REVIEW

The most common words used to describe Saffron Salmon are “fine dining.” Yes, the quality is high, and be forewarned, prices, while by no means outrageous, run beyond what LAF fans may have come to expect. Nevertheless, in our opinion, of the pricier restaurants of Newport, there’s no better place in which to drop a Benjamin.

No surprise: a filet of the restaurant’s namesake swimmer is utterly fresh, perfectly cooked, and, as always here, wild.

You will likely need a reservation to dine here in the evening, especially on summer weekends (request a window table). Once you step through the door, though, you’ll find a restaurant without pretense, but with a spectacular view of Yaquina Bay and the Yaquina Bay bridge. No need to dress up.

Saffron Salmon pan-fries calamari in olive oil, which results in a dish light-years away from standard deep-fried calamari served with red sauce. The flavors are punched up with garlic, pepper flakes, and lemon and, surprise, surprise, the shreds of raw, crunchy red cabbage actually work well. One of our favorite dishes from a week on the Oregon coast.

Saffron Salmon specializes in Pacific Northwest cuisine. There are local shrimp and clams and mussels on the menu, but the best way to be distracted from the view is with a plate of calamari, pan-sauteed in olive oil. This is not the crunch-crusted bar-food squid sold all over America, but gently cooked rings and tentacles of the cephalopod invigorated with garlic, hot pepper, lemon, and parsley. Shreds of raw cabbage supply the crunch to one of our top-ten restaurant dishes of the year!

The house salad, or any salad, can be gilded with a cluster of local Oregon pink shrimp for a three dollar tariff.

The salmon is always wild, and you won’t find it fresher or more carefully cooked than right here. In season, they buy Dungeness crab live and cook and pick it themselves. The clam chowder is very popular, and it looked wonderful. So did the cones filled with bronzed, twice-fried French fries. The spicy seafood stew is made with a richly flavored stock and is densely populated with finfish and shellfish.

We enjoyed good berry cobblers up and down the Oregon coast but none surpassed the version served at Saffron Salmon.

Not in the mood for seafood? There’s a lamb burger made from lamb raised at Walker Farms in Siletz, Oregon. Or you can enjoy your lamb as a rack, or choose beef in the form of a steak or burger. At lunch, we like the looks of the grilled salmon sandwich with saffron aioli and the crab BLT with a side of Asian slaw.

Saffron Salmon can be found at the end of the Bay Street Pier at the western end of the Newport waterfront. Large windows look out over Yaquina Bay and the bay bridge.

Want to finish with something sweet? The warm cobbler made with a mixture of Oregon berries, topped with cold and creamy vanilla, is the perfect way to end a Pacific Northwest meal.

A special shout-out to our top-notch waitress Joy, who just happened to be the same fine waitress we enjoyed a few days earlier at Local Ocean at the other end of Bay Boulevard!

LAF TRAK: 

FOOD: 

BEST THING TO EAT: Sautéed calamari