Are you experienced?

Inquiring readers such as Sally want to know about my past. “I have read your comments of restaurants since day one,” she wrote in a letter. “Do you have restaurant experience? If not, stop writing your comments and go to work at some restaurant. Then you will be a true expert.”

Reply: Yes, I do have restaurant experience. I apprenticed at Aggie’s Casino Pier Pizza Parlor in Seaside Heights, N.J., prior to moving to the West Coast. Our crew made dough and sauce from scratch and hand-tossed all our pizzas. And that’s not all. Aggie’s, named after the wife of the local police chef, was a full-fledged restaurant (I don’t know if the place still is in business) that served breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s there that I learned to grill copious quantities of sausage and peppers, craft enormous pans of lasagna, flip an egg “over easy” – spatulas were taboo at Aggie’s – and stuff a meatball hero (yes, we fashioned our own meatballs) so the sandwich appeared plumper than it really was.

And busy? You think Seaside gets crowded in the summer? For a take on the Jersey Shore, think Hood to Coast weekend daily from Memorial Day through the beginning of September.

After moving west, I helped out for a short while as a prep cook in a large San Diego-area chain restaurant. Back in the Northwest, I served as the bartender-lounge manager at a now-defunct coastal eatery.

Not exactly bagelmania

Bagels seem to be showing up frequently in Astoria, a town that hasn’t enjoyed many chances to sample these dense and chewy doughnut-shaped rolls. Savvy snackers are relishing a trio of new bagel purveyors.

“I’ve had mass quantities of Boggs’ bagels,” said Mark, a downtowner appreciative of the bagels shaped, boiled and baked by Ian Boggs at the Wombat Moon Cafe (1008 Commercial St., Astoria; (503) 338-4490). “It’s about time we had access to East Coast-style bagels. Way to go, Mr. Boggs!”

Reply: I agree, the 20-something Boggs is a natural. New kids on the bagel block include Bagels & Biscotti (119 11th St., Astoria; (503) 338-7384), featuring Ben’s Blest bagels from Knappa, and Astoria’s just-opened Safeway (3250 Lief Erickson Drive, Astoria; (503) 338-2960).

One big mouth

Bill and Madonna Pitman, past owners of Astoria’s Pier 11 Feedstore Restaurant (77 11th St., Astoria; (503) 325-0279), took umbrage with my review of their former establishment (Coast Weekend, Jan. 29). “The Mouth’s tirade is so flawed we doubt this paper would print all the corrections that we could make so we will just go over a few,” the Pitmans said in a letter.

Those “corrections” concerned my comments, among others, that the original building owners were not involved with the restaurant; that the Pitmans were insulated by past successes and resistant to change; that desserts at the Pier weren’t as appetizing as grandma used to make; and that many out-of-town diners turn up their noses at deep-fried seafood.

Concerning my own turned-up nose, the Pitmans added: “Let’s just remember that this nose is located just above one big mouth.”

Reply: I spoke with Pier 11’s present owners, and they confirmed my comments about not being involved with the restaurant until they purchased Pier 11 outright almost 10 months ago.

A glaring omission

We agree with many of your observations on area eateries,” said Robert and Florence via e-mail. “EXCEPT! How could you have overlooked Lisa Allen of Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe (601 Pacific Way, Gearhart; (503) 738-0245) for your Munchie Awards (Coast Weekend, Jan. 8)? Lisa’s baked goods are incomparable. They are well worth getting up for. Get out of bed and get yourself over there. Lisa is co-owner of Pacific Way Restaurant, as well. She does much of the cooking, menu planning and much of the rest of what goes into a good restaurant. She certainly merits your consideration for an award. Overlooking her was an egregious omission.”

Reply: Agreed, Lisa Allen deserved to be included in my roundup of talented female chefs who received Munchie awards. I regret the omission.

One who finds fault

“Usually I just sit back and read your reviews and agree or disagree with your opinion. However, after the last few go-arounds about negative comments about local restaurants and your having to justify your editorials, etc., I have to voice my opinion,” e-mailed John Sowa, chef and co-owner (with his wife Deborah Anderson) of Lil’ Bayou in Seaside.

“Last time I checked,” Sowa continued, “the term ‘critic’ meant ‘one who forms and expresses judgments.’ There are numerous times where I know you are more than fair in your reviews. So on a maddening Saturday night when our server cannot give you his or her undivided attention all night, and you don’t think ours is the best Margarita, or the food takes longer to get there than you would like, please remember … we’re working as fast as we can, we really are trying to make your visit memorable, and we do care about you as our guest.”

Reply: Thanks, John. I needed that.

Oldies but goodies

Tony Kischner, co-owner of The Shoalwater Restaurant with his wife Ann, e-mailed a thank you for a “Mouth” column devoted to the restaurant’s recent Woodward Canyon (Wash.) winemaker’s dinner (Coast Weekend, April 1). “We appreciate the ink and can sure use it (the story) as a reminder that us old-timers are still around and doing good things.”

Reply: Indeed, the Kischners have been operating The Shoalwater for more than two decades. During that period, they have titillated palates and, in the process, trained a cadre of chefs, many of whom have become culinary celebrities elsewhere. Amid the rush of new restaurants throughout the Columbia-Pacific region, we shouldn’t forget that some of the veteran eateries are better than ever.

Contact the Mouth at The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 or phone (503) 325-3211 or e-mail mouth@dailyastorian.com