Save for those brave souls who opened or closed their own restaurant, not many would label 2005 a momentous year for Columbia-Pacific region eateries. Still, enough happened locally to easily fill a Mouth column (and then some). Here’s a far-from-exhaustive glance back at this region’s restaurant scene during the previous 12 months, and some thoughts about what might materialize following the turn of the year.

New arrivals

Want proof that this region’s restaurant scene is thriving? Just consider the number of new eateries. Sporting a name that conjures cool, Cafe Acajou opened in August in a beehive of businesses back of Hemlock Street, Cannon Beach’s main downtown block. The cafe is indicative of a restaurant trend we’ll no doubt see more of: upscale deli-coffeehouse arrangements with full menus and fine wines.

Robert Erickson, a chef who honed his chops in Paris and New York, helped create Granderson’s Tea at the Sea, a tea room housed inside a mainstreet Seaside business that sells a plethora of gift items, along with kitchen and bath necessities and accessories. Also in Seaside, rumor became reality when Goose Hollow at the Cove began purveying the same blend of food, drink and conviviality that have made Portland’s Goose Hollow Inn a favored neighborhood hangout.

Guess we can’t get enough Tex-Mex, ’cause El Mariachi Loco opened in a U.S. 101 Gearhart shopping strip. Up the road in Warrenton, Mulan began serving Chinese fare in a setting that has seen numerous other eateries. Around the block, Ginger’s Diner demonstrated that simply made inexpensive comfort food will continue to draw diners.

Fish ‘n chips and clam chowder are staples at McNel’s English Pub, a welcome respite in Ilwaco, Wash. A ways north on the Long Beach Peninsula, Grey Parrot Brewing Company began enticing the craft-beer crowd with Black Stout, Red Scotch and other ales. Nearby Brooks Bar-B-Que House pleases with “West Coast-style” spareribs, chicken, ultra-tender brisket and other alder-smoked delights.

Vino Manzanita, a bold and stylish sipping stop outfitted with a massive fir-beam bar, cool sounds and multiple mirrors, joined the up-and-coming wine bar scene. Even though it opened in late December 2004, Currents felt like an ’05 arrival and proved that a fine-dining establishment can exist in Nehalem.

Astoria continues as the Northwest coast’s restaurant epicenter. Newcomers to an already crowded and competitive scene include Silver Salmon Cellars, a wine bar offering a full menu plus house-label wines crafted by Washington’s well-regarded Maryhill Winery. Down in the Hotel Elliott’s basement, The Vintner’s Room began selling sips of vino, fruit-and-cheese boards and premium cigars, the latter enjoyed in the adjacent and well-ventilated Havana Room. Fish mongers and pizzerias proliferate in these parts; yet Uniontown Fish Market at Astoria’s west end and Trolley Stop Pizza, situated inside the Pier 11 complex, both began welcoming customers in ’05.

Topsy turvy

Located just a short cast from Warrenton’s harbor, Kim’s Kitchen was a long-standing Korean restaurant with a loyal following, thanks to the culinary talent and gracious demeanor of owner Kim Furhman. When Kim’s closed (Furhman claimed she needed a break), the Blowfish Cafe set up shop and seemingly prospered with a fresh-seafood format. Then, inexplicably, the Blowfish shut down. Kim’s Kitchen, with the irrepressible Furhman once again at the helm, was back in business.

Mucho bucks went into Clark’s, a former lumberyard and builders’ supply store turned tavern and restaurant on Cannon Beach’s north side. Even in-the-know locals were caught off guard when Clark’s closed, to be replaced by The Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill, a family oriented restaurant that offers a diverse menu (kids and adults alike crave the Fallen Chocolate souffle and the fruit tart a la mode), yet retains Clark’s lively bar scene.

A bastion of red-sauce Italiano, Nina’s Italian Restaurant & Lounge made the move from Wheeler north to a stretch of U.S. 101 between Nehalem and Manzanita. The menu is pretty much unchanged, and the strombolli remains top-drawer.

Shut and gone

A couple of shockers were among the restaurant carnage that occurred during the past 12 months. John Nelson appeared an ideal fit for Kalypso, his dinner house on the corner of Holladay and Broadway that anchored Seaside’s revitalized Gilbert District. But Nelson yearned for a more casual format, and Terrible Tilly’s was born – equal parts pub, nightclub and restaurant. A couple weeks ago, Nelson pulled the plug on his short-lived watering hole and Terrible Tilly’s is no more.

Without reservation, ultra-hip. low-slung Blue Sky Cafe was one of this region’s premier eateries. Enter Blue Sky Restaurant, featuring an imaginative, daily-changing menu and a bevy of hip and well-informed servers. Meals could be spectacular, although some diners reported otherwise. All to no avail apparently; the Blue Sky closed late last summer.

Also kaput is Paniolo Hawaiian Barbecue, a fast-food mainstay for Astoria’s downtown business personnel. Other noteworthy street food could be had at Tacos y Tiki Juice, Angela Coscia’s Astoria taco bar that may make a comeback.

Ear to the ground

New restaurant aficionados should know that 2006 will be an eye-opening year. The crew at the Shoalwater Restaurant in Seaview, Wash., will be entering the Astoria market with a double-decker eatery and pub in the “Red Building,” a former net shed just south and east of the Cannery Pier Hotel. In downtown Astoria, look for Drina Daisy, a Bosnian restaurant that will serve “Euro-Mediterranean” cuisine. Perhaps in the spring, expect Rogue Ales, headquartered in Newport, to open a pub in the 39th Street Pier complex. So too, warm weather will signal the return of Bowpicker’s Fish ‘n Chips, prepared in a small fryer in the cabin of a retired (and grounded) Columbia River gillnet boat. In south Clatsop County, award-winning chef (at the Stephanie Inn) John Newman will go solo in the former Pulicci’s setup in midtown Cannon Beach.

Bakeries aren’t in short supply around here. Not so for crusty artisan breads. Astoria’s Bread Collective crafts an array of the latter in the ovens at the former Home Spirit Bakery Cafe. A group of four entrepreneurs, the collective soon will open its own storefront in Astoria’s historic Fort George building, presently undergoing renovation.