MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA: Gower St. Bistro combines comfort and creativity
Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, October 27, 2004
CANNON BEACH – Imagine a restaurant that lists grilled polenta cakes, an apricot-stuffed pork chop and wild mushroom and leek quiche on the same menu alongside macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and a bucket of peel-and-eat shrimp.
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Sounds like some hybrid eatery, a culinary cross between chi-chi and comforting, two styles that usually coexist about as well as salmon and ketchup.
But if you’re willing to venture beyond the McDonalds-like predictability of many area restaurants, you may appreciate what’s going on at Gower St. Bistro, a three-month-old establishment that exudes a heady dose of continental flair and has all of the above on its menu, minus the salmon and ketchup.
In a break from coastal tradition, the sole seafood dish Gower St. offers is a starter plate of pan-seared Dungeness crab cakes. That’s because this midtown restaurant adjoined to the Cannon Beach Hotel bills itself as a European charcuterie, the latter a French term that refers to both the cooking of meats, particularly pork specialties such as pates, and the delicatessen-style shop where the meats are made and sold.
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Certainly part of the restaurant resembles a deli, what with its stash of meats and cheeses, everything from lamb sausage to truffled chevre. Nearby is a dessert case and a beverage bar, where a barista hawks coffee drinks, wines by the glass and 37 kinds of cocktails. It’s not unusual to take a seat at one of the eight butcher-paper-covered tables while patrons amble up to the counter for slices of soppressata or Italian salami, a hunk of Rogue River blue cheese and a wedge of German chocolate cake to go.
As a sit-down eatery, the Gower St. is about as close to a bistro as you might find in these parts, a worthy successor to the touted JP’s, the restaurant that formerly occupied this location and has since moved to downtown Cannon Beach. Fancy French descriptions aside, the wood and tile floor, the pressed-tin ceiling, black and tan wicker chairs and an open kitchen all lend a casual and agreeable feel. And what could be more unceremonious than mixing and matching starters such as pommes frites (fried potatoes), a sausage plate and Brie en croute, the renowned cream-colored and buttery-soft French cheese baked in puff pastry and here paired with apples and almonds?
Our favorites, chosen fortuitously, were the trio of meaty sausages (highlighted by a spicy Italian link) and the thin pommes frites, served with lemon aioli for dipping. Other notable plates worth sharing include an array of cheeses (and fruits) well beyond Tillamook cheddar and an assortment of house-made and imported meats enhanced with olives and pickled veggies.
Still, the real meat of this restaurant is its selection of entrees. Spit-roasted free-range fowl stuffed with a melange of herbs and multiple cloves of garlic is a supreme chicken choice, although the cream sauce gracing a boneless breast is equally splendid. And a pork chop engorged with Gala apples and dried apricots extends the parameters of what a pork chop might be. Substantial slabs of signature meatloaf shaped with ground Painted Hills (Ore.) beef tickle the palate on the faint side of spicy, even with the mushroom gravy. Accompanying white-cheddar mashed taters are superb.
Breakfasts are fine, too, especially the Grand Marnier French toast and eggs scrambled with apple-smoked pancetta, asparagus, fresh mozzarella and other fabulous fixings. Quiches follow suit, filled with applewood smoked bacon, caramelized Walla Walla onions and the like and ringed by a puff-pastry crust. Lunch centers around a hodgepodge of panini and sandwiches. Our pick: creamy horseradish egg salad on brioche.
Morning pastries are from Harrison’s Bakery in Seaside, while breads (bought as shaped loaves and baked on premises) and desserts are sourced elsewhere. A sizable slice of German chocolate cake was dark and dense, almost bittersweet and came garnished with shavings of dark chocolate shaped like a rose. Still, it had been sitting in the dessert case perhaps a day too long. And surely the barista should switch from bagged to loose tea.
Buying into this charcuterie concept isn’t cheap: Two could easily exceed $50 for dinner, more with a bottle of vino. And the wines are well worth perusing. The moderate-sized list includes choices from around the world at fair prices, approximately twice retail. Two that caught my attention, both from Oregon: a 2001 Adelsheim pinot noir ($29) and an Abacela malbec ($28). By-the-glass prices range from $4 to $10. Or bring your own; the corkage fee is $10.
What’s truly extraordinary about Gower St. is the feeling that dining here is an experience not available anywhere else in the Columbia-Pacific region. Sure, this restaurant-deli combo is still finding its legs, as a dining companion commented, but the place exudes ambition. Plus, there’s no doubt the kitchen can accommodate diverse appetites.
Anybody for chicken Marbella and mac ‘n cheese?
Contact the Mouth at The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103, phone (503) 325-3211 or e-mail mouth@dailyastorian.com
Gower St. Bistro
Two and a half stars (out of four)
1116 S. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach
(503) 436-2729
www.gowerstreetbistro.com
Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Moderate to expensive. Expect to pay $25 or more for breakfast or lunch for two and $50 or more for dinner.
Superior selections: Trio of sausages, pommes frites, garlic-roasted chicken, Cuban roasted pork panini, pancetta, cheese and tomato scramble, Grand Marnier French toast, Walla Walla onion and Rogue River blue cheese quiche.
Atmosphere: Lively, clean and bright and exuding a heady dose of continental flair.
Service: Knowledgeable and responsive.
Kid-friendly: Depends on what your children like. But the place isn’t geared for younger appetites.
Vegetarian options: An array of starters and salads, wild mushroom and leek quiche, grilled polenta cake with wild mushroom ragout.
Alcohol: An extensive wine list, bottled beer and a selection of cocktails.
Access: The entrance and restrooms (located in the adjacent hotel) are accessible to people in wheelchairs.
Credit cards: All major cards accepted.
Personal checks: OK.
Reservations: None accepted.
Smoking: Not permitted.