Seafood, oddly enough, is a natural in Tucson, thanks to our international heritage.
Mexico's Gulf of California is just a few hours away; it's a familiar - and sometimes even familial - place for many Tucsonans. So Tucson Mexican restaurants specializing in seafood often stick to the shrimp coctel, ceviche and Vera Cruz-style fish dishes.
Salud Oyster Bar & Grill, a fairly new restaurant on Valencia Road a couple of miles west of Interstate 19, does both Mexican and other styles of seafood very well.
The shrimp cocktail ($11) was a strong opener, with a dozen large, firm shrimp served with a mildly spiced cocktail sauce.
Salud's New England-style clam chowder ($6 per bowl, $3.50 for a cup) showed a lot of thought in a dish that is so perfunctory it is almost a generic item, even in much more expensive seafood restaurants. This chowder wasn't in a thick, starchy broth, as is so often the case, but was so loaded with clams, potato and celery that it had almost a stew consistency. The broth itself was delicately flavored.
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(I'd like to see what Salud's chef would come up with if he put his talents to making a fish chowder, something that's tough to find in Tucson.)
The fried calamari appetizer ($8) was made up of tender, very narrow slices of large-diameter, lightly breaded squid. It came with a mild cocktail sauce. Salud goes easy on the spices overall, although you can ask for a variety of bottled salsas and a memorable house-made pico de gallo.
A half-dozen raw oysters ($8.50 market price) were served on the half-shell in a large, shallow bowl of ice, with slices of lemon and lime, and horseradish and cocktail sauce. The small- to medium-size oysters - from Delaware, we were told - were fresh-tasting, without much of a brine.
An order of seven fried oysters ($12), done in a crisp almost tempura-style batter, was served with cocktail sauce and a large order of crispy fries in the same light batter. The oysters were tender and tasted as fresh as the raw oysters.
The fish tacos, $8, were as good as any I've had.
The breading was light (as opposed to that body-armor breading used on too many fish tacos), and the fish was meaty and flaky - my guess, cabrilla or snapper. (Indeed, manager Jesus Bonillas said the fish in the tacos is sometimes cabrilla, sometimes cod, depending on availability. All breading, sauces and dressings are prepared in-house.) The corn tortillas were delicate - not the stiff, coarse discs that are common in some otherwise very good restaurants.
The two large tacos were piled with fresh green cabbage and drizzled with a mild, green sauce. They were served in a big, white pasta bowl, with refried beans topped with melted Mexican cheese and Spanish rice. The creamy, dark beans and white rice were served lukewarm - the only ding on a great lunch. If we have a fish-taco throw-down, I'm putting money on Salud, though there's some heavy competition in Tucson.
The seafood fettuccine ($13) had a delicate creamy cheese sauce, not one of those sauces so often blamed on Alfredo.
The pasta seemed cooked to order, not gummy from being pre-cooked or over-cooked, and there was a generous portion of clams, mussels and cod, and a couple of properly cooked shrimp.
The presentation was attractive, served with big garlic toast points and parsley. And the portion was large, almost too much for lunch. (On second thought, I did eat everything except the bowl.)
The large bowl of clams ($11 for a pound of littlenecks) was served in a beautiful, mild ancho chile broth with a smoky taste and a hint of garlic. It was a nice switch from the always appealing but more common butter-lemon-garlic broth.
Like many of the entrees, it was served in a large, Italian-style white pasta bowl with garlic toast.
The consistently attractive presentation was a bit of a surprise in a place with the feel of a sports bar. Manager Bonillas credits head chef Larry Salinas, a veteran of some good seafood restaurants in Florida.
The carne rollado, a tenderized beef flank steak rolled and stuffed with Anaheim chiles and Oaxacan cheese, was served on a potato corn cake and with grilled vegetables ($11).
The steak was a bit chewy, even for a flank steak, but was cooked properly and went well with the grilled Anaheim chile inside. The vegetables, slices of onions, green and red bell peppers, and asparagus were slightly grilled and still crisp.
With the exception of the flank steak, we stuck to the seafood, but Salud also offers a selection of large "stacked" sandwiches with a selection of breads and cheeses for $7 to $9.
Bonillas says the grill items are far from an afterthought, despite the dominant seafood theme. Besides some half-pound burgers ($8.50), there are baby-back ribs ($15 for a full rack, $9 for a half) and a rib-eye steak ($14).
Salud has a lunch express menu, served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for $6.99. It includes a fountain drink and a numerous choices such as a pair of grilled Sonoran hot dogs, a half-sandwich with a side of fries, and two cheese enchiladas.
The only dessert we tried was a New York-style cheesecake ($6). It had a crumb crust and crumbled topping, and veins of blueberry running through the firm cheesecake. Bonillas said the cheesecake isn't house-made. Salud was out of the other desserts - a "gourmet" chocolate-chip cookie with ice cream and a carrot cake - on our next visit.
Salud is in a former Chuy's, but the spacious interior has been completely remodeled into a tasteful, very low-key sports bar with black lacquer tables, a big island bar in the middle of the room, and outdoor dining on a veranda.
Large flat-screen TVs are visible from nearly every seat in the house, usually playing sports, but with the sound off. Music is mostly norteño played at a reasonable volume. It's an atmosphere conducive to eating in a booth and talking with friends, or solo at the bar while watching a game.
Service was consistently cheerful and well-paced - not too much attention, nor too little.
The restaurant staffers make diners feel like they are sincerely glad to have your business.
Review
• What: Salud Oyster Bar & Grill
• Where: 1825 W. Valencia Road.
• Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays, and Tuesdays through Thursdays. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays.
• Wine list: Wines by the glass include Johann Falkenburg riesling, Bogle riesling, Mirassou chardonnay, Beringer white zinfandel and a Concha y Toro cabernet-merlot blend priced from $5 to $7 for a glass, and $23 to $42 for a bottle.
• Entrees range from $8 to $15.
• Kids call: No kids menu, but the battered fish and fries served with corn might work, $9.
• Vegetarian: Cheese crisp, cheese enchiladas, the Wedge (iceberg lettuce salad with blue cheese crumbles, olives and tomatoes), fresh fruit plate.
• Phone: 889-2800.
