Rural Missouri - November 2023 - 42

Left: The shrimp pasta carbonara features noodles tossed in a classic
bacon mushroom sauce and topped with perfectly cooked shrimp,
Parmesan cheese, parsley and black pepper. Top left: The tuna poke
nachos at Saltwater feature marinated tuna over wonton chips, cabbage,
jalapenos, onions, cucumber, wasabi mayo and sushi sauce. Above:
Chef Arthur Martinez prepares a plate of salmon to be delivered to the
dining room at Saltwater.
" It has this beautiful aromatic cedar smell from the
smokiness and a sweet crunchy texture, " Arthur says. " It's
the best salmon I've ever tasted. "
There are a trio of pasta options, including a seafood
pasta with scallops, clams and shrimp and a mushroom
and scallop pasta featuring Missouri oyster mushrooms
sauteed in duck fat. The presentation of the shrimp pasta
carbonara is almost as impressive as the taste. Pasta noodles
are topped with a creamy white sauce featuring bacon
and mushrooms deglazed with clam juice, heavy cream
and finished with Matt's housemade carbonara base. The
pasta is topped with cooked shrimp, Parmesan cheese,
black pepper and dried parsley.
" It's a smooth rich pasta with the shrimp and the slight
taste of the ocean from the clam juice and the heavy
cream, " Arthur says. " It's just really delicious. "
Saltwater uses certified Angus beef for both of their
steaks, an 8-ounce filet and 14-ounce rib-eye. Both are
grilled to your liking and served with two sides. What
makes their steaks stand out however, is the generous portion
of steak butter - which of course is Matt's secret recipe
- that is put on the steak before leaving the kitchen.
Like all restaurants, Saltwater's operations had a
42 RURAL MISSOURI | NOVEMBER 2023
wrench thrown in it from COVID-19. Instead of steak and
seafood served inside their Pine Street restaurant, they
focused on burgers delivered to guests in their cars.
The concept was so successful, the Banholzers opened
Ümrshlker Burger Co., a not-so-subtle nod to Matt's
inability to finish his degree at UMR in the 1980s. The food
truck features everything from a classic cheeseburger to
a jalapeno popper burger with roasted jalapenos, onion
cream cheese, fried pickles, onions and housemade jalapeno
ranch. And of course, house-cut fries.
Between the burgers from the Ümrshlker and the
fresh seafood carefully prepared at their upscale brickand-mortar
restaurant, Sue wants to make sure the
dining options are plentiful and delicious. " We, and the
other great restaurants around here, are trying to grow
downtown Rolla into a destination where you want to come
and have a nice evening, " she says.
According to Arthur, that will be cemented when you
try your first bite prepared by the team. " If you come to
Saltwater, you're going to get food that has been made by
people who care and it is 100% made from scratch, " he
says. " We love what we do and I hope that shows in our
dishes. This place is unlike any other place in Missouri. "
Rural Missouri - November 2023

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