Ledger Restaurant & Bar

By Valerie Kolligian Thayer • July 27, 2017 • Dining & Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Ledger, a new restaurant and bar in Salem, Massachusetts opened in late June and some friends and I decided to give it a try just a few weeks later in early July.

Ledger is owned by chef Matt O’Neil who, if you have been reading The Kitchen Scout for awhile, is also the owner of The Blue Ox in Lynn, Massachusetts that I reviewed here. My co-scouters were my friend Susan who you’ve met on many occasions, my friend Cathy who joined me at Island Creek Oyster Bar and our friend, Anne who you met when I reviewed Short & Main in Gloucester…

Ledger is located in the historic Salem Savings Bank building right in the center of downtown Salem. Fun fact, Salem Savings was the second savings bank to receive a charter in the United States.

Spacious and inviting with a generously sized bar that accommodates 30, ample restaurant seating including communal and chef tables, an oyster bar and a private dining room, Ledger can hold about 200 patrons. The restaurant’s interior has a lot of personality as the owners maintained many of the historical design elements from the bank, including a privacy wall that is made from safe deposit box fronts. High ceilings and exposed brick add to the ambiance.

Executive Chef Daniel Gursha (formerly of Bambara) designed the menu with O’Neil. A progressive New England concept, Ledger hopes to marry traditional 19th century dishes with modern resources including local ingredients.

Small plates ($6-13) range from updated versions of Chipped Beef and Deviled Eggs to Grilled Oysters, Popovers, Grilled Asparagus toast and salads featuring local lettuces and cheeses. Shellfish towers ($38-95), Raw Bar, Tartares (meat and fish) and boards featuring a rotating selection of charcuterie, pates, sausages, seafood terrines and fois gras round out the starters ($14-32).

Many dishes are prepared using Ledger’s custom built wood grill, including its large plates that feature a house ground burger ($17), 8 ounce sirloin and 18 ounce ribeye ($29/49), striped bass ($34), Berkshire pork chop ($34) and half chicken ($26). Side dishes ($7) range from grilled corn and salt baked fries to succotash and corn bread. Dinners for two-three people can also be prepared with two sides centered around a 32 ounce ribeye, whole roasted fish or cauliflower.

I was a little late to arrive so the others had thankfully ordered a few appetizers to share. I got the last few bites of an outstanding popover that was served with a delicious molasses butter and an herbed tallow. Isn’t there something so wonderful about an authentic popover? They remind me of a restaurant we went to growing up that served them warm from the oven with lots of butter. Ledger’s version was crispy on the outside and doughy and buttery on the inside. No picture of that unfortunately!

Next up was a Hen of the Woods Mushroom that was served with a sunflower seed hummus and a sunflower seed gremolata. We cut this up into four pieces and not a morsel was left. The meaty texture of the wood fired mushroom with the creamy and uniquely flavored hummus was just divine. The gremolata added a nice pop of flavor. This small plate would be a delight for vegetarians and non vegetarians alike…

For dinner, the four of us enjoyed three dishes. Cathy and Susan split the Lobster Spaghetti. Homemade spaghetti was tossed with lobster, fresh tomatoes, corn, herbs, butter and some chili to give it a little spice. The ladies said it was spicy, but delicious. A perfect summer dish…

Anne ordered the Carrot Penne. Homemade penne pasta made with carrots shared the plate with sauteed carrots, peas, scallions, fresh cheese and herbs. The pasta was tender and flavorful and the fresh cheese added a creamy texture to the dish. Anne really enjoyed it and I got a flavorful taste as well…

Our server was very attentive, and seemed very well versed on the menu. I ordered a halibut dish, but was told striped bass was being substituted which was fine (online it is now showing the striped bass on the menu). The fish was cooked to perfection and was served with a well seasoned carrot puree, more hen of the woods mushrooms and a mussel butter. A balanced, beautiful and delicious dish that was filling yet light at the same time…

We decided to order one dessert from the eclectic menu that included such items as a Bakery Box (cookies, hermits and whoopie pie), Table Talk which is a riff on the individual boxed pies we grew up on, Rainbow Sherbet and a Brownie Sundae. We chose The Boardwalk ($12) which is a flourless funnel cake served with a blueberry compote, local honey and a salt water glaze. The dessert was fantastic. The cake was light and tender while the tart berry compote provided a lovely balance to the sweet dish…

Pastry chef Michelle Boland (formerly of Davio’s) skillfully prepares all the house made pastas as well as the desserts according to our server, Zoe.

As I mentioned, service was very attentive and the manager of the restaurant checked in on our table during our meal to make sure we were all happy. Ledger is joining a number of restaurants who are adding a Kitchen Administration Fee of 3% to your bill in an attempt to bridge the wage gap between front of house and back of house employees so you should expect that when you dine.

Here are a few interior shots of Ledger…