No Salt Added at The Annex Bar and Grille

I must have driven by The Annex Bar & Grille on Pettibone Road in Solon several dozen times over the last number of years. Friend and fellow food blogger Nancy lives close by The Annex and every time I would drive to or from her house, I'd pass by the small structure. I never even gave it a second thought until recently when Nancy contacted me to tell me that two old friends, Walter Hyde and Scott Slagle (of Fat Casual fame) were now working certain shifts behind the bar and the grill. Not only that, but apparently they were doing some low/no sodium items on the menu for lunch.

After doing some initial research with Walter, I met up with Nancy and her husband for lunch just a few weeks ago to check things out. It turns out that The Annex has a policy of not salting anything on the menu. Here I was all prepared to say, "no salt, please" to everything I ordered, but as it turns out, there was no need to. Now, that being said, there are still only a couple of menu items that can be done low/no sodium successfully because much of the food is traditional bar food -- highly processed frozen items that can be quickly cooked or deep fried during service. These items (and there are many of them) can't be done without salt because they are seasoned even before they are cooked.

The first item I tried was the burger. The burgers come in two sizes, a one-third pound patty and a two-third pound patty. I was feeling particularly hungry that day, so I went with a two-third pound burger, medium rare with just some lettuce and tomato on a toasted (but not buttered) bun. While The Annex doesn't use salt, it does use butter, so if you want a toasted butter-free bun, make sure to order it that way. Paired with my burger was an order of their fresh-cut fries, also completely salt-free:

I have to say, for a measly $8 for this combination, this was a pretty damn good burger! Now, of course, there was some natural sodium in the beef and the bun was just a regular hamburger bun (so probably around 200-250mg of sodium), but for around 300-350mg of total sodium, this was a great way to kill the craving for a burger and fries. And at two-thirds of a pound of ground beef, it was VERY filling.

On every table (and presumably the bar), there was a container with standard condiments. Since I knew I wanted some ketchup and mustard with my meal and knowing that regular ketchup and mustard pack a large sodium wallop, I brought my own. I've done that twice now and nobody seems to care, so if you want sodium-free condiments, do what I did and bring your own. To be fair, malt vinegar was available for your French Fries, but I kind of prefer ketchup.

It was also during my first visit that Walter informed me that the chicken breast wasn't brined and would therefore be a good choice, too. I decided to take him up on that bit of information and several weeks after my first visit returned to order the grilled chicken sandwich with a side of the same fresh-cut fries:

In the second image you can see my sodium-free ketchup and mustard in the background. Heinz makes a nearly sodium-free ketchup that you can find in most regular grocery stores. Unfortunately, the downside to this ketchup is that it uses high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as the sweetener. It turns out that you can't have your (condiment) cake and eat it, too. Either you get the "natural" ketchup with real sugar that has salt or you get the no salt added ketchup that has no added salt but HFCS. I figure that as rarely as I eat this ketchup, having it twice in six months was acceptable. The sodium free mustard I used was one from Westbrae and is available at Mustard Seed Market (the one in Fairlawn) for about $3 per jar. It comes both in organic and non-organic varieties (and the price varies accordingly). I've found this to be an excellent mustard that I can use liberally since it has 0mg of sodium per serving.

But I digress; back to my chicken sandwich. Based on how the menu reads, the chicken sandwich normally comes between two slices of bread. Figuring a hamburger bun would be slightly lower in sodium than two pieces of sandwich bread (200-250mg vs. 300-350mg), the only change I made was to ask for it on the hamburger bun, again without butter. While it was nice to have the option of either the grilled chicken or the burger, were I to do it again, I'd probably stick with the burger. In the end, it was just the better tasting of the two. The fresh-cut fries, however, were great both times.

The only other option you really have if you're not in the mood for a sandwich is to order a house salad with grilled chicken on top. The only problem is that while they have malt vinegar to dress your salad, I don't know that they have oil to go along with it (you might just want to bring your own).

Will I go back to The Annex? Absolutely. For $8(ish) for either a healthy-sized burger or chicken sandwich with fresh-cut fries, it's a great deal. Is it the best burger I've ever had (price aside)? No, but it's pretty darn good and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to others, especially if they're looking for low sodium options.

The Annex Bar & Grille is located at 36200 Pettibone Road, Solon, OH 44139 and can be reached at 440-248-5725. Hours listed on their website indicate they are open Monday through Saturday from 10am-2:30am (kitchen 10am-10pm) and on Sunday from 12pm-12am (kitchen 12pm-10pm). That being said, I know they recently added breakfast hours on Saturday mornings.

A Cornocopia Of Choices At 111 Bistro

Fair warning -- I cannot give you an unbiased review of the food at 111 Bistro. Perhaps this surprises you, gentle reader, given the myriad of reviews on this blog where I assert that very quality, an unbiased attempt at describing to you what the average consumer can expect in terms of food and service when dining at an establishment.

In fact, my relationship with 111 Bistro has always had a personal quality to it. The original sous chef invited me to the "friends and family" night prior to the restaurant's actual opening back in June 2014. I had first learned of the restaurant's planned existence earlier in 2014 when the chef, Anthony Scolaro, and sous chef, Joe Holmes, each hosted a course at a Dinner In The Dark event at Crave in Akron. And, of course, at the friends and family event, I first met Anthony in person.

Is the food fantastic? Yes. Is the service great? Yes, with the caveat that I almost always sit at the bar, so I tend to be waited on by the same bartenders/servers over and over again. Have I ever had to send food back to the kitchen? Once, because of a mix-up with how my order was entered into the system. The kitchen made my entree with salt because they didn't realize it was for me. However, one of the line cooks saw that I had received the salted entree and immediately flagged me down. Grateful for the assist, I sent the plate of food back to the kitchen and they re-fired the entree, this time sans salt.

So what value can I add without this sounding like an (unpaid) advertisement for 111 Bistro? What I like about the menu at 111 Bistro is that not only does Anthony draw elements from other ethnic cuisines (although the menu is billed as "modern American", Japanese, Thai, Indian, French, and Italian all play a role), but dishes for diners with more common dietary restrictions are already represented on the menu, everything from vegetarian to vegan to gluten-free. And as I've already mentioned, when it comes to salt and seasoning, restaurants come in two varieties: those that season during prep and those that don't. 111 Bistro, more or less, comes squarely in the second camp.

That doesn't mean that the entire menu is fair game. Some elements are seasoned during prep because there is a marinade or brine involved; some of the confit preparations involve the traditional use of salt to bring out moisture from the protein. However, where I can normally expect maybe one thing on the menu to be low-salt/salt-free, at 111 Bistro, at any given moment, there will be a dozen items that I can order. They also run seafood specials quite often and many times, those dishes can be made salt-free.

Think I'm exaggerating? Let's take a look at their current menu (Fall/Winter 2015). Here are the items I can order and know that the kitchen can reasonably accommodate me:

• 111 "Poutine" (minus the cheese)
• 111 Fries (plain with the house made salt-free ketchup)
• Pork Belly Steam Buns (minus the sambal mayo)
• Shrimp Fried Rice (minus the soy)
• Greens Salad (as is)
• Greens Salad add-on proteins -- chicken, salmon, tuna, or shrimp
• 111 Burger (no cheese, bun has a very low amount of salt)
• Smoked Bison Meatloaf (subbing roasted potatoes for potato gratin)
• Faroe Island Salmon (minus bacon)
• Lake Erie Walleye (as is)
• Brussels-bacon-onion (minus bacon)
• Roasted carrots (as is)
• Fingerling potatoes (as is)

You can also usually add the weekly seafood special to this list. Here is a picture of last night's seafood special, a pan-seared barramundi over coconut curry rice and roasted heirloom carrots with a piquillo pepper puree:

Or, how about last weekend's seafood special, a pan-seared black sea bass over chanterelle and porcini farro, truffle honey drizzle, and micro greens:

Seafood isn't your only option -- I tend to have the 111 Burger about once a week with either unseasoned French fries or a side of fresh fruit:

This particular burger had the optional fried egg on it.

It's hard to believe, but all of these entrees are no salt added, no butter, and no cheese. That's not to say they are salt-free (as in 0mg sodium), but I'd venture to guess that any one of these three entrees probably has under 300mg of sodium for the entire plate of food (the burger with egg on it probably having the most natural sodium). For those who are managing their salt intake, the menu and the preparations at 111 Bistro are truly a godsend. The fact that they are utilizing quality ingredients and preparing them correctly just makes it an even more attractive package.

I do occasionally indulge in dessert. While there is at least one item on the dessert menu that is 100% off-limits -- salted caramel cheesecake, I'm looking at you -- the seasonal creme brulee or just a scoop of the vanilla bean ice cream (occasionally with a freshly brewed espresso poured over it, affogato-style) is sometimes all I want.

I will say that the dessert menu has become less adventurous over time (and not necessarily in a bad way). When the restaurant opened, Joe Holmes (mentioned earlier) was both the sous chef and the pastry chef. When Joe and 111 Bistro parted ways mid-summer 2015, Anthony decided to not only scale back the desserts (smaller portions and simpler desserts), but the prices as well. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some of Joe's desserts, but at the end of the meal, often times you just want a small taste of something sweet, not another full-blown course.

I'm in a unique position in that I've had the opportunity to try 111's food both as a salt-eater and now as a salt-free eater. As a salt-eater, one of the qualities that always stood out for me was Anthony's philosophy on salt -- add just enough to enhance the flavor of the food, but never enough to make the salt noticed. As a salt-free eater, now I can completely appreciate the food on an entirely different level, both the high quality of the ingredients and the creative use of elements on the plate to balance savory, sweet, bitter, and spicy.

As you can imagine, I really highly recommend you give 111 Bistro a try, and not just because I eat there multiple times a week. Co-owners Anthony Scolaro and Meghan Pender (Meghan manages the front of the house) want you to have a fantastic experience and in my opinion they take that goal very seriously. They have been open to constructive feedback (and I've given them both positive and negative feedback over the last eighteen months) and I can't stress enough how much I appreciate the kitchen's flexibility in being able to provide the myriad of no-salt-added choices on the menu.

If you're interested in seeing more of my images from 111 Bistro (and trust me, there are nearly 300 to look through currently), feel free to visit my Flickr album.

111 Bistro is located at 2736 Medina Road, Medina, OH 44256 (it's in the same building as the new location for the Medina On Tap Bar and Grill) and can be reached at 330-952-1122. They are open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner and Sunday for brunch. Reservations are accepted and based on what I've seen, I'd encourage them for the weekends.

If you do decide to go, look for the guy sitting at the end of the bar with the large camera. Chances are, it'll be me.

Wait ... No Salt?! Now What?

When I first made the decision to go as low sodium as possible, I knew I was going to have to start by cleaning house. My own house, that is. While I didn't quite know what I was going to be able to eat on a regular basis, I knew that I had high-sodium products in my refrigerator and my pantry that would just have to go. What I didn't quite realize was HOW MANY of the items I used to eat did not even remotely qualify as no or low sodium.

First off, let's define a few terms. According to this page from the FDA's website, here are some terms with which you should become familiar:

• "Light" : if food is "Low Calorie" and "Low Fat" and sodium is reduced by at least 50%.
• "Light in Sodium": if sodium is reduced by at least 50%.
• "Lightly Salted" : 50% less sodium than normally added to reference food.
• "Very Low Sodium" : 35 mg or less per RACC* (and per 50g if RACC* is small). For meals and main dishes, 35mg or less per 100g.
• "No Salt Added" and "Unsalted" : must declare "This is Not A Sodium Free Food" either adjacent to the claim or on the information panel.
• "Sodium Free" : less than 5 mg per RACC* and per labeled serving (or for meals and main dishes, less than 5 mg per labeled serving).

*  RACC = Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed

Okay, so there is the terminology. Now let's take a look at what these things actually mean:

• "Light", "Light in Sodium", and "Lightly Salted" : while better than the regular product (usually by at least 50%), these can still be quite high in salt. If the original product had 1000 mg of sodium per serving, these versions will have 500 mg. Depending on how much sodium you are allowed to have, these might fit your daily requirements. For me, these products are out.
• "Very Low Sodium" : in general this is perfectly acceptable, but you do have to figure out what the serving size is and how much of the product you consume when using it. For instance, the original Tabasco brand hot sauce (the red one, not the green one) has 35 mg of sodium per teaspoon. If you are the kind of person who shakes only a tiny bit of Tabasco onto your food, you'll be perfectly fine. If you're the kind of person who seriously loves the spicy flavor of Tabasco and you shake on a couple of tablespoons, that 35 mg per serving begins to add up and balloons into a couple of hundred milligrams of sodium.
• "No Salt Added" : this one you have to be VERY CAREFUL with. What I didn't understand (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) was that a lot of food has natural sodium in it. I'm not talking about things like bacon; I'm referring to carrots, tomatoes, unbrined chicken breast, beef ... these all have trace (or not-so-trace) amounts of sodium. While no salt has been added to the product, it does not mean it is an appropriate choice. I was SHOCKED to discover that the "No Salt Added" Kitchen Basics Vegetable Stock has 210 mg of sodium PER CUP. Vegetable stock ... I know, right?!
• "Sodium Free" : with less than 5 mg of sodium per serving, have at it!

So now that we've had a primer in labeling terminology and what it actually means, let's get back to the "cleaning house." I systematically went through my refrigerator and pantry to rid myself of any products that I could no longer use. I knew that items like canned soup and soy sauce would be out, but I was shocked to learn that I had to throw out nearly every single sauce and condiment I owned. Crackers, out. Bread, out. Bottled salad dressing, out. Regular peanut butter, out. I seriously began to wonder what the hell I was going to be able to eat.

It slowly began to dawn on me that I was going to have to adopt a cook-for-myself whole foods approach to eating. Meaning that I was going to have to go the grocery store and buy raw ingredients and actually cook them (without salt, of course) for my meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Knowing that restaurants could be a major source of both sodium and butter (I think at some level, we all know this), I suspended all restaurant visits for a couple of weeks until I could begin doing the research required to safely go out for a meal.

Fortunately, freaking out (which I found out I'm quite adept at) over my high blood pressure fueled this initial sodium purge and cook-for-myself attitude for a good solid month. And I won't lie, for the first couple of weeks I did think the food I made for myself was utterly bland. But then something interesting happened -- my palate began to adjust to not having salt. And the crazy thing is that I began tasting foods almost as if it were the first time. Foods tasted cleaner and more pure. I found that I wasn't missing the salt like I thought I would.

Now, I'm not saying this happened overnight and it took a good month for me to adjust, but it did happen. And now, whenever I have the rare "cheat day", I don't eat salty foods. I tried this once and about blew my palate out because the smoked salmon I had eaten and enjoyed just a month prior tasted like nothing but a salt bomb. Instead, on cheat days, I'll have something sweet, like a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a creme brulee (however, that salted caramel cheesecake is still out).

Another tip, and perhaps this works for me since I live alone, is that I never keep sweets in my house. If I want a scoop of ice cream, I'll go to a restaurant or shop and order the smallest size possible (even sweets can have hidden salt if you're not careful). This way, I satisfy the craving with a single serving and can walk away. If I kept these things at home, a) I'd have them more often and b) I'd be tempted to have more than a single serving at a time. I do keep plenty of fresh fruit at home, so if I'm craving something sweet and I'm home, I'll have a banana or an apple.

I'll conclude with this little bit of advice: if you are serious about reducing sodium, carefully read every single label. Don't just look at the amount of sodium per serving, but also the serving size as well. MANY companies make the serving size of their product unrealistically small in order to make it appear that their product is healthier than it really is. The FDA is putting new rules into place that will change this so that companies are required to use a serving size that reflects what consumers actually use, but this isn't in effect yet. Until then, it is up to you to do the math in your head and figure out how much sodium is in each serving you consume.