-Overview-

Clearwater is a waterfront restaurant in Newport that boasts a great atmosphere, a view of Yaquina Bay, and excellent food. While it may be a bit pricey, you are paying for top- notch service and a stunning view. It's a great spot to host a birthday dinner, have drinks with colleagues at the bar, or enjoy a romantic date night with a view of the water.

-Ambience-

After sunset, I went to the restaurant and enjoyed the warm lighting that filled the walls. It provided just enough light to feel cozy. Each table had a candle and salt and pepper shaker that added just the right amount of glow. I was seated upstairs towards the right of the bar near a window, which gave me a clear view of sea lions swimming in the bay.

-Service-

The waiter was eager and genuinely excited for me to try the food. I had no complaints about the service as my water was filled, my questions were answered, and my food arrived in a reasonable amount of time.

-Food-

The food was excellent. For my appetizer, I got crispy rice with spicy tuna. The contrast and textures from the tuna and crispy rice along with the umami from the tuna ensured the appetizer didn't live long.

For the main course, I opted for the catch of the day. Pan fried rockfish on top of gnocchi with sauted spinach, sundried tomatoes, and a lemon garlic cream sauce. The taste was excellent. The fish was cooked perfectly. This was my second time having gnocchi and it's my favorite. I think the sundried tomatoes with the sauce took the dish to the next level. It's just the right amount of sweetness added to the savory garlic cream.

Dessert was a Chai Poached Pear with homemade chai and caramel sauce, candied pecans, and vanilla bean ice cream. I had no idea what to expect when I saw this on the menu, I just knew it sounded different. I'm glad I picked it though, because it was delicious. I forgot how much I love pears. I could easily scoop chunks of the pear with my spoon. The vanilla ice cream was supreme. I am extremely picky about ice cream quality, so this is the best compliment to the dessert I can give. Hats off to Umpqua Creamery for a quality dairy product. I wish I could bottle up the sauces they used. They weren't overly sweet like caramel from the store. It was very balanced yet complex. Something like a rich milky chai caramel flavor. There wasn't anything special about the pecans, but that's ok since they were mainly there to add sweetness and contrast texture. Combine everything together and you get a bomb dessert. I only wish the pear was warm kind of like a cobbler.

-Price-

Appetizer: Don't expect it to fill you up. You only get four pieces for $13. However, each bite is an experience of flavor.

Entree: I think the serving size is reasonable. It's not quite enough to fill me up on my own without an appetizer, but I do tend to eat a lot. The portion size was appropriate, and I felt satiated and satisfied with the flavor after eating it. However, some people may feel that it's too small of a portion for the price ($32).

Dessert: This was the best value in my opinion. I would gladly pay for the ice cream alone.

-Overall Impression-

I would definitely come here again. This is my first food review ever since I decided to only eat out once a week. If you found this helpful at all, feel free to follow me on IG @just_jamon. I'm going to continue to make these reviews and include highlights on Instagram.