Swordfish with romesco, leeks, and tamogitake mushrooms

My wife’s sister came out from Indianapolis for a weekend visit to celebrate her birthday with us. We had fun with her last September when she came to visit, so we were more than glad to have her back. We took her to Settler in Salem for her birthday dinner and all three of us loved it. It was our first visit there, though we have been meaning to go for a while. Compared to some of the other “good” restaurants in town, this one really excels at the food and absolutely rates as a must-try. Just note, though, that it’s quite small inside and is on a little side street in downtown, so parking is a challenge.

My entree was called “Harpooned Swordfish” on the menu, so we joked with the server about it coming with an actual harpoon sticking out of it, but, alas, no harpoon to be had. The salty-savory-umami sauce ws excellent and paired very well with the fish, which seemed to be baked rather than seared or grilled (no obvious browning or grill marks). For my appetizer, I had a lovely salad of heirloom tomatoes wth ricotta salata and olives, and washed everything down with a glass of Viognier wine. I even ordered dessert, which I so rarely do – a slice of Basque-style cheesecake.

Heirloom tomatoes with ricotta salata and olives

Basque cheesecake