The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still at the Rogue Pier 39 Public House

The Impatient Chef Can't Sit Still

at

The Rogue Pier 39 Public House in Astoria, Oregon

The latest installment in The Impatient Chef Can’t Sit Still finds him visiting Rogue Pier 39 Public House in Astoria, Oregon. Astoria occupies a unique patch of land astride the Mighty Columbia River near where it slams into the Pacific Ocean. As such, Astoria has a rich history of fishing, canning, navigation, and shipwrecks, all of which its restaurants reflect.

The Impatient Chef’s alter ego, Gary Quay Photography, made the trek to the Astoria, Oregon in February 2024 in search of fluffy clouds and bridges. By all reports, he was not disappointed. 

Courtesy Apple Maps

Out of necessity, Astoria has changed focus over the years. The canneries have long been shuttered, but a few piers remain that now sport restaurants, museums and, hotels, Among them is Pier 39, where Rogue is housed. According to the pier’s website. it is “Astoria’s largest and oldest waterfront building, boasting 84,800 square feet features the Fisherman’s Suites, a 4 Suite luxury mini retreat that when combined is more than enough room to sleep 24 people, each with spectacular views above the Columbia River. The Captain Suite, the largest of the three has a Jacuzzi tub, a gas fireplace, full kitchen, dining room, and living room with beautiful Asian mahogany hardwood floor and restored original fir beams.”

The river at the pier looks placid, with container ships anchored in the main stream, or on their way to Portland and points yonder, or heading back to the ocean. At 6 miles across near this point, it seems hard to believe that it is, indeed, a river, but it very much is. Just ask the boats on the bottom. 

Four Tall(ish) Ships a-Sailing

The Impatient Chef has been well aware of Rogue Brewing from the Before Times, AKA “when he lived in Portland”. Their beers have always been well-crafted, and bold. Their seasonal ales like 7 (with 7 types of hops) and Dead Guy Imperial IPA are always a treat. The Impatient Chef was sad to find out recently that 7 would not be produced again, but that’s the way the cookie bounces.

You can find Rogue Public Houses in Portland and on the Oregon Coast. The food is usually very good. It is pub food, as their name suggests, and in keeping with The Impatient Chef’s aversion to food served with tweezers, that’s just fine. When there is fish and chips on the menu, and if the restaurant does not seem like the kind that serves directly from the food services truck, it is very hard to pass them up. The Spousal Unit had the Prawns and Chips. 

Wot We Got

Rogue serves a choice of rock fish or salmon fish and chips.  Rock fish can take a hike when Salmon is on the menu.  

On this outing, The Impatient Chef opted to substitute clam chowder for the fries, but from past visits the fries are just fine. 

The chowder tasted good, but had an oddly herbal flavor, possibly using thyme, that was not necessarily a bad thing, but took away from what should have been the focal point, namely the clams. 

Da Zoop!

The salmon was yummy. 

Inside

It was perfectly done, and flavorful. The only downside was the breading, which was not crispy. It did, however, manage to adhere to the fish throughout the meal. The tartar sauce was runnier than The Impatient Chef is used to, but the flavor was good.

The photo trip concluded with some pictures of the Lightship Columbia, and of the container ships on the river. It was a good day. 

The Lightship Columbia

Thanks for reading.

The Impatient Chef.

The Impatient Chef Fish and Chips Review - Fisherman's Korner Restaurant, Garibaldi, Oregon

The Impatient Chef loves Fish and Chips.  This is evidenced by the number of fish and chips reviews on this blog.  So, finding a new place to enjoy them is always a treat.  One such opportunity arose on July 9th in the small, coastal town of Garibaldi, Oregon, at a place called Fisherman's Korner.  

"Best Fish & Chips in Tillamook County"

The sign out front was a good omen, so we stepped inside. 

Bar Stools and All

The decor is 1960's and 1970's diner.  This is not a bad thing.  There have been some great meals served with little fanfare in such places.  The Impatient Chef has eaten quite a number of them (like Gracie's Sea Hag in Depoe Bay).  So, this looked promising.  The Oregon Coast boasts a shocking number of places that serve fish and chips.  Some of the best are in small, unassuming hole-in-the-walls, the foremost being The Bowpicker in Astoria (review coming soon), and some mediocre fare is served at expensive, trendy bistros.  

On to the review.

We ordered a cup of clam chowder to start.  

Clam Chowder

The chowder looked promising.  It was thick, but not too thick.  The clam flavor was, while not lacking, too muted, and there were too few clams and potatoes.  The thickener was at least partly corn starch, or some other alternative.  There may have been some roux in it, but it did not have that roux mouth feel.  All in all, it is serviceable.  It was not bad, and it did not have an unusual flavor.  I give it a 5 on the Gracie's Sea Hag Scale.

Next came the Fish and chips (we ordered the Halibut, Prawns and Chips).  

Halibut, Prawns and Chips

First, the tartar sauce: It was anemic, likely made of mayo and too little relish, and nothing else.  The saving grace was that it was a little too sweet.  

Next, the cole slaw:  Not too sweet.  The Impatient Chef normally steers clear of mayo plus sugar slaws, but this one was not bad.  

I used to make similar cole slaw in a small restaurant in Lebanon, PA at the age of 18, or so.  In fact, I was fired after making said slaw because the Hobart shredding attachment was dull, and it took me too long to make 200 pounds of it.  I didn't mention the dull attachment, so my replacement was likely fired too.

The Fish:

The fish was breaded, not battered.  The Impatient Chef does not prefer one over the other.  Both can be excellent, and both can be disappointing.  There was no old oil flavor.  The fish was fresh, moist, and flakey.  I can see why it got the People's Choice Award.  It is not a 10, but a respectable 7.  If you are traveling on Oregon's Hwy 101 through Garibaldi, and you are hankering for some fish and chips, keep this place on your list.  

Speaking of 10's and 7's.  Long time readers of this blog will note that the rating scale for fish and chips was known as the "Rose and Thistle Scale" due to that establishment having the best anywhere.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the Rose and Thistle recently changed its recipe.  While the new fare is good, it's not a 10, so a new benchmark is needed.  If you know of some astoundingly good fish and chips in the Pacific Northwest, please use the comment section to give me a heads up.  If they are good, they could be the namesake for the new scale.

   

The Prawns:

The prawns were the stars of this meal.  They were breaded like the fish, and they were not over fried, like is easy to do with prawns.  The cocktail sauce cold have used a little more horseradish, but that was not too much of a drawback.  They were flavorful, and delicious.  The Impatient Chef gives them a 9.

The Fries:

The fries were lightly breaded, but under fried.  While the outsides were crisp, and remained so through the meal, the insides were a little too mushy.  A little ketchup was necessary once they cooled a little.  They get a rating of 6.  

Overall rating:

The food matches the decor a little too well.  It is not adventurous, or standout.  The best word to describe it is "serviceable".  It will feed the masses, and they will leave happy, but it will not wow anyone.  You would not go wrong stopping by if you are passing through, but it's not worthy of a pilgrimage to bask in its deliciousness.  

Stay tuned for more reviews, and some more recipes.  Much cooking is afoot.  

Thanks for Reading!

--The Impatient Chef
    

The Impatient Chef Clam Chowder (and Fish & Chips) Review: Gracie's Sea Hag in Depoe Bay, Oregon

In this episode, we set out to find New England Clam Chowder in its natural habitat: The Oregon Coast.  

Really, why the Oregon Coast? Why not, say, New England?  

The simple answer is that The Impatient Chef does not have that much rocket fuel, but the best reason is that The Impatient Chef really likes the Oregon Coast.  

You may ask why The Impatient Chef reviews specific foods in a restaurant instead of reviewing the whole restaurant.  First, (why do you ask so many questions?) The Impatient Chef doesn't pretend to be able to deduce the entire menu with a few visits.  Second, and more importantly, The Impatient Chef really likes certain foods, and quests after the finest versions within striking distance of home.  

These foods include:

• The Ruben Sandwich
• New England Clam Chowder
• Fish and Chips
• Sushi 
• Tempura
• Any dish containing shrimp (extra points for also including garlic).  

Which leads us to the main course of this review:

Chowder

(And a few other things)

Gracie's Chowder Rules the Oregon Coast from On High

The Impatient Chef was rudely interrupted in his review of Gracie's Sea Hag by a pandemic.  I'm certain that the details are superfluous, but let's just say here was a 2-year gap in visits that should have been just a few months.  

As readers of this blog already know, I use rating scales based on the best example of the food.  For fish and chips, it’s called the Rose & Thistle Scale, because that establishment (in Portland, Oregon) has the best ones I have ever had.  I felt that it was time create a scale for clam chowder.  After all, most places that serve fish and chips also serve clam chowder.  In getting ready for this quest, I tried a number of clam chowders throughout Oregon, and southern Washington.

Some notable chowders:

• Rogue Public House - Astoria, Oregon 
• The Baldwin Saloon - The Dalles Oregon 
• Tippy Canoe - Troutdale, Oregon (burned down in 2020 (insert sad, droopy emoji))
• The Local Grille - Cannon Beach - Oregon
• Bridge Water Bistro - Astoria, Oregon 

Some not so notable:

• McMenamins Highland Pub - Portland, Oregon 
• The Mesquitery - Hood River, Oregon (great flavor, but it was %$&#! tepid)

The quest took me to Depoe Bay, Oregon, home of the world’s smallest harbor, gray whales, orcas, and most importantly, Gracie’s Sea Hag. 

Gracie's Sea Hag has a reputation for serving excellent seafood with an atmosphere that has changed little since the 1970's.  You will find dark wooden paneling, stained glass, and sea themed photographs on the walls that have gone blue from exposure to light from the windows.

Like its decor, the Sea Hag serves no frills food that also has not changed very much over the years.  There is a nod to current trends like coconut prawns, or La Bouillabaisse, but the core is the traditional fish, and shellfish meals - chowder, deep fried everything, and salmon - that you remember from your childhood.  They do a really good job of it, though.

In the Spring of 2019, my wife and I drove to Depoe Bay, for the specific purpose of reviewing the Sea Hag's chowder, of which, I am happy to say, we were not strangers to.   

The soup comes with oyster crackers, as all must, and with melted butter on top along with a sprinkle of paprika.  The melted butter really is a special touch. You DO NOT eat New England Clam Chowder to lose weight, so stir the butter in, and enjoy it.  The texture is thick and creamy.  The taste has just the right amount of clam flavor.  You can tell that this stuff does not come from a carton or a can.  Soups thickened with a roux have that luxurious mouth feel, as this one does.  You can see other diners occasionally give that look - you know, eyes mostly closed, or rolled up in joy - like tasting a fine chocolate.   It's the real deal.  You could have bought it 50 years ago, and you're likely to be able to buy it 50 years from now.

One of the marks of a successful chowder is not needing to add salt or pepper.  The Sea Hag's chowder does not need anything.  It really hits all of the high notes.  The Impatient Chef highly recommends it, and hereby proclaims that the benchmark for clam chowders in future reviews will be the Sea Hag scale.  

The rest of the meal consisted of Shrimp & Chips, and Fish & Chips.

The shrimp, again, was very good.  The breading was crispy, with very little fryer oil taste, and the shrimp was not overdone.  If I had one complaint, it was that the cocktail sauce needed more horseradish.  

The Impatient Chef had the Fish & Chips.  Note that we got smaller portions on purpose.  Their normal serving is larger.  Like the shrimp, the breading was excellent, and the flavor was good.  The tarter sauce was very good, and not too sweet.

The fries were average.  They started out somewhat crispy, but did not fare well as they cooled.  They did not pass the salt test, which is that the fries are good enough to not require ketchup even as they cool, and the only seasoning necessary is salt.  

All and all, I gave it an 8 on the Rose & Thistle Scale. 

We traveled back to the Sea Hag in May, 2021, and the results were less consistent.  This was a little disappointing.  

We ordered the combination platter.  There was no change in the fries, tarter sauce, or shrimp, but the fish had changed, and not for the better.  The breading was light, and not crisp, and fell off easily.  The fish (cod) tasted very good, but it was let down by the breading.  This was odd, because the breading on the other items, shrimp, oysters, and scallops was very good.  I'm not sure how it happened.  The Fish & Chips part of the platter rated a 6 on the Rose & Thistle Scale.  The oysters were their usual, gamey selves.  The Impatient Chef refers to them as "Mutton of the Sea".  They are an acquired taste as long as you don't think about what you are eating.  The scallops were much cleaner tasting, and rather divine in the cocktail sauce (which could still use a little more horseradish), and the shrimp, well, the shrimp was as always excellent.  

Next, however, was a real treat: Deep Fried Pickles.

 

And these really were a treat. There was crunch on the pickle and crisp on the breading. The pickle was flavorful, tart, but not vinegary. The Ranch dressing not overpowering. The breading was crispy, and with very little oil flavor. The portion was just right. They were the best deep fried pickles I’ve had. If the fish had been given the same treatment, it would have maintained its rating of 8 on the Rose & Thistle Scale.  

If you are within striking distance, give Gracie's a try.  A 6 on the Rose & Thistle Scale is still not bad, but it's the chowder that wins the day.  It's the best on the Oregon Coast.