NEHALEM – Three Tillamook County sister cities – Manzanita, Nehalem and Wheeler – are only a couple miles equidistant but a study in contrasts.

Snuggled up against the Pacific, Manzanita is home to upscale second-home owners and a growing population of well-to-do retirees.

Wheeler, meanwhile, graces the Nehalem Bay shoreline and attracts as many fisher folk as stop-and-see tourists, although there’s an increasingly hip vibe in the air. Smack dab in the middle is Nehalem, a river community characterized by a row of nicely refurbished wooden structures fronting the highway.

All three cities showcase differing geographical attributes: Manzanita features the ocean and nearby Neahkahnie Mountain; Wheeler the pristine waters of Nehalem Bay; and Nehalem its meandering namesake river, which broadens into an estuary just south of town.

Commercial attractions likewise are disparate. Manzanita boasts a blend of necessity businesses and boutiques, the county’s best bakery, posh lodgings and an array of restaurants. Specialty retailers, including a kayak concession, a coffeehouse and a couple restaurants, distinguish Wheeler. Although Nehalem is home to a few galleries, the town feels more homespun, what with the old-fashioned grocery store and a tavern that isn’t nearly as rough ‘n tumble as it used to be.

True, well-regarded breakfast and lunch stop Wanda’s hugs the hillside on Nehalem’s north end; yet the town hasn’t been known for its restaurants. A single downtown dinner house that has weathered numerous owners has enjoyed limited kudos. That’s changing.

Jake Burden and David and Raquel Schalck opened Currents late last December in the main street building that formerly housed Nehalem Dock Restaurant. Their eatery has proved an unexpected Christmas present to the community, because instead of sticking with a coastal comfort food formula, they’ve opted to purvey imaginative and beautifully presented seasonal cuisine.

Beginning with salad. Now that escarole, radicchio and even dandelions, along with candied walnuts, unusual cheeses and other garnishes have become widespread, it’s getting harder to find an uncommon plate of greens. A home boy who grew up in Wheeler, Burden hints at what Currents is about with his strawberry-avocado salad. The unlikely fruit duo is tossed with toasted pine nuts and julienned, slightly bitter Belgian endive, then the mix is drizzled with a raspberry-balsamic dressing. All at once this colorful creation is sweet, tart, mushy-soft and crunchy and affords forkfuls of flavor.

Ditto for Dungeness crab cakes (the ones we sampled were more like crab fritters), golden nugget-like beauties juxtaposed against a dipping sauce crafted with pink grapefruit and Japanese cooking wine. Sure, that sounds like an unorthodox blend; yet the crustacean’s sweet tanginess is enhanced by the ever-so-slight pucker of grapefruit. We sopped up the remaining syrupy sauce with slices of the house sourdough.

Certainly Burden offers mainstream fare such as grilled pork chops, braised beef short ribs and lasagna. Yet his dishes feature a different spin on the tried and true. Roasted sweet potatoes and apple-riesling sauce accompany the pork chop, for example, while polenta fashioned with goat cheese comes with the ribs. And disregard what you thought lasagna should be, except that it’s about layering. In lieu of a meat and cheese arrangement, Burden subs sliced taters, portabello mushrooms, whole-leaf spinach and more traditional ricotta in between his noodles, all to good effect.

Note that there’s less emphasis here on seafood, which seems to be a mini-trend among a hip selection of newer Northwest eateries. Line-caught and locally harvested ling cod is on the menu, but Burden says he doesn’t feature coastal mainstays salmon or halibut unless he can procure them fresh.

For a quintessential seasonal entree, Burden’s game hen, plump with fennel, wild mushrooms, chestnuts and bite-size rounds of merguez sausage, will take the chill off any winter evening. The sausage, by the way, isn’t spicy and doesn’t overpower the delicately gamey flavor of the hen. An overflow of stuffing and braised cabbage rings the bird, which might not be crispy enough for some tastes but is tender to the bone.

Valentine’s weekend, Burden offered an array of finger treats – custard tarts, chocolate truffles and oversized strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate, all ideal for cuddling couples who enjoy sharing. It may prove tougher to go Dutch with the blackberry layer cake or a devastatingly rich double-chocolate fudge brownie.

Currents’ location is prime, overlooking the usually placid river and the rugged Coast Range mountains beyond. Instead of over-gussying the interior, Burden and the Schalcks, who hail from Portland, have chosen to retain much of the rustic riverfront atmosphere. Uptown touches include fresh flowers, white tablecloths and attractive art. Servers can be a mite chummy – “Hi, my name is Jack and I’ll be your waiter tonight” is as passe as overcooked veggies. But they’re otherwise professional and know the menu. When the restaurant’s packed with a lively crowd, as it often is, the low ceilings, closely spaced tables and proximity of the bar lend an energetic vibe akin to a century-old river steamer ferrying partying passengers as far upriver as the tides will allow. And once the weather turns warm, an open-air deck perched above the Nehalem will afford diners a top-tier alfresco setting.

Currents won’t change Nehalem’s identity; no need to, travelers already know it as a quaint stop halfway between Manzanita and Wheeler. But in two short months, the restaurant has enhanced this river town’s reputation – by anybody’s standards, Nehalem is now a fine-dining destination.

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Currents

Three stars (out of four)

35815 U.S. Highway 101 N., Nehalem

(503) 368-5557

Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Prices: Expensive. Most dinner entrees cost more than $20. Dinner for two, including wine, dessert and tip, could approach $100.

Superior selections: Strawberry and avocado salad, Dungeness crab cakes, oven-baked game hen, roasted portabello-potato lasagna, double-chocolate fudge brownie.

Atmosphere: Low ceilings, closely packed tables and a lively crowd lend the feel of a comfy, but not overly posh, river steamer.

Service: Chummy, but knowledgeable and efficient.

Kid-friendly: Dining outside on the deck in the summer, perhaps; otherwise this restaurant caters to adults.

Vegetarian options: Currently, one dinner entree (roasted portabello-potato lasagna).

Alcohol: Full bar and a small wine list with a few pours by the glass.

Access: The entrance and restrooms (with some maneuvering) are accessible to those in wheelchairs.

Credit cards: Mastercard, Visa.

Personal checks: OK.

Reservations: Recommended for dinner.

Smoking: Not permitted.