Date Night at Saluda's

One thing that we always try to budget for is date night. As parents of three, this can be difficult, especially this time of year. In the fall, there are school fees and related expenses, dance and piano lessons, and assorted other unexpected miscellaneous items. As a result, our date night had been delayed and was long overdue. We finally planned dinner at Saluda’s in Five Points-close enough to walk to if we wanted (which we don’t). We juggled schedules to accommodate his restaurant manager hours and grandma-the-babysitter’s retail hours and decided on a Thursday night.

Saluda’s sits above a Starbucks and a small pub just across from the fountain. The building used to be the local VFW after World War I, but needed extensive renovation before opening the restaurant in 1996. The restaurant is owned and operated by two brothers, Jeff and Chris Diehl. Jeff is the General Manager, Chris the Executive Chef.

It was little difficult locating the main entrance so we came in through the dining patio entrance; they didn’t seem to mind. My overall impression of the décor was lots of clean white walls and linen with lovely dark wood accents. There are some big colorful paintings for interest, and the main room is dominated by a beautiful grand piano. They offer live music, but not on Thursday. Instead they had light jazz playing in the background. I am a jazz junky so this suited me just fine. We had a great waiter with a dry sense of humor. He checked on us frequently with interrupting our conversation. This was good; I can’t stand it when we get someone who who thinks he is an entertainer rather than a waiter-usually he is wrong and that alone can ruin a dinner.

Our meal was very good. We were both tired from work so we really didn’t want a lot of courses, but we always plate share. I had super fresh rainbow trout and risotto-which I love but never cook. My husband had a taste for seafood and tried the mixed platter called the SOS. Everything was fried, which raised some doubts in my mind; I had visions of Captain D’s. However, Chef Diehl does a great job with a light coating so the flavors of the shellfish are still present and it turned out to be quite good. Dessert was a triple chocolate cake which I could have eaten as a main course; it was incredibly smooth, not to mention a pretty presentation. Chef Diehl made a table visit and we found him to be extremely personable and genuinely interested in pleasing his diners. He does a nightly tasting menu that sounds very appealing and is our definite pick next time.

Although good food is usually a primary focus for us (we love to eat), that night was different. We really needed to get away from home/kids/work and just talk, and had found an excellent place to do so. Date nights are an escape as well as a connection for us in a big way and we always feel recharged afterward. It’s worth the effort.

http://saludas.com/