Readers’ Choice Awards
BEST BURGER, BEST CLAM CHOWDER,
BEST FINE DINING & BEST CHEF
BEST BAR, BEST BREWPUB, BEST PIZZA & BEST SERVER
Submitted photo
Fort George’s current lineup of canned regular beers is, from left, the
1811 Lager, Vortex IPA, Cavatica Stout, Big Guns and The Optimist.
FORT
GEORGE
BREWERY + PUBLIC HOUSE
The
Depot
Astoria, Oregon
By RYAN HUME
Submitted photo
The race for Best Brewpub was very close. Fort George Brewery
and Buoy Beer Co. competed neck-and-neck, with the Fort sealing
its win by just five votes.
Photo by Alex Pajunas
Luke Barrett, a brewer at Fort George Brewery, cleans and fills kegs
inside the Lovell Building.
Photo by Dwight Caswell
Fort George Brewery crafts regular, seasonal and creative occa-
sional beers. Pictured are the seasonal Fresh IPA, left, and the
Squash Buckler.
14 | January 28, 2016 | coastweekend.com
Readers sampled all of the suds around and
once again chose Fort George to reign supreme in
the Best Brewpub category. Having shored up the
majority of the 1400 block of Duane Street in Asto-
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a multi-tiered brew park than a simple brewpub.
Big doesn’t necessarily mean bad. The Fort
offers patrons plenty of different experiences de-
pending on what they are in the mood for. Hidden
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the place for a simple slice of pizza and a Quick
File photo
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house is perfect for pulling on a pint of Cavatica second floor; the oven’s oval mouth remains open, so you can peek
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community involvement and a comfortable 7XHVGD\RIWKHPRQWK7KH¿UVWZDVDIXQGUDLVHU
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and the ever-popular Festival
of Dark Arts in February
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Seaview, Washington
Photo by Ryan Hume
Zack O’Connor, who works at Fort George Brewery, was voted Best
Server in the 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards.
the accompaniment and which is the main course:
the beer or the pizza?
Best Server: Zack O’Connor
After having lived in Portland for a mere six
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to the North Coast for Zack O’Connor to fall in
love with Astoria. “I’m not a very impetuous
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he immediately put in his two weeks’ notice and
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take long for readers to notice O’Connor’s com-
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in thanks.
O’Connor has one simple goal in mind when
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anticipating what they need before they realize
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George for making his job what it is.
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drinking session and still get off your stool.
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nor is probably best known as the bass player of
the Astoria-based indie group Holiday Friends.
Having recently transitioned into an expanded
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ple and talking about craft beer is the best part of
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Fort George Brewery is located at 1483 Duane St. Check out
www.fortgeorgebrewery.com for more information.
By RYAN HUME
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Restaurant continues to be the little engine that
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diners in a variety of categories. A perennial fa-
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the Depot has put in every effort to source local
ingredients. “We are honored to be a part of a na-
tional campaign starting soon called Eat This Fish
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Every Wednesday night during the school year, the Depot hosts “Burger Night,” where diners create the burger of their dreams from a
seemingly endless list of topping choices.
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have consistently chosen the Depot Restaurant as
their favorite place to wine and dine. With a nod
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and there’s even a mural of a loco-
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past when it served as a stop
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tides.
and French cuisine
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while simultane-
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the North Coast’s
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local Portland and Seattle TV stations as well as
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Co-owner and executive chef Michael Lalewicz cuts a freshly
glazed flourless chocolate tart in his kitchen at the Depot Restau-
rant in Seaview, Washington.
oring the legendary New Orleans chef Paul Prud-
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and to expand their offering from just beer and wine
to include cocktails as well. With the renown their
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be interesting to see what they pour out of a shaker.
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regular menu and becomes the most sought-after
burger joint on the peninsula. A throwback to the
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The burgers are substantial: about as thick as a
hockey puck with at least twice the circumference
The Depot Restaurant’s “Clamshell Railroad Clams Chowder” is
made to order in a creamy broth, with whole wild Willapa Bay
steamers and chopped Pacific razor clams.
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somehow hold its own no matter what it’s topped
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Gorshe’s personal favorite is a buffalo burger
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ning clam chowder. A playful retooling of the
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features whole Willapa Bay steamers soaked awake
in a garlicky cream base punctuated by chopped ra-
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popular it should probably have its own Yelp page.
January 28, 2016 | coastweekend.com | 15