Salute

The editorial take

Salute's wine list is bigger and more useful than its approachable downtown-Italian positioning might suggest. Thirteen reds and twelve whites or sparklers are poured by the glass, generally between $8 and $19, so the table can move from Prima Perla Prosecco to Ruffino Chianti or Justin Paso Robles Cabernet without committing to bottles. Italian reds provide the most persuasive progression: inexpensive Gabbiano and Banfi Col di Sasso lead toward Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva, Damilano Barolo, Produttori Barbaresco, Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino and Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo. The missing vintages blunt precision, but the range and pricing make wine an actual part of dinner rather than a token accompaniment. Cocktails speak in a more nostalgic dialect. Flavored vodkas, pomegranate liqueur, sour mix, juice and Sprite power much of the list, yet the bar is not confined to candy-colored martinis. The Mezcal Bee Sting uses Koch mezcal, local honey and lemon; Bourbon Basil Smash names Elijah Craig; and Salute's Signature Manhattan is barrel-aged in house with bourbon, Carpano Antica and orange bitters. Prices stay within $11 to $15. The strongest final move may come after the entree: a housemade Espresso Martini or limoncello alongside Averna, ten- and twenty-year ports, cognac, rye, bourbon and single malt. Salute is less a cutting-edge cocktail room than a generous wine-and-after-dinner bar with a crowd-friendly martini streak.

What should I order?

Use the Italian reds as the spine of the meal: Ruffino Chianti by the glass for tomato sauce, or Caparzo Brunello by the bottle for short ribs. At the bar, the Mezcal Bee Sting is the cleanest three-ingredient signature; finish with Averna or the Housemade Espresso Martini.

Who will enjoy this place?

Groups with mixed budgets benefit from the unusually broad by-the-glass wine selection. Fans of sweet, fruit-driven martinis have many options, while amaro, whiskey, port, and cognac drinkers will find more range after dinner than the cocktail list initially implies.

When should I go?

Early dinner works especially well before a downtown event, when the by-the-glass list permits a quick, properly paired meal. Stay later when the after-dinner list—not another round of flavored-vodka cocktails—is the attraction.

What should I expect to spend?

Wine by the glass is $8-$19 and bottles are $29-$225. Signature cocktails cost $11-$15; packaged beer is $6-$7. The published after-dinner list does not show prices, so ask before choosing its older ports, premium cognac, or Scotch.

What makes the beverage program distinctive?

A deep Italian-red runway and expansive digestif cabinet sit behind a deliberately familiar martini-bar facade. That contrast—serious Barbaresco, Brunello, amaro and whiskey beside Pomatini and Peachy Keen—is the program's defining Hartford character.

Beverage categories

We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.

Community reviews

Anyone with a free Inebrious account can rate the drinks here. Community ratings are kept entirely separate from the Inebrious editorial score above.

No community reviews yet. Be the first to write one.

Also worth a drink

• Smuggler's Cove — San Francisco, CA
• Trick Dog — San Francisco, CA