14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
Reined lavors, easygoing attitude makes The Depot a must
Review and photos by
MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
THE DEPOT
Rating:
1208 38th Place, Seaview
depotrestaurantdining.
com
360-642-7880
HOURS: 5 to 9 p.m. daily.
PRICE: $$ – Spendy but never
gouging, worth it
SERVICE: Welcoming, expert,
attentive and easygoing
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN OP-
TIONS: Plentiful, thoughtful,
and substitutions available
DRINKS: Wine and beer
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
I couldn’t do it anymore. When
asked about the best restaurants
around, I couldn’t say I’d never
been to The Depot. I couldn’t
keep blathering: “It’s won a lot of
awards, and I’ve heard really great
things.”
I had to know.
So on a Wednesday I stopped in.
I didn’t have a reservation (rec-
ommended), but the staff offered a
seat at the bar — or out back on the
heated, trellised, ivy-covered patio.
I stayed inside not only to get a bet-
ter sense of the place, but because I
was already becoming immersed.
The room, with high ceilings,
wine-red walls, and plenty of soft
lamps and European-inspired decor
seemed to whisper: “Relax, exhale,
settle in, it’s all good.” The calm
extended to the kitchen, which is
visible through a large cutout at the
rear of the restaurant. The two-top
below is called the “Chef’s Table.”
The pace, while determined, was
equally de-stressed.
Quickly I was impressed by the
service, an apparent mix of veterans
and poised newbies. One of the
youngsters, seemingly fresh out
of high school, recited the laundry
list of specials from memory in
full. Still, deciding what to order
was dificult, an embarrassment of
tantalizing possibilities. There was
hardly an un-interesting, un-in-
spired dish in the bunch. Indeed,
if there was ever any fat to begin
with, it’s since been trimmed from
The Depot’s menu. As co-owner
and front-of-house impresario
Nancy Gorshe said of the Calamari:
“We’re famous for it. We can’t take
it off the menu.”
Indeed, after opening in
Seaview, Washington, The Depot
has been distilling its successes in
the 13 years since. Owners Gor-
she and chef Michael Lalewicz
appear as personally invested in
both food and experience as ever.
On one visit, after the dinner rush
The Cantonese Duck featured medal-
lions of succulent duck breast topped
with a blackberry hoisin glaze.
died down, as Lalewicz surveyed
the dining room from the kitchen’s
open window, a peaceful, contented
grin curled up his cheeks. At the
same time, Gorshe chatted with
regular customers. It was no mere
small talk; with multiple groups
Gorshe shared genuine details, true
concern, hugs and laughter. Hers is
an effortless joy.
I began with the Baja Salad ($7).
I was perked not only by the salad’s
robust brightness but its depth. In
what would become a thread run-
ning through just about everything
I tasted, the dish was more than
the sum of its parts. The synthesis
was exponential. The avocado-lime
vinaigrette was both creamy and
citrusy; the kale hearty, supple
and crisp; the crumbles of cotija
mild; the butter beans kissed with
oregano.
The synergy of the main course,
the Cantonese Duck ($25), was
positively astounding. The me-
dallions of succulent duck breast,
pan seared, with lightly crisp skin
and a luscious layer of fat, were
topped with a blackberry hoisin
glaze that married sweet, savory,
salt, acid, bitterness, a touch of
smoked paprika and then some. It
was a marvelous complexity — the
kind that takes not only a wealth
of excellence and experience to
execute but to merely dream up.
As the servers checked in on me
I found myself repeating a single
word: “exquisite.”
Finishing up, I noticed a famil-
iar face down the bar, an acquain-
tance I hadn’t seen in years. I said
The Pan Seared Salmon, blackened but still moist, was served with a porcini
mushroom cream sauce, veggies, smashed potatoes and corn on the cob.
hello. Instead of a full meal, she’d
come for a glass of wine and some
small plate snacks. Indeed, The
Depot is just as good for nibbling
as it is for multiple courses. The
Peruvian Mango Sea Scallops ($13)
were plated like modern art, three
of them ringed by vibrant pools of
silky, smooth yellow mango and an
outer ring of jalapeño. The jala-
peño sauce — almost like a jelly
— wasn’t spicy, but the long, thin,
curled strands of pinkish-purple
onions provided a pickled kick.
As much as the food, ingredi-
ents and service, the restaurant’s
long bar cultivated an atmosphere
of conviviality. It, as much as
any alcoholic drink, was a social
lubricant. And, to this end, I can
only imagine The Depot acts as
one of the more romantic eateries
on the North Coast. We inished
by sharing dessert — a big gooey
Brownie with Salted Caramel a la
Mode ($7.50). “Oh my God,” my
companion said. “It makes me feel
like a kid again.” Ecstatically she
clapped a quiet round of applause.
My second trip was every bit as
marvelous as my irst. Under the
rush of a Friday night in August,
nothing changed. Well, I still ag-
onized over what to eat — or, just
the same, what I wouldn’t miss out
on. As I did, the larger picture came
into focus: The Depot’s dishes,
assembled using a predominantly
traditional European technique,
incorporate Asian and Central
American lourishes and employ
mostly regional ingredients. After
circling the world, The Depot lands
at home. As one diner said, exiting
the restaurant: “It’s the most urban
spot on the peninsula.”
The Thai Calamari ($13)
perfectly encompassed this mode.
The wild calamari — from Oregon
— were tossed in a thick Thai
peanut cilantro sauce that was one,
maybe two steps evolved. Not
oily or particularly even peanutty,
it was green and tasted as such:
fresh, pointed and earthy. On a
bed of spinach, kale and cabbage,
it could be tossed to resemble a
salad. Despite the winning sauce,
the breading was spectacular — a
crunch to die for.
The local “catch of the day”
seafood special — Pan Seared
Salmon ($28) — also had crisp
edges, blackened but still moist in
the center. A velvety smooth, por-
cini mushroom cream sauce kept
the ish from anything like a diet,
rather resplendent and rich. Among
KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM
Poor
Below average
Good
Excellent
Best in region
the simply prepared veggies and
robust Yukon gold smashed pota-
toes was a small section of corn
on the cob. With a smile, Gorshe
advised that I “pick it up and eat
with your hands.”
That easygoing sentiment —
alongside the synergy, diversity
and reinement of lavor — is what
takes the Depot over the top. All
the excellence and elegance from
the kitchen was enveloped by a
welcoming, nonjudgemental vibe.
The service, meanwhile, remains
highly attentive. Indeed, The Depot
is simultaneously upscale and un-
pretentious, reined and inclusive,
classy and chill. You’d be hard-
pressed to eat better in lip lops.
All throughout I felt like I was
getting my money’s worth, too.
Indeed, from top to bottom,
front-of-house to back, there isn’t
a single weak link in The Depot’s
chain.
So if you haven’t been, well,
what are you waiting for?