There is a reason the English language has so many adjectives to describe the way food tastes; each flavor is deserving of its own adjective. Waterfront Bar and Grill feels the same way about each customer and his or her respective dish.
The menu includes steaks, baby back ribs, ahi tuna and fresh halibut, and it features a vegetarian and Adkins friendly section. Waterfront owner Walid “Wally” Saleeby ensures that there is something for everyone at Waterfront.
“We specialize in the barbeque. That’s number one,” Saleeby said. “We’re always doing steaks, and ribs, and different kinds of meats. But we do have a lot of pasta dishes, and those are always changing. But the backbone of the restaurant comes back to the barbeque. If you want to have a steak, you can have a steak, but whoever’s with you can have a pizza.”
For first-time visitors to Waterfront, the selection could be overwhelming, but Saleeby and server Michelle Deveny both endorse the baby back ribs and ahi tuna for any first-time visitor.
“The baby back ribs are the unofficial house special,” said Deveny. Served with a garden salad, horseradish mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables, the ribs themselves are unique to Waterfront, as they are presented without any garnish or barbeque sauce.
Ahi tuna provides for a delectable, and almost too-filling appetizer. Served complete with chopsticks, ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce, the ahi tuna is pan seared and rare and seasoned with Cajun spices, giving it an extra kick.
Frequent patron Terri Archambault enthusiastically endorses the ahi tuna as “the best!”
“We have a very unique way of preparing ahi tuna, and it’s just incredible,” Saleeby said. “And the second thing we do is our baby back ribs. This is one of the specialties of the house, and the flavor is just incredible. We’ve had people coming here for three or four years, and that’s all they eat.”
While both the ahi tuna and baby back ribs are savory, do not plan on saving room for dessert because the portions are huge.
“I usually recommend a dessert or an appetizer because they’re both so filling,” said Deveny.
The desserts are “made right here by Wendy,” daily, the menu proudly explains.Saleeby further explained the freshness Waterfront’s food and the restaurant’s preparation methods.
“Everything we do here is homemade. From the dip to the bread, to all the dessert – we have an in-house bakery – no preservatives, none of that stuff. It’s all fresh – all the soups, salads, produce, meat – and that’s the number one thing that sets us apart. We pride ourselves on that.”
Although Waterfront’s primary customers are mid-30s to mid-50s businesspeople, according to Saleeby, he hopes to attract a younger crowd to Waterfront.
“I think the reason we don’t is because we might be portrayed as too expensive or too formal, but it’s none of the above. Two people can come in and have dinner for under $25, and that’s with everything.”
Saleeby hopes Waterfront’s bar, loaded with televisions, will attract a more youthful crowd.
“We have a great bar with a great happy hour. It’s a very beautiful, unique bar. The shape of it, to start with, is very unique. It’s a very warm atmosphere, and you can feel comfortable sitting down, having a drink, and it’s not loud and obnoxious,” said Saleeby. “It caters to just about every cross-section. You can make it either very formal or you can make it very casual.”
Regular Indiana business travelers John Healey and Christ Hundt make it a point to dine at Waterfront each time they visit Eugene.
“Coming here makes it feel like a home, or like you’re going out to a friend’s house to eat,” Hundt said.
“And Walid’s a great guy,” Healey added. “But regardless of how much we love him, if the food wasn’t this good, we wouldn’t be here. He cares what people think about, and he makes it personal, and that’s what’s good about Waterfront. He has a real passion for what he does, he enjoys what he does, loves the people, and that’s how he gets the return customers.”
“Just give it a shot,” said Saleeby. “If you don’t want to have a big meal, you can come in and have a beer and pizza or burger at the bar. It’s a very comfortable, very hospitable, warm atmosphere without all the fu-fu that comes with it. It’s a fun place, with a fun bar.”