the first time to Salty Tomatoes on Laurens St. We were not disappointed! We sat at the bar and admired the fact the owner took pride in preserving and highlighting the old brick building walls and structure that Aiken is famous for. Simple but warm and welcoming. We were promptly greeted with a big smile by Halsey(?) the bartender. My wife was looking for a light, refreshing cocktail. She took Halsey's recommendation and was delighted with her choice. I had a cider. We decided (before entering the premises) that we would have an app and salad and then continue on to anther restaurant on our list. We decided on the Green Tomatoes and a Roasted Beet/Butternut salad. The presentation on both dishes was excellent. The tomatoes were fresh and the fry was crisp. The remoulade was delicious and had just the right heat to offset the saltiness of the tomato seasoning. The salad was a very large portion (perfect for the 2 of us to split) and had all the right elements (candied pecans, fresh goat cheese, fresh mixed greens and a house made dressing I can't recall the name of but was a perfect compliment). My wife is a big fan of arugula, which was not one of the ingredients in the salad. She offered constructive feedback to the owner (who we were fortunate to meet) who was very welcoming of our feedback and promised us that when we come back to please ask for any special requests and they would be happy to accommodate if they could (arugula is a component in one of their flatbread dishes). We wish we had time for Dessert! Not only were they all fresh made by the owner (an award winning pastry chef) but several of the fresh offerings were gluten free which is rarely offered and important to our diets! We will most certainly be back for dinner and dessert in the near future!