Oxnard's Salt Waterside Bistro offers dishes that entice, satisfy
Call it a case of the third time’s a charm or simply that those now guiding the restaurant most recently known as Cocovin have a good sense of what makes customers happy along with a talent for producing dishes that both entice and, happily, satisfy.
Salt Waterside Bistro, or as it’s rendered on their publicity and paperwork, SALT — Waterside Bistro, has added a bit more color to the serene setting, along with live music at hours that soothe guests as much as the menu lures them to an evening of well balanced and prepared food.
My friends and I noted a lot of appealing items on the menu, including multiple first courses, so many in fact that we probably could have made a meal of them without even moving onto the main options. We ordered more preliminary courses than we ordinarily would but we just couldn’t resist the cilantro and lime ceviche ($13), the grilled asparagus ($10), chopped prawn Caesar salad ($14) and the evening’s soup special gazpacho soup with a Middle Eastern flair in the flavoring ($7).
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The cilantro and lime ceviche was a bright attention getter with its lively combination of “daily-catch” fish marinated in lemon and lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, red onion, tomato, avocado and sea salt, served with handsome layers of house-made tortilla chips.
Grilled asparagus was a simple but well-packaged combo of the green veggie combined with garlic purée, Parmesan, pine nuts and balsamic reduction, while the chopped prawn Caesar combined its grilled freshwater prawn with Little Gem lettuce, heirloom cherry tomatoes and Parmesan stirred with house-made Caesar dressing and served with grilled crostini.
Main courses of wild Chilean sea bass ($32), “SALT” pork chop ($24) and a grilled portobello mushroom plated with roasted seasonal vegetables and quinoa ($18) had their own distinctive perks.
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The sea bass filet was teamed with a “fried and cheesy” risotto cake, spinach and wakame (edible seaweed), with miso shiitake mushroom broth. The presentation was attractive and the combination of flavors was intriguing.
Even folks who don’t consider themselves pork chop fans are likely to find Salt’s version irresistible. At 14 ounces, it looks big, but the flavor and tender texture are remarkable — and, of course, you can always take some home if it’s too much of a good thing for one sitting. It comes with Moroccan-spice butternut squash, roasted Brussels sprouts and caramelized onions, accented with a balsamic fig and vinegar reduction.
The grilled portobello mushroom cup with its roasted seasonal vegetables and quinoa is mixed with a dash of basil-infused extra virgin olive oil. I thought it could have used a bit more seasoning, but others might find its flavor gently soothing.
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While we certainly were not still hungry after our multi-courses, one look at the dessert menu convinced us we “needed” a bit of that Bourbon Pecan Pie ($10) and Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake ($9). Both are enhanced by the house-made caramel sauce, and are delicious.
There’s still a lot on the SALT menu that we’d love to try, including the roasted beets salad, the Thai coconut curry chicken and the jumbo sea scallops. In addition to the good food, we were also impressed by the pleasant and prompt service.
Rita Moran visits restaurants unannounced and pays for her food. If you know of a new, unusual or just plain good restaurant, please contact her at rita.j.moran@gmail.com.
If you go
What: Salt Waterside Bistro
Where: 4308 Tradewinds Drive, Oxnard
Information: 805-985-5614; saltwaterside.com
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 4 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays.
Impressions: With more colorful decor and impressive service, the new restaurant in Oxnard’s Seabridge area, where Cocovin most recently held sway, offers a menu that offers a variety of dishes of consistently high quality. Service is attentive and helpful and items like the chopped prawn Caesar salad, the 14-oz. pork chop and the wild Chilean sea bass are exceptional, as are the desserts.
What’s hot: Ceviche, chopped prawn Caesar salad, Chilean sea bass, pork chop, Bourbon Pecan Pie.
2 for dinner
Starters: Ceviche ($13); soup of the day ($7); grilled asparagus ($10); chopped prawn Caesar salad ($14)
Main dishes: Grilled Portobello Mushroom plate ($18); wild Chilean Sea Bass ($32); 14-oz. Bone-in pork chop ($24)
Desserts: Bourbon Pecan Pie ($10); Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake ($9)
Tab for 2: $30-$64