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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 2015)
THE BOWPICKER A A half-order (three piec- es) is $8, and a whole order (fi ve pieces) is $10. As a value proposition it’s a no-brainer; get the whole order. With tuna just off the coast, now’s the best time of year for Bowpicker’s fi sh and chips As it was awarded “Best Fish and Chips” in Coast Weekend’s 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards, you’re likely well aware of the Bow- picker. But here’s something you might not know: There’s no better time of year to eat there than right now. According to the jovial staff, the albacore tuna that the Bowpicker fries up is caught nearest to Astoria at the end of June and into early July. In that short span, tuna can be ¿VKHG DV FORVH DV HLJKW PLOHV RXW $W RWKHU times of the year that distance stretches into the hundreds.) :KHWKHU WKDW SUR[LPLW\ PDNHV D VLJQL¿ cant difference in taste remains to be seen. And, just to be clear: All of Bowpicker’s WXQD LV ÀDVKIUR]HQ RQ WKH ERDW RQ LWV ZD\ to market. The staff noted that nearly all ¿VKFRPHVWKDWZD\DQGSURXGO\DGGHGWKDW %RZSLFNHU¶VLVQHYHUUHIUR]HQ$Q\ZD\IRU the next few weeks, the sourcing will be hy- per-local. Now, if Bowpicker is new to you — as it was to me — a little background: Located on Duane Street, overlooking the river and the Maritime Museum, the Bow- picker is essentially a food cart. Well, a food boat — one that, according to the paperwork SRVWHGRQWKHKXOOLVVWLOODFHUWL¿HG¿VKLQJ vessel. But let’s not get it twisted: This bow- SLFNHU²QDPHGIRUDYLQWDJH¿VKLQJYHVVHO ZKHUHWKHJLOOQHWWHG¿VKZHUHOLIWHGLQRYHU the bow — remains largely land-locked. Re- ¿WWHGZLWKIU\HUVVLQNVDQGVRRQLW¶VKHUH to cook rather than catch. $QG ZKDW LW FRRNV LV VLPSOH ¿VK DQG chips. That’s it. Bowpicker does one thing DQGGRHVLWZHOO$KDOIRUGHUWKUHHSLHFHV LVDQGDZKROHRUGHU¿YHSLHFHVLV As a value proposition it’s a no-brainer; get the whole order. 7KH ¿YH SLHFHV RI WXQD ZHUH UHODWLYHO\ XQLIRUPDERXWWKHVL]HRIDFUHGLWFDUGDQG thick. The beer battered crust was crunchy, substantial and excellent. It wasn’t oily, it didn’t fall off and it didn’t get soggy. The tuna inside was perfectly cooked, though LWVÀDYRUZDVPRUHIDPLOLDUWKDQVRPHWKLQJ WRÀLSIRU6HUYHGVWHDPLQJKRWWKHZDUPWK VDWLV¿HG ² D OLWWOH H[WUD LQVXODWLRQ DJDLQVW WKHKHDY\EUHH]HVKRXOG\RXFKRRVHWRHDWDW the few nearby picnic tables. The sauces, however — ketchup and tar- tar — left much to be desired. Both came 12 | June 25, 2015 | coastweekend.com from a bottle, and not necessarily a fancy one. Really, they were about as generic as it gets, with more preservatives than season- ing. The Bowpicker also offered an array of hot sauces, malt vinegar and so on, but again: nothing special or extraordinary. It’s too bad, because the exquisitely cooked tuna um. Same goes for Bowpicker: Some home- GHVHUYHVEHWWHUWKDQWREHVODWKHUHGLQ+HLQ] made, thoughtful or exotic dipping sauces RUZKDWHYHULWLV7KLQNDERXWLW,I\RX¶YH would go a long way. JRWD)HUUDUL\RXZDQWWR¿OOLWZLWKSUHPL The fries, which seemed to come from WKH IUHH]HU DLVOH VXIIHUHG D VLPLODU IDWH There’s just nothing special about them, nor were there enough. Indeed, it’s not hard to imagine a starving worker left wanting after ¿QLVKLQJDIXOORUGHU But working class lunches don’t seem to butter Bowpicker’s bread. Really, it’s hard to see how they could, as the almost ev- er-present line can snake on in upwards of DQ KRXU , ZDV UHODWLYHO\ IRUWXQDWH ² P\ visit took in the neighborhood of 15 min- utes.) Also, be forewarned: The Bowpicker If you’ve got a Ferrari, you want to fi ll it with premium. Same goes for Bowpicker: Some homemade, thoughtful or exotic dipping sauces would go a long way. mouth OF THE COLUMBIA COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com Bowpicker Rating: 1634 Duane St., Astoria 503-791-2942 www.bowpicker.com Hours: “11ish” to 6 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday, weather permitting or until they run out of fi sh. See website for closures. PRICE: $ - $10 for a full order, $8 for a half-order. SERVICE: Friendly, but lines and wait can be excessive. VEGETARIAN OPTIONS: French fries. DRINKS: Soda, bottled water. The Bowpicker is named for a vintage fi shing ves- sel where the gillnetted fi sh were lifted in over the bow. RQO\ WDNHV FDVK ,W¶G UHDOO\ EH D VKDPH WR VKXIÀH LQ OLQH RQO\ WR GLVFRYHU \RXU GHELW card a worthless hunk of plastic.) Indeed, the waits are a real thing. Riding DZDYHRIK\SHDOPRVWEH¿WWLQJRI3RUWODQG Bowpicker has become a sought-after des- tination for food tourists. In a way it makes sense: The boat is quaint and cute, and while overlooking the water and working ships it ZUDSV WRJHWKHU D URPDQWLF QRWLRQ RI ¿VK ing culture. That said, if I had to wait much longer than I did I would’ve left confused, LI QRW GLVDSSRLQWHG %RZSLFNHU¶V ¿VK ZDV good, but it didn’t knock my boots off. To that end, I’m hoping to do a round- up of the best fish and chips on the North Coast later this summer. And while I’m not quite ready to join Coast Weekend readers and anoint Bowpicker as the pinnacle, it certainly deserves to be in the conversa- tion. In the meantime, if you’ve yet to try Bowpicker’s beer-battered tuna — or even if you’re a loving regular — there’s no bet- ter time than now; the tuna are swimming just off the coast. KEY TO RATINGS poor below average good & worth returning excellent outstanding, the best in the Columbia-Pacific region
