kitchen elements into the bar menu, with nutmeg and bartlett pears making spotlight appearances in innovative drinks. We were quickly presented with one particularly eye-catching magenta concoction called theDiplomatic Immunity—New Amsterdam Vodka, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, fresh lime juice and a house-made four-basket blueberry syrup steeped with fresh sage leaves. Clearly someone is passionate about his homework. A “true Bavarian Hefeweizen with comforting banana notes” is featured here, all the way from the oldest brewery in Europe, Weihenstephan Abbey. Bringing it back to San Diego’s favorite brew, the local up-and-coming Butcher’s Brewing Company highlights its popular Indian Pale Ale, Choice Red I.P.A. This brewhouse has developed such a close relationship with Salt & Cleaver that a custom bar tap was formed in the shape of a cleaver just for this location. “They’ll always have a tap at the S&C bar, whether it’s a Hef in the springtime or a porter during winter,” said Damian. While we were being entertained at the bar, Chef
To be bold and unique is to survive. But who wants to merely survive when there’s no limit to
how high you can thrive? The charcuterie branch of the culinary field has been a highly-regard- ed artform for centuries, so not just any sweet-talking sausage showboat can expect a smooth ride to success on the weenie wagon. That’s why Chef Carlos Anthony Sanmartano of Salt & Cleaver has his finger on the fickle pulse of San Diego’s diverse cravings and dynamic thirsts.
by david vera
Once he introduced himself to the The Rage Monthly editorial staff, Chef Carlos wasted no time in distributing credit among his business associates. My contact, Anosh McAdam, was revealed to be one of the “behind-the-scenes” owners, while Bar Manager Damian was given charge of creating the bar menu—formulating exotic cocktails, selecting the best-paired beers and tending bar. As the former bar manager at Burlap (a restaurant assimilated into the Searsucker group where Damian and Chef Carlos met), Damien assured us that the two industry vet- erans share a trust of each other’s style. Guests now reap the benefits of these two merging talents with a very bar-forward sum of 20 locally brewed beers on tap. We’re told that the bright, colorful selections of
cocktails and beers reflect the broad array of needs in Hillcrest. Damian has no problem incorporating
64 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2014
Carlos invited us into the kitchen to watch him prepare a memorable masterpiece of a meal while he shared a bit of background. Coarse sea salt, white and purple kale and lemon juice converged onto the grill in a surge of aromatic steam to start us off with the Grilled Kale Caesar Salad. Chef recounted his turns of study at the University of Arizona, Tucson as diced butternut squash browned and caramelized in its vessel. Business and marketing, it seems, was this grilling machine’s primary scholastic choice. “I was cooking all the way through college and I couldn’t get enough of it. So I came over to California, worked in La Costa. I met Brian Malarkey and the rest is his- tory!” We doubt it was that nimble of a skip and a jump.
But Chef Carlos has basked and grown exclusively in the San Diego scene for the last five years, so perhaps it has been an unquestioned perfect match. The sen- sually smoky aromas coming together in the kitchen sure pointed to that conclusion. “A lot of restaurants, when they offer sausage, they don’t take extra time with the details,” Chef noted. “We’re ALL about the details.” He went on to reiterate how very closely connected
he feels to his clientele and the needs of the commu- nity, acknowledging that he hasn’t always seen it that way. “I’ve been a part of the process since the begin- ning. It’s been a real natural, organic process. Beyond our ideas, the neighborhood has been showing us
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