Salisbury House - Revisit

Salisbury House
8 locations throughout Winnipeg 
Exchange District location - 177 Lombard Av today
204-289-4320
https://www.salisburyhouse.ca/

March, 2022

From the menu:  "The Salisbury House Nip was introduced to Winnipeg and Canada in our first restaurant in 1931.  Our Legendary Nips (with lots of grilled onions) still anchor the Salisbury House menu, 90 years later."

Salisbury House calls their burgers "nips."  In the real world, "nip" is a racial slur.  I don't care if it's been on your menu for 90 years or that it's a tradition, it's offensive, hateful and it needs to go.  It's a disgrace.

I remember Sals as "my dad's restaurant," meaning that it's a favourite of the previous generation, where people ate breakfast, read the paper, chattered, gossiped and drank bottomless coffee for hours.  It was a visiting hub and a popular hangout place to socialise.

As part of the next generation, I (we) expect high quality food with global influences and eclectic ingredients; Sals is the polar opposite to this.  That's fine, but then you need to concentrate on the basics and do what you do well.  It's ok to be a greasy diner but make sure your burger and fries are well-made.  The previous generation did not have the same expectations--today's tastes are a lot more demanding.  

Of all my previous visits to Sals, they failed miserably.  Since Sals was bought out by new ownership (also the owners of Hermanos, Barley Brothers and Prairie 360), I have high hopes that they greatly increased their quality and product.  Hermanos and Prairie 360 both served excellent foods but sadly, they're both gone now.

Looking at the bright red, laminated menus, it doesn't look like the food fare or concept has changed at all.  In past, Sals employed one of the most despicable dirty tricks but giving you burnt toast, turning it over to conceal it, and presenting the bread, non-burnt side up.  When I turned it over and saw it was inedibly charcoal-burnt, I called the server's attention, who apologised because they didn't know.  

Uh, it's buttered--someone knew enough to butter it but didn't see that it's the colour of Darth Vader's cape?  

Miserably, several of the servings at our table found the same presentation today.  It's not quite blast furnace burnt, but it's not what I want to eat.

Have a look at the photo:  would you want to eat this?  How much does a slice of bread cost?  A few cents?  Can you not throw it out and take the time to present something that's actually edible?  Disgusting.  I see nothing's changed with this place.

Aside from the burnt toast, the Homestyle Breakfast comes with 2 eggs, shredded or cubed potatoes, side or back bacon, turkey bacon or sausage.  My scrambled eggs taste plain but acceptable.

The bacon is as crispy as it gets, mainly because it is sliced so thin, it's barely a millimetre in thickness.  Really, if you drop it, it shatters because it is so thin and brittle.  At this gauge, you can probably get 100 slices per pound of bacon.  

The shredded hash browns have nice texture but sadly lacks in flavour.  I can taste salt but that's the only spice or seasoning there is.  Bland bland bland.

The Sals Chilli Burger Platter comes with grilled onions and everything is covered with chilli sauce.  

Let's start with the good:  the coleslaw tastes fresh and crispy.  It could use a bit more dressing but otherwise, it is well done.  The pickles tastes sweetish with little vinegar or dill flavouring.  The chilli has a fair amount of ground beef but it lacks in flavour.  It has a hint of chilli powder but nothing else, not even a tomato base taste.  

The fries taste soft and tender, without a hint of crunch or crispiness.  It's also lacking in flavour and the gravy doesn't have enough to compensate.  There's no beef taste in the gravy but that's not the worst part.  Have a close look at the photo.  Do you see the little lumps in the gravy?  The entire bowl is full of lumps and globules.  It's disgusting.  Gravy-making should be cooking basics 101:  sift the flour and whip it.  This looks like it was just dumped and stirred, left to coagulate and congeal.  

The burger itself is charred in the searing, having the same colour as the toast.  Luckily, beef can withstand searing better than bread so the burnt edge doesn't completely ruin the meal.  The patties are severely overcooked, so much that they're desiccated dry and crumbling to the touch.  The meat doesn't have any seasoning or spices except salt, leaving it a bland, crumbly mess.

For the people who want to sit around, chat with your friends, read the paper and drink coffee all day:  the coffee is meant to be drank in vast amounts.  That's good news if you want to ask for the carafe and continue to drink it leisurely.  Do not worry about getting over-caffeinated.  The coffee is so watered down, it would take you five cups to get the effects of one cup of McDonald's coffee.  Look at the coffee, zoomed in:

Look into the liquid--you can see through it.  There's weak coffee and there's dirty water; this is dirty water.

Unfortunately, the name of the game at Sals is still "cut every corner."  From the cheapness of the toasters that burn one side of the bread, to the actual burnt bread that cost pennies to remake, it's all about the cheap here.  How much does pepper cost?  C'mon!  A little bit of pepper would go a long way to flavouring the food.  And coffee!  Gees, make a real cup of coffee, rather than water it down to a quarter strength.  

New ownership or not, the place is still the same--crap all around.  Just save your money--coming here is a complete waste of it.  And let's not forget about the icky feeling you get from seeing the racial slur strewed throughout the menu.  It's time for Sals to die.  Or at least change the name:  Shitsbury House.

 
For my previous review, check out:

http://foodwinnipeg.blogspot.com/2014/10/salisbury-house.html

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Ray Yuen, Pit Master / Grill Master
Certified Kansas City Barbecue Society Judge – Badge #97736
Certified Steak Cook-off Association Judge – Badge #7788
Canadian Barbecue Society Member