Shelley Taylor
Mariner Cafe makes a fine place to anchor
Published on Sat, Oct 10, 2009 by Shelley TaylorRead More Taylor
This was the first time Greg and I ventured into The Mariner Cafe. It's no surprise the decor is decidedly nautical.
Once upon a time, there was a wooden peg-legged sailor who'd greet patrons. His image still is on the menu.
When the restaurant opened around 1997 or 1998, it started as a fish and chips joint. Over the years, the owners have changed and the menu has expanded, adding breakfasts and full dinners.
Marie has been there almost from the very beginning and she helped fill me in on restaurant history and menu.
The restaurant is half booths and half tables, which fill up a big room. The booths are comfortable. And there's a banquet room that easily seats 50 and has hosted many a business meeting.
A big mural and a big photo are the first things you see when you enter. The mural of a ship in a storm was created by a local artist. The wall-sized photo is of a famous French lighthouse that's about to be swallowed up by crashing white foam waves.
That guy in the lighthouse doorway is the epitome of "perhaps I shoulda skipped work this morning." Just the kind of extreme danger that gets you ready for a good meal.
When we came in just before Christmas, Santa made an unexpected visit. It must've been Santa. He had an honest-to-goodness white beard and a classy red suit and he visited every table and gave a candy cane to all the good girls.
All the girls were good. Evidently the men weren't so good - all their candy canes were broken in two.
Once Santa left, we went back to our lunch.
Greg had their hot corned beef sandwich, which arrived on grilled rye bread with melted Swiss cheese. At my request, he went with onion rings - which are only an extra $1.25. But his small salad with blue cheese dressing now became a separate order.
I had a healthier version of a hamburger: grilled skinless chicken breast on a bun.
This is a very large and varied menu. There is everything you would expect to find in a coffee shop and most orders come with choices of soup or salad, potatoes and bread depending on whether it comes from the lunch or dinner menu. In addition to homemade soups and sauces, their seafood is fresh and they roast their own turkey and beef.
The cook enjoys coming up with something different so you can look forward to specials like chili bean soup and original creations like Reuben soup with corned beef. Sounds unusual - but Marie said it's really good.
With our lunch we ordered the homemade Mexican meatball soup, served good and hot and filled with big chunks of celery and sweet carrots. A good sweet carrot can "make" a soup, if you know what I mean.
Other sandwiches of note are their Farmer's Dip, with a full half-pound of ground sirloin, a breaded fish sandwich, an oyster sandwich filled with fresh deep-fried oysters and homemade tarter sauce, and the Mariner Sandwich with sliced and grilled roast beef, Swiss cheese and Ortega chili.
Good 'n thirsty? Try a nice cold beer to wash down your sandwich. They also serve wine.
True to its original idea, the Mariner serves fish and chips - lightly breaded and made with deep-fried true cod, in large, medium and small versions. Or try halibut and chips.
Both come with potatoes, coleslaw and garlic bread. Their fat steak fries are your "chips."
Their ale-battered Red Hook shrimp is a great choice for a big group - or a big appetite. And you can order it by the case (24 pack) for $17.99.
Continuing with the Mariner theme, there's oyster stew with fresh Quilcene oysters poached in their own broth, and chowder lover clam chowder.
You'll find lots of variety in their seafood dinners including popcorn shrimp - breaded and deep fried to a golden brown - make-your-own combinations and the Mariner scatter of the "ocean's best catch."
Four beautiful words: All You Can Eat!
Wednesdays are All You Can Eat oysters and Fridays are All You Can Eat fish and chips. Just get there between 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
And every Friday they serve prime rib for dinner. And it's affordable.
If you want to start out with appetizers or just nosh with a cold glass of beer, try the Mariner Blend - a combo of their appetizers, jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks or chicken quesadilla rolls, plus onion rings.
We split an apple pecan upside-down pie for dessert. Marie told me she makes sure this one is always on the menu. If you want to browse before you buy, their refrigerated dessert case is in the back. They also have hand-dipped milk shakes and malts.
THE MARINER CAFE
707 E. Washington St.
683-1055
7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
$
Shelley Taylor and her husband relocated to the peninsula from California and are active in property tax reform issues. By her own admission, Taylor likes to eat.
Once upon a time, there was a wooden peg-legged sailor who'd greet patrons. His image still is on the menu.
When the restaurant opened around 1997 or 1998, it started as a fish and chips joint. Over the years, the owners have changed and the menu has expanded, adding breakfasts and full dinners.
Marie has been there almost from the very beginning and she helped fill me in on restaurant history and menu.
The restaurant is half booths and half tables, which fill up a big room. The booths are comfortable. And there's a banquet room that easily seats 50 and has hosted many a business meeting.
A big mural and a big photo are the first things you see when you enter. The mural of a ship in a storm was created by a local artist. The wall-sized photo is of a famous French lighthouse that's about to be swallowed up by crashing white foam waves.
That guy in the lighthouse doorway is the epitome of "perhaps I shoulda skipped work this morning." Just the kind of extreme danger that gets you ready for a good meal.
When we came in just before Christmas, Santa made an unexpected visit. It must've been Santa. He had an honest-to-goodness white beard and a classy red suit and he visited every table and gave a candy cane to all the good girls.
All the girls were good. Evidently the men weren't so good - all their candy canes were broken in two.
Once Santa left, we went back to our lunch.
Greg had their hot corned beef sandwich, which arrived on grilled rye bread with melted Swiss cheese. At my request, he went with onion rings - which are only an extra $1.25. But his small salad with blue cheese dressing now became a separate order.
I had a healthier version of a hamburger: grilled skinless chicken breast on a bun.
This is a very large and varied menu. There is everything you would expect to find in a coffee shop and most orders come with choices of soup or salad, potatoes and bread depending on whether it comes from the lunch or dinner menu. In addition to homemade soups and sauces, their seafood is fresh and they roast their own turkey and beef.
The cook enjoys coming up with something different so you can look forward to specials like chili bean soup and original creations like Reuben soup with corned beef. Sounds unusual - but Marie said it's really good.
With our lunch we ordered the homemade Mexican meatball soup, served good and hot and filled with big chunks of celery and sweet carrots. A good sweet carrot can "make" a soup, if you know what I mean.
Other sandwiches of note are their Farmer's Dip, with a full half-pound of ground sirloin, a breaded fish sandwich, an oyster sandwich filled with fresh deep-fried oysters and homemade tarter sauce, and the Mariner Sandwich with sliced and grilled roast beef, Swiss cheese and Ortega chili.
Good 'n thirsty? Try a nice cold beer to wash down your sandwich. They also serve wine.
True to its original idea, the Mariner serves fish and chips - lightly breaded and made with deep-fried true cod, in large, medium and small versions. Or try halibut and chips.
Both come with potatoes, coleslaw and garlic bread. Their fat steak fries are your "chips."
Their ale-battered Red Hook shrimp is a great choice for a big group - or a big appetite. And you can order it by the case (24 pack) for $17.99.
Continuing with the Mariner theme, there's oyster stew with fresh Quilcene oysters poached in their own broth, and chowder lover clam chowder.
You'll find lots of variety in their seafood dinners including popcorn shrimp - breaded and deep fried to a golden brown - make-your-own combinations and the Mariner scatter of the "ocean's best catch."
Four beautiful words: All You Can Eat!
Wednesdays are All You Can Eat oysters and Fridays are All You Can Eat fish and chips. Just get there between 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
And every Friday they serve prime rib for dinner. And it's affordable.
If you want to start out with appetizers or just nosh with a cold glass of beer, try the Mariner Blend - a combo of their appetizers, jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks or chicken quesadilla rolls, plus onion rings.
We split an apple pecan upside-down pie for dessert. Marie told me she makes sure this one is always on the menu. If you want to browse before you buy, their refrigerated dessert case is in the back. They also have hand-dipped milk shakes and malts.
THE MARINER CAFE
707 E. Washington St.
683-1055
7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
$
Shelley Taylor and her husband relocated to the peninsula from California and are active in property tax reform issues. By her own admission, Taylor likes to eat.
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