Scratch Kitchen ****

I was planning on going to Scratch Kitchen for a week wondered that whole time why the name was Scratch Kitchen? Everything there was made from scratch. As soon as I walked through the door I noticed a lot of people and that was a good sign for me. There was an older fellow playing guitar in the back of the restaurant and they featured art from local artists. I found a wide arrangement of different beers, wines, and even sodas. They didn't only carry the Coke/Pepsi products which was nice.

I ordered the Happy Braised Beer Belly Sandwich ($10) which was pork belly braised in Naragansett beer, served with cabbage slaw, and garlic mayo. My girlfriend grabbed the Smokey Salmon Wrap ($9.50) which was hot smoked and chilled Salmon in a flour wrap with, mixed greens, pickled red onion, oven cured tomatoes, mixed nuts and a creamy Herb Ranch dressing.

Most of Scratch Kitchen's menu items are sandwiches but don't let anyone dissuade you because they ARE so delicious and filling. I couldn't even finish my sandwich and I'm a big guy. I also grabbed an order of onion rings, the portion was huge and the scratch-made ketchup was awesome! It was amazing to say the least. We finished off our meal with the Scratch Made Pudding, the bread pudding with whipped cream and caramel on top. The food was amazing, the staff was great, and the atmosphere was very nice. You can bet I'll be back there soon! Check out their menu!

-Contributed by: Peter Vourloumis

Cuisine: American

Ambience: very casual

The Good:

Parking: Accessibility Street, Garage/Metered, Public transportation
Price of Entree $10-$15 Affordable
Portions: Large
Service: They went out of their way!
Cleanliness: Average
People: A bit of everything and kid friendly too!
Handicap Accessible: Yes

The Bad:

Not very romantic

Date Rate: We can do better

Overall Value: 4

Scratch Kitchen
245 Derby St
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 741-2442
www.scratchkitchensalem.com