Shelley Taylor

Our group of friends, aka “The Usual Suspects,” was hungry.

 

I had been wanting to give Sequim’s Fresh Seafood & Smokehouse a try, so we opted to have someone else do the cooking and met for dinner on a recent Tuesday evening.

 

Sequim’s Fresh Seafood & Smokehouse is located in the Safeway center in the space once occupied by Arby’s. (Sadly, with this economy, too many of the restaurants I have reviewed are no more.)

Upon returning to the U.S. of A., Ralph Lovely, a missionary from Cameroon, ended up jumping into the restaurant business with all fours. He began looking for a location last April and opened for business on July 16.

 

Restaurateuring, especially these days, is a 24/7 high-risk business. You gotta applaud someone who is willing to take on such risk.

 

You could say he took a leap of faith.

 

As Anna told the King of Siam, “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.”

 

Understandably, there’s a learning curve involved and soon Sequim’s Fresh Seafood & Smokehouse will be going through some changes to better serve its clientele.

 

In an effort to rebrand and make it easier for patrons to remember them, the name will change to Pisces Fish House, putting more focus on seafood.

 

Manager Roxie heads the team helping to make the transition, much to the appreciation and praise of Mr. Lovely. Ralph credits Roxie with taking on a difficult task and steering things in a better direction.

 

According to Ralph, “Restaurants are built on employees.” In addition to his manager, “I have a couple of the best chefs on the peninsula.”

 

Chef Jerry Dillon is from the Cordon Bleu School and Chef Gary Borneman practiced his skills at the Hotel Perth in Manheim, Germany. Pretty fancy credentials.

 

For now, the interior is modest, allowing for focus on the menu. A thank you to our waiter, Keegan, who was especially helpful when it came to making choices. Keegan proudly announced all menu items are made fresh on the premises using local Angus beef and local farmers’ products, with a heavy helping from Nash’s Organic Produce.

 

Famished is a good excuse to enjoy appetizers, so “for the table” we ordered Coconut Curry Prawns with mai-poi sauce (similar to a red chili sauce) topped with rice noodles ($11). What the heck, we also ordered their Signature Crab Cakes with house made remoulade ($9). All pronounced excellent by the Usual Suspects, with a special nod to the sauce for the prawns.

 

In addition to pleasing the palate, the presentation was a delight for the eye.

 

The order

Mariettta, Denny and I ordered the House Burger ($10), a ⅓-pound Angus beef on a “pretzel bun” (made with pretzel dough and large enough to hold your burger) with fries or salad. Fixin’s were fresh. We all got the fries … mmmmm good fries! I also ordered a Seasonal Greens salad ($4.95) with Caesar dressing. (I find I’m always trying to recreate the past … remember Bob’s Big Boy Combo Plate: burger, fries and salad?)

 

Greg ordered the Crab Stuffed Chicken (free-range chicken stuffed with fresh crab, oven-roasted, topped with house-made remoulade, scalloped potatoes and seasonal veggies ($17.95). There was nothing left on the plate when he was done.

 

Becky ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo, loved the salad and said the ranch dressing was very fresh and very good. I can always count on Becky to eat like a bird. Well, me too, only mine’s the vulture; so I got to take home the leftovers and scored another meal I didn’t have to cook!

 

Marine and Len both ordered one of the evening’s specials, Ahi Tuna Steak with Sesame Miso Glaze ($15.95), a seared yellow fin tuna with blackened sesame spice served with wakame seaweed salad, seasonal veggies and rice. Again, the presentation was worthy of remark and the place was batting a thousand with this sauce, too.

 

The restaurant offers a select group of ales and wines on the Captains List including the likes of Total Domination IPA, the Immortal IPA, and Fish Tail Winter Ale ($4.50). They also offer wines by the glass ($4-9) and bottle ($22-34) including wines by Barnard & Griffin, Stratum New Zealand, Back House and Marietta Old Vine. (Marietta, I am positive this was named before you ever walked through the doors!)

Wine lovers take note: In March there are plans to serve a “Winemaker Dinner” featuring wines from Camaraderie Cellars.

 

Unfortunately, we were all too satisfied to try dessert but for the record they offer Creme Bruleé and Kahlua Chocolate Mousse. Coming soon is a Chocolate Truffle Cake and more choices in the fruits and chocolate department. That will be occasion for another visit.

 

As the Usual Suspects, famished no more, headed out the door, I’m pretty sure I heard Claude Rains murmur, “I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

 

Shelley Taylor and her husband relocated to the peninsula from California. By her own admission, Taylor likes to eat.