The Sunroom • Salishan Spa & Golf Resort, Gleneden Beach
TODAY photos
Story & photos by Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY
Posted Aug. 30, 2011
Generally speaking — and our recent and glorious August notwithstanding — sunshine is a valuable commodity on the central coast. When the clouds part and the sun shines down, it helps to be in a place that was built to receive it. Someplace like the Sunroom Restaurant, at Salishan Spa & Golf Resort.
With three walls of windows, facing east, south and west, and overlooking the golf course and driving range, the Sunroom was designed to fill with light in the morning and early afternoon. It’s decorated in warm woods and brown leathers, along with Salishan’s signature wood carvings by the late Roy Setziol — and they all come alive in natural light.
“This room is all about the wood, and all about enjoying nature and our beautiful grounds,” said Sunroom manager Donna Downing. “It’s very inviting, and very warm, with textures that are amazing. People walk in and say, ‘Wow, what a beautiful room.’ And it is, especially when the sun comes out.”
The day dawns here at 6:30 a.m., when the Sunroom staff opens for breakfast. They’re still serving the Apple Oat Griddle Cakes, which have been part of the menu since Salishan opened in 1965. These hearty cakes are loaded with apples, oats and wheat germ, topped with maple-laced crème fraiche ($9.50). A more recent but very tasty addition is the Frangelico French Toast, which is served with toasted local hazelnuts ($8.50).
This café has always been known for its healthy breakfasts, and offers yogurt parfaits, hot multi-grain cereal and house-made bran muffins. The latter are served with fresh fruit, hazelnut yogurt and raisins, for $9. There’s freshly-brewed house coffees, plus espresso drinks like cappuccinos and lattes, and a selection of hot teas.
Because this is Salishan, though, there are plenty of opportunities to indulge. Downing and her staff serve three kinds of poached egg “Benedicts.” There’s the traditional, with Canadian bacon, the Oregon Coast style with Dungeness Crab, and the Veggie, with fresh asparagus, avocado and roasted tomato. They’re all topped with Hollandaise sauce, $13-$16.
There are breakfasts small to large, a toasted English muffin to corned beef hash and eggs. One of Downing’s favorite dishes is the Salishan-style Huevos Rancheros, with two eggs, black beans and warm corn tortillas, topped with queso fresco and hot red chili sauce ($12.50).
At 11:30 a.m., the kitchen switches over to lunch. In the Sunroom, that means fresh and lively salads, memorable sandwiches, creamy clam chowder and even a few burgers, each made with a bit of Salishan style. In the Nicoise Salad, for example, you’ll find seared ahi tuna, French beans, new potatoes, grape tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs tossed with cured olives and caper berries, in an herb vinaigrette ($16). The fettucini is combined with fresh asparagus, artichoke hearts, fennel and tomatoes, and dressed with a dreamy Boursin cream sauce (with chicken, prawns or scallops, $14-$17).
Longtime fans of the Sunroom, those who lunched there before it closed in the late 1990s (to re-open again, under the resort’s new ownership, in 2004), may remember the Northwest Chicken Salad. Downing is pleased to announce that this dish has returned: big chunks of chicken in a tart and creamy dressing, topped with crunchy hazelnuts, plus fresh fruit salad and warm banana bread.
There are also a few entrees available during lunch service, like halibut fish and chips, rockfish tacos and homemade macaroni and cheese. The Sunroom also serves an aromatic, hearty Salishan Chicken Pot Pie, with chicken breast, country-style vegetables and a cream sauce. It’s the favorite recipe of David Connor, the head of Spring Capital Group, which owns the resort.
“The chicken pot pie is Mr. Connor’s specialty, his signature dish. When we bring it out, people are very surprised. They enjoy it tremendously,” Downing said.
Those casual, comfortable entrees are on the dinner menu, too. It starts at 5 p.m., and is served daily until around 9:30 p.m.
Other stars, Downing said, are the Seared Citrus Salmon and the Classic Bouillabaise. The former is an attractive tower of jasmine sticky rice, a fresh salmon filet marinated in ginger and lemon grass, and fresh seasonal vegetables, accented by a miso vinaigrette ($18). The latter combines prawns, scallops and calamari with local clams, garlic and linguini, and surrounds it with saffron-infused tomato sauce ($22). Both are served with soup or salad.
The Grilled New York Steak, a 10-ounce cut, is topped with Rogue River blue cheese butter, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and summer vegetables ($23). Downing also recommends the smoke Baby Back Ribs, with a signature Ancho Chile barbecue sauce, coleslaw and French fries ($14 for a half rack, $20 for a full rack).
“Those barbecued ribs are absolutely fantastic, probably the best ribs I’ve ever had, anywhere,” Downing said.
At the Sunroom, dinner time means watching the sun beams work their way across the greens and patios of this storied Northwest resort. They serve appetizers, including calamari fries, crab cakes and onion rings, and a wide variety of regional beers and wines. Caesar salads, burgers, crab cakes, prawn-and-scallop kebabs – they’re all part of the relaxed café approach that Salishan guests, and Gleneden Beach locals, have always loved about this spot.
“We’re a full service restaurant, three meals a day, and we’re very causal. You can come right off the beach, walk in and enjoy yourself here,” Downing said. “Our employees are warm and inviting, too. Some of our servers have been here for eight or nine years now, and we don’t see a lot of turnover. They are glad to see their locals, and the regulars are glad to see them, too.”
“We pride ourselves on wonderful food, and getting to know our customers, people who come in year after year after year.”
The Sunroom Restaurant, at Salishan Spa & Golf Resort, serves breakfast from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m. During the Early Bird Hour, from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, all dinner entrees are 20 percent off. The Sunroom is open to the public as well as resort guests, and reservations are accepted. To make yours, call 541-764-3600. Or, head to www.salishan.com.
Posted Aug. 30, 2011
Generally speaking — and our recent and glorious August notwithstanding — sunshine is a valuable commodity on the central coast. When the clouds part and the sun shines down, it helps to be in a place that was built to receive it. Someplace like the Sunroom Restaurant, at Salishan Spa & Golf Resort.
With three walls of windows, facing east, south and west, and overlooking the golf course and driving range, the Sunroom was designed to fill with light in the morning and early afternoon. It’s decorated in warm woods and brown leathers, along with Salishan’s signature wood carvings by the late Roy Setziol — and they all come alive in natural light.
“This room is all about the wood, and all about enjoying nature and our beautiful grounds,” said Sunroom manager Donna Downing. “It’s very inviting, and very warm, with textures that are amazing. People walk in and say, ‘Wow, what a beautiful room.’ And it is, especially when the sun comes out.”
The day dawns here at 6:30 a.m., when the Sunroom staff opens for breakfast. They’re still serving the Apple Oat Griddle Cakes, which have been part of the menu since Salishan opened in 1965. These hearty cakes are loaded with apples, oats and wheat germ, topped with maple-laced crème fraiche ($9.50). A more recent but very tasty addition is the Frangelico French Toast, which is served with toasted local hazelnuts ($8.50).
This café has always been known for its healthy breakfasts, and offers yogurt parfaits, hot multi-grain cereal and house-made bran muffins. The latter are served with fresh fruit, hazelnut yogurt and raisins, for $9. There’s freshly-brewed house coffees, plus espresso drinks like cappuccinos and lattes, and a selection of hot teas.
Because this is Salishan, though, there are plenty of opportunities to indulge. Downing and her staff serve three kinds of poached egg “Benedicts.” There’s the traditional, with Canadian bacon, the Oregon Coast style with Dungeness Crab, and the Veggie, with fresh asparagus, avocado and roasted tomato. They’re all topped with Hollandaise sauce, $13-$16.
There are breakfasts small to large, a toasted English muffin to corned beef hash and eggs. One of Downing’s favorite dishes is the Salishan-style Huevos Rancheros, with two eggs, black beans and warm corn tortillas, topped with queso fresco and hot red chili sauce ($12.50).
At 11:30 a.m., the kitchen switches over to lunch. In the Sunroom, that means fresh and lively salads, memorable sandwiches, creamy clam chowder and even a few burgers, each made with a bit of Salishan style. In the Nicoise Salad, for example, you’ll find seared ahi tuna, French beans, new potatoes, grape tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs tossed with cured olives and caper berries, in an herb vinaigrette ($16). The fettucini is combined with fresh asparagus, artichoke hearts, fennel and tomatoes, and dressed with a dreamy Boursin cream sauce (with chicken, prawns or scallops, $14-$17).
Longtime fans of the Sunroom, those who lunched there before it closed in the late 1990s (to re-open again, under the resort’s new ownership, in 2004), may remember the Northwest Chicken Salad. Downing is pleased to announce that this dish has returned: big chunks of chicken in a tart and creamy dressing, topped with crunchy hazelnuts, plus fresh fruit salad and warm banana bread.
There are also a few entrees available during lunch service, like halibut fish and chips, rockfish tacos and homemade macaroni and cheese. The Sunroom also serves an aromatic, hearty Salishan Chicken Pot Pie, with chicken breast, country-style vegetables and a cream sauce. It’s the favorite recipe of David Connor, the head of Spring Capital Group, which owns the resort.
“The chicken pot pie is Mr. Connor’s specialty, his signature dish. When we bring it out, people are very surprised. They enjoy it tremendously,” Downing said.
Those casual, comfortable entrees are on the dinner menu, too. It starts at 5 p.m., and is served daily until around 9:30 p.m.
Other stars, Downing said, are the Seared Citrus Salmon and the Classic Bouillabaise. The former is an attractive tower of jasmine sticky rice, a fresh salmon filet marinated in ginger and lemon grass, and fresh seasonal vegetables, accented by a miso vinaigrette ($18). The latter combines prawns, scallops and calamari with local clams, garlic and linguini, and surrounds it with saffron-infused tomato sauce ($22). Both are served with soup or salad.
The Grilled New York Steak, a 10-ounce cut, is topped with Rogue River blue cheese butter, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and summer vegetables ($23). Downing also recommends the smoke Baby Back Ribs, with a signature Ancho Chile barbecue sauce, coleslaw and French fries ($14 for a half rack, $20 for a full rack).
“Those barbecued ribs are absolutely fantastic, probably the best ribs I’ve ever had, anywhere,” Downing said.
At the Sunroom, dinner time means watching the sun beams work their way across the greens and patios of this storied Northwest resort. They serve appetizers, including calamari fries, crab cakes and onion rings, and a wide variety of regional beers and wines. Caesar salads, burgers, crab cakes, prawn-and-scallop kebabs – they’re all part of the relaxed café approach that Salishan guests, and Gleneden Beach locals, have always loved about this spot.
“We’re a full service restaurant, three meals a day, and we’re very causal. You can come right off the beach, walk in and enjoy yourself here,” Downing said. “Our employees are warm and inviting, too. Some of our servers have been here for eight or nine years now, and we don’t see a lot of turnover. They are glad to see their locals, and the regulars are glad to see them, too.”
“We pride ourselves on wonderful food, and getting to know our customers, people who come in year after year after year.”
The Sunroom Restaurant, at Salishan Spa & Golf Resort, serves breakfast from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m. During the Early Bird Hour, from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, all dinner entrees are 20 percent off. The Sunroom is open to the public as well as resort guests, and reservations are accepted. To make yours, call 541-764-3600. Or, head to www.salishan.com.
