Back in June a new restaurant opened in my working ‘hood of Kaimuki — to much anticipation and hype.

SALT Kitchen & Tasting Bar was going to be the Next Big Thing, the new In Spot, the Scene to be Seen.

So I skipped it.

I’m not one for crowds, and I had heard SALT has become a hot spot for foodies and curious eaters. The downstairs bar would be packed on a weeknight!

So I waited until a couple of weeks ago — hey, that’s about a month after opening! — to see what the hype was all about.

And to figure out what the heck a charcuterie is.

(Turns out, a charcuterie — pronounced shahr-KOO-tuhr-ee — is a French culinary art of salting, smoking and curing pork. It’s also the name of the delicatessen-style shop where these specialties are sold.)

So we went to the unassuming two-story restaurant on Waialae Avenue to see what the fuss was about.

Here’s what we ate:

Inside SALT

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SALT created a buzz before it even opened, as it was the creation of 12th Avenue Grill's Kevin Hanney, who partnered with Robert McGee, who came to Honolulu from Portland’s Slow Bar and opened the kitchen at apartm3nt. It's located around the corner from Hanney's flagship restaurant and in the space vacated by the short-lived Belladonna.

Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar, 3605 Waialae Ave. Hours: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (food until midnight) daily. Phone: (808) 744-7567