Last week, Amanda and I were invited to sample the Mustard Seed’s new menu items. I’ve always been extremely satisfied with my meals there, so I was very excited to see what we had in store. Chef Jonathan Dupriest has been working with the Dine With Sal Restaurant Group for many years and his creativity constantly brings surprises to their specials menu. Jonathan, along with the other chefs from the Dine With Sal group, put their brains together and added 5 menu items to the menu.
First up for sampling were two soups:
Curried Lentil Soup with a cucumber dill sauce:
This soup reminded me of fall – slightly spicy and comforting.
Mushroom Bisque with Parmesan Crackers:
I am not a huge fan of mushrooms, but Amanda is. She liked this soup, but thought it needed to have a creamier consistency. She did say it had a good mushroom flavor.
One of their new appetizers is a Pimento Crab Dip with Toast Points ($8):
Yes yes yes!! This was so good. You know the bread they always serve you before your meal? They’re toasted with this appetizer. The dip contains four different cheeses and the huge crab pieces make for a great texture.
The other new appetizer brings an Asian twist to the menu. Here is the Asian Beef Satay with Kimchi and Scallion Ginger Sauce ($10):
As much as we loved the crab dip, this was our preferred appetizer. It wasn’t as filling and you would never want to be too stuffed before your entrée! The beef had a nice crispy outer layer but a very tender inside. This was my first time trying kimchi and I loved it just as much as the beef. The vegetables were crispy and refreshing.
And as if we needed more cheese (of course we did!), we were then given the Creamy Shrimp Mac & Cheese with Panko, Smoked Bacon, Peas, and Yellow Cheddar ($13):
Words cannot express how creamy and cheese this dish is. I love that they used shells because each piece of pasta catches lots of the ooey, gooey cheese. Each bite is bursting with flavor!
One of the reasons I adore the Mustard Seed is that they have more chicken and fish entrees, which is my preference. I was happy to see that they added sirloin to the menu as I feel that most men scan the menu immediately looking for a hearty option. The new entrée is the Grilled Salmon with a Sweet Potato, Smoked Bacon, and Collard Hash with a Housemade Worcestershire Sauce ($19).
Even though red meat is not my preference, I can easily say that this was a good piece of steak. While the sirloin was simply seasoned, the Worcestershire added a complex flavor. And those sweet potato sticks? They disappeared rather quickly.
The last dish we tasted was the Mustard Seed “Pho” Pork and Shrimp Bowl with Lo Mein, Bean Sprouts, Soy Egg, Kimchi, and Scallions ($13):
Amanda called this dish the “adult version of ramen noodles.” The addition of the soy egg and kimchi made this a somewhat interactive meal. Eating should be fun! We both really enjoyed this entrée. If I were to order this, I would swap out the pork for chicken; ingredient exchanges are never a problem with the servers and chefs here, which is another reason I’m always happy.
Overall, I think the new menu items are a great improvement for the menu. It’s always nice to see restaurants mix their menu up to see what people are happy with. In my opinion, not only does this show their creativity, but it shows that they really try to appeal to everyone. As successful as this restaurant is, I didn’t think anything needed to be changed, but I feel like the new items will appeal to a larger crowd. 
Of these dishes, which are you most likely to try?
How do you feel when your favorite restaurant changes its menu a bit? As long as the Mustard Seed never removes the Pecan crusted chicken from the menu, I’ll always come back!
