SALT — Restaurant in Arcata

PART 2 REVIEW When the tower arrived at our table it looked very beautiful and elegant and well placed. The waiter was absolutely very helpful in explaining how to use the various sauces or other items in order to eat it in the most efficient way. I would have to say the bottom half of this entrée was very delicious especially with the included sauces. However I cannot say the same for the 2nd level above it. The flavors that were offered for the scallop portion and the steel head portion was too much and had very weird textures. As well as the 3rd bowl was just filled with very intensely tasting vinegar chips. The steel head fish was almost mixed up like very dried tuna in the bowl that had overpowerin seasonings on the top and wasn't really mixed in well to flavor the fish. The scallops are also thinly sliced and had some sort of peanut butter thick textured sauce drizzling on top of it and was not complimentary to the scallops taste at all. The scallops were not cooked but the temperature of them were warmer than I would have liked them to be considering they were raw and should have been cold and not warm, it seemed weird because everything else was very cold as if it had just come off the ice and onto the plate moments before it was serviced. I'm just glad I had someone else with me because I wouldn't have touched the second level of this entrée just because of that and felt like I wasted money for this dinner. I will have to say I was very impressed with how they were able to keep the butter from not becoming firm while sitting outside. I thought it was very cool and extremely unique how they had a candle making sure the butter was still in liquid form in order for us to enjoy the crab that was on the 1st level of our entree. Honestly I would have to say I wish there was more crab over the oysters. I would have to say the oysters were very good but they were tinier than I have usually experienced at higher end restaurants they are actually much larger in my opinion. I guess the large shrimp compensates for how the small oysters were. However the crab was absolutely delicious and we did not have to crack the crab leg ourselves it was already easily cut open the meat inside was very plump and juicy as well. (I honestly wish there was more crab on the platter) Me personally though, I deeply enjoy warm or hot melted butter with my crab legs (we also eat the crab with butter immediately, so it didn't have the chance to become cold before we got to it) I would have to say that I was disappointed in this fact because although the butter was melted by the candle it did not maintain the warmness or the heat that makes the flavor of the crab even more delicious. If that's not a big problem you then it still tasted great without the butter. I also have to mention that our appetizer was the crab dip and honestly I probably would have ordered maybe 3 more of those and just skipped the seafood tower altogether, we ended up running out of chips and the waiter was very willing to give us more chips in order to finish off the little bit of crab dip that we had. He did not make us feel embarrassed for requesting more chips either and the chips were actually very good as well. When you eat their chips they actually don't fall apart when you add the dip to it which most chips, this was extremely pleasing. I feel that the sea food tower didn't live up to the cost that we paid. In the end the overall experience was a good one, I do think that the seafood tower needs to be improved or the price needs to be...

PART 1 REVIEW: We are currently visiting Redwood National Park and had driven 6 plus hours to get there with. Dog and a 6 year old. As we got to our airbnb we looked around for a decent place to eat. We discovered this place because it was so close to where we were located. Also it seemed like it was a very upscaled restaurant. We called ahead to ask if we were allowed to bring our dog because he is a key component to where we could potentially eat for dinner. They were accommodating in allowing us to sit outside even though it was cold they had heaters above the table of where we were dining which may it very pleasant. Overall I really wish we could have sat inside because the inside looked very classy modern and pristine. I love the atmosphere is very chill and inviting. The waiter was very responsive to any of our needs and was periodically appropriately checking on us whenever we needed something or whenever we were finished eating our appetizers or bread. As we were looking at the menu we discovered that there was a seafood tower. It had many of the types of seafood that we both really enjoy and we were excited to get it however it was on the precious side of a $140. Unfortunately at the time there was no photos of how much food came with it online (I took photos), but in the description it seemed like there was a lot of food. I would have to say if you were to order this for yourself it would be a significant amount of food for one person who eats a moderate amount. However to share it between the 2 is not really ideal either. So it would be too much food to eat for one person but not enough for 2, you would ultimately have to order another entree or appetizer. (Making another post, because I max out on...

If you eat for ambiance and kitchy interior decor, this is the place. Aside from that, it's a mixed bag. Came in for dinner and had oysters, prawns, fish and chips, a cocktail, and calamari. Service was spotty, but every single waitress/waiter was servicing multiple tables inside and outside. I was a bit worried about that before dining here from previous reviews, and it seems this issue still has not been addressed.

Cocktail was underfilled. Looked around and noticed about 3/4 of the drinks served were not to the brim. Quality was decent.

Oysters from Humboldt Bay were fresh and crisp. They serve smaller kumammoto Oysters for a decent price and the mignonette was sharp and perfect.

Calamari was standard. They serve a deep fried lemon with it, which was a unique touch. Flavor was layered and provided a pleasant contrast to the actual protein.

The prawns and fish and chips took over an hour from the time we ordered to get to the table. The prawn serving was incredibly small, but the flavor of the harissa almost made up for it. In addition, they were rather overcooked. The squash was delightful and provided a mild sweetness that complimented the shrimps flavor. Couscous fell flat and was an unusual texture with the squash and shrimp, rice would have been a better pairing. Fish and chips were good. Fries are very heavy on the old bay, but depending on your palate, it could be the best thing ever.

The decor, contemporary design, and open kitchen add wonderful touches that add to the atmosphere. However, the food and service have major room for...