Photography by Jason Dailey
This Salina restaurant matches the surrounding spirit of a savvy, fun and revitalized downtow
Holiday party planning is underway at Barolo Grille in Salina.
Last year’s 2023–2024 holiday festivities included an over-the-top, pop-up style party featuring a lighted archway and hundreds of colorful beribboned ornaments suspended from the ceiling. This year’s event has expectations to meet and beat.
“Lots of effort goes into making this a place where people can come and celebrate the season,” says Vaughn Kresin, the restaurant’s operating partner. By late summer, Kresin and his team were dropping some social media hints about their plans, along with what he calls images and videos of “real” restaurant operations: chefs preparing food, wait staff serving customers and even kitchen disasters, such as a puddle of tea covering the floor after the spigot on the brewing machine was left open; the caption read, “You’re not a real restaurant worker until this happens …”
From holiday dreams to daily dishes, the Barolo Grille is devoted to ensuring that dining pleases the palate and the eye, according to Jason Cao, who opened the restaurant in 2020 and oversees the back-of-house operations.
Cao says his team of chefs and cooks represents diverse backgrounds but is “fueled by their love for culinary art,” emphasizing the skill and the aesthetic.
Hand-cut meats, such as wagyu beef from Saline and Dickinson County, are featured in dishes. The grilled salmon filet is served with champagne sauce. Steaks are cooked to order with freshly prepared sauces and vegetable sides. Sushi lovers can select from a wide range, including the house invention, the Howard roll, which features a crab and jalapeño roll topped with seared Howard waygu beef. House-made desserts are the grand finale, including cheesecake, brown sugar pie, and rich and sumptuous chocolate Sorrento.
Change is inevitable in the ever-evolving restaurant industry landscape, but changes at Barolo Grille are also sometimes driven by customer input. Vaughn mentions that shortly after removing pan-fried liver from the menu, he reinstated it in response to diner demand. “Basically, we try to offer something for everyone, and we are willing to make adjustments according to diners’ needs,” he adds. There are gluten-free and vegetarian offerings, and the house regularly leaves out or substitutes ingredients according to customer preference.
Happy Hour, from 3 to 6 p.m. (or until closing on Wednesdays), offers customers a variety of reduced-price dishes. Selections include favorites such as crab and jalapeño tempura, loaded flatbreads, roasted red pepper hummus, and the ever-popular ahi-tuna street tacos. New chef creations, such as Korean-inspired meatballs, keep things interesting.
At the bar, manager Kara Reith makes her own simple syrups, infusing them with a variety of flavors for both seasonal and traditional cocktails and alcohol-free mocktails such as margaritas, Long Island iced teas and Moscow mules.
In keeping with its namesake Barolo (the name of a dry Italian red wine), the restaurant offers a wide selection of Italian reds as well as white wines. And, following the something-for-everyone theme, the bar also offers de-alcoholized wines.
Located in the heart of downtown Salina, Barolo Grille’s artistic decor and elegantly plated dishes complement the Downtown District’s refreshed vibe, where reconfigured streets, sidewalks, and plazas create inviting spaces. Of course, the city’s outdoor public sculptures and murals can be appreciated on an empty stomach—but with options such as Barolo, a beautiful meal makes everything more pleasing.
