The Impatient Chef Fish and Chips Review: The Bowpicker, Astoria, Oregon

 The Bowpicker

The Impatient Chef is Spotted at The Bowpicker in 2020

The Impatient Chef is not above flogging a good thing to death and beyond, and as such brings you another installment in the Quest for the Best Fish and Chips (in the Pacific Northwest).  Always on the lookout for another place that locals recommend, The Bowpicker proved to be less than expected at first glance, and much more than expected at first mouthful.  I would tell you, dear reader, that I once saw a pair of teenage girls chase the Mightly Godzilla back into the Pacific Ocean when the creature had the temerity to attempt to steal some from them, but that would be an exaggeration.  

The Bowpicker is a food cart in Astoria, Oregon that sells one thing: Fish and Chips. This, as readers of this blog will attest, is right up The Impatient Chef’s alley. Food carts have become a big thing in the Pacific Northwest, offering good food at lower prices, and giving customers the opportunity to wait in line outside in Oregon’s fabled “good weather for ducks, but little else.” Some of The Impatient Chef’s favorite carts are:

• La Vaquita - Mosier, Oregon 
• The Gyro King - Wood Village, Oregon 
• Kasoy and Company - Gresham, Oregon 
• Sammy’s Smashburger - Fairview, Oregon 
• and, of course, The Bowpicker - Astoria, Oregon 

Known for lines stretching stretching to the end of the block, The Bowpicker sells tuna fish and chips from a converted boat on a trailer at the other end of the block. Those lines have led The Impatient Chef to find places that require less patience, one such instance led to the the happy discovery of the South Bay Wild Fish House, and some dreamy salmon and chips. When the line is less daunting, however, the Bowpicker becomes the destination. Beer battered tuna and steak fries are the objective, and cash is the means of delivery. Do not tender your credit card. No morsels will be forthcoming. 

The Catch (Cliché Intended)

The meal comes in a paper dish with tartar sauce and ketchup. It is an unassuming presentation, but it keeps the costs low. The 5-piece meal is $14.00 as of February 2024. The fish is flaky, delicious, and light. The use of tuna makes it special. Word on the street was that they use locally caught fresh tuna, but that has not been verified. The tartar sauce is less chunky than most places, but it is not cloyingly sweet. It is about right to add flavor, and not detract from the taste of the fish. The breading holds onto the fish nicely through the meal. The Impatient Chef has tasted offerings from less adept locales where the breading flakes off, falls off, slides off, or where the fish simply shoots out the other end of the breading on the first bite. The breading also does not have an unusual flavor. Some places want the diner to know that they thought really hard about making their fish and chips unique, captivating, full of herbs and exotic spices, and completely inedible. The Bowpicker will have none of that. Simplicity takes the ring. 

An aside: Another place The Impatient Chef had gushed upon, namely the Trillium Café in Hood River, Oregon, used tuna until a few years ago. It was with great sadness that The Impatient Chef reported on that change last year.

The fries were disappointing this time. In past visits, they have been excellent, but they seemed like they were cooked too far ahead. They were lukewarm, and had that doughy texture of fries that have sat too long. Ketchup saved the day, but it should not have to. The Impatient Chef will give them a mulligan this time, and hopefully next time they will be back up to their usual quality.

Stop by if you are in Astoria, which resides in the north Oregon coast where the Mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean — an area affectionately known as “the Armpit of the Pacific Northwest” due to its cold and damp climate. It is a climate best described by gothic, nineteenth century, women novelists who use words like "melancholy", "despair", and "dyspepsia".  Lewis and Clark named a spot just across the river '”Dismal Nitch” in recognition of the wonders of getting caught in a week-long November downpour while wearing early nineteenth century clothing. The Washington Department of Transportation, in a startling display of truth in advertising, later named a rest stop after it.

So, if you want some excellent fish and chips, come and visit, dress warm, bring an umbrella, buy the fish and chips, and run like hell back to the car.  Oh, and park down by the river to eat them.  

The Impatient Chef.