12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
Try some Central Texas barbecue at this Ilwaco eatery
Review and photos by
MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
MERICLE’S
EPIC EATS
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
W
We often hear about “Texas barbe-
cue” as if it’s a singular style. But the
Lone Star State’s meaty exaltations
are divided by regional lines. Each
quadrant favors particular methods
and ingredients.
East Texas style, for instance,
prizes slow-cooking over hickory
wood and is slathered in sweet,
tomato-based sauces. Central Texas
style, while also slow-cooked, prefers
pecan or oak wood and spice rubs
rather than sauce.
They might sound incremental,
but the distinctions are potent.
“You shouldn’t have to put sauce
on your meat,” Saundra Mericle told
the Coast River Business Journal
last fall. The interview was part of a
profi le on the renovation of Ilwaco’s
Sea Hag bar, which had just partnered
with Mericle’s Epic Eats. Mericle’s
— operated by Saundra and her hus-
band, Preston — hail from Canyon
Lake, a town roughly 50 miles north
of San Antonio. They are, needless to
say, practitioners of the Central Texas
barbecue style.
And as someone who often fi nds
barbecue sauces overly sweet, I licked
my chops in anticipation.
The Mericles arrived on the North
Coast last September. While they’d
vacationed in the area before, the
move was prompted by an ad they
found on Craigslist. The Sea Hag was
looking for more than just another
cook. The long-running, formerly
dive-y bar was — and continues to
be — in the midst of total reinvention,
and Sea Hag hoped to turn its kitchen
over to a partner with ambition and
experience.
As such, the Sea Hag and Meri-
cle’s Epic Eats operates almost like a
food court. For drinks: Order from the
Sea Hag’s long bar. Food and service
comes from Mericle’s. Each is paid
separately. It works smoothly enough.
Mericle’s kitchen is tiny. With no
dish pit, nor staff to man it, food is
served on disposable plates. (Note
to Mercile’s: Next time buy paper;
Mericle’s Epic Eats inside the Sea
Hag has been turning heads with its
hand-pressed burgers and with its
appetizers like Texas-style poutine.
THE FLAGSHIP
BRISKET TAKES 12
TO 14 HOURS TO
SMOKE. THE RESULTS
ARE UNDENIABLE,
WITH A FINISH
THAT CANNOT BE
UNDERSTATED.
the Northwest abhors Styrofoam.)
Nevertheless, everything — from
front of house to back — is juggled
by Saundra and Preston. They do it
admirably, with gracious warmth and
humility. Accents aside, you might
call it: Southern hospitality.
Before we get to the food, a
word about the Sea Hag: It’s still
awkward, cavernous and empty like
a warehouse, tweaked by unsettling
LED lighting but leagues better
than the dingy forebearer. It is also
still very much a work in progress.
On my fi rst trip the space was full
of teetering, chest-high tables. A
few weeks later they were scattered
around, replaced by booths and
dining tables that encourage eating
more than drinking.
And with Mericle’s comfort food,
you’re going to want to sit back,
relax ... and maybe loosen your belt.
First, the basics: The Mericles
smoke meat every two days. The
fl agship brisket takes 12 to 14 hours.
The results are undeniable, with a
fi nish that cannot be understated.
A Two Meat Plate featuring slow-cooked brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw, bar-
becue sauce, baked beans, bread pickles and onions.
The way it whispers to your senses
— perhaps even your better senses
— is irresistible. Such a long tail
can only be earned — through hours
upon hours of slow cooking.
I began with the Two Meat Plate
($15.50), choosing brisket and pork
(the third option is smoked sausage).
It came with meats, a cup of house-
made barbecue sauce, and coleslaw
on the plate plus one paper boat full
of baked beans and another, dry, with
onions, pickles and an extra-large
thick slice of light white bread. The
beans were as you might expect.
Of the slaw, Saundra said: “We’re
from Texas and we like it spicy, but
around here we got complaints it
was too spicy.” Bummer. I would’ve
liked it hotter. Same went for the
Fireball Whiskey-based sauce.
Between the brisket and pulled
pork I absolutely favored the beef.
Slow cooked from beyond sun-up
to sundown, its molecular structure
was almost nonexistent, softer than
Jell-O, the fats rendered into fl esh,
melting like butter on a hot pan. I
appreciated the simple saltiness of
the brisket. While the pork was noth-
ing to scoff at, I may have enjoyed
it more as an open-faced sandwich
with the added color of briny pickles
and crisp, steadfast onions. As far as
Mericle’s porks go, I preferred the
sausage. Its fl avor is wider — from
the succulent inner sweetness to the
charred casing — and still includes
that lingering, smoky fi nish.
I had the Smoked Sausage as a
sandwich ($8.50), which worked
exceedingly well, better than most
any sausage on a circular roll. The
meat was artfully sliced into fl at,
angled spears, then stacked like logs.
It was a lot of meat, big as a burger
patty at least.
And speaking of burgers, appar-
ently Mericle’s burgers have been
turning heads — even in our land
of the plenty. “People are saying
they’re the some of best on the
peninsula,” Preston Mericle said
without hubris. The people are right.
Mericle’s secrets are two, maybe
three-fold.
First is the hand-pressed patty.
It’s big, thick and not pounded
down. Getting the right density is
key during cooking. Second is the
seasoning. Beyond salt and pep-
per, Preston uses a spice mix that
includes garlic, onion powders and
then some. Third: It’s a great deal,
especially at Happy Hour. Served
with a heaping side of hand-cut
fries for just $6.50 (from 3 to 6 p.m.
every day, including weekends) it’s a
Rating:
209 1st Ave. (inside the Sea
Hag)
Ilwaco, Washington
PHONE: 360-642-5899
HOURS: 2 to10 p.m. Monday
through Saturday, and 4 to 10
p.m. Sunday
PRICE: $ – Heaping entrées
and killer happy hour deals
SERVICE: Charming southern
hospitality
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN
OPTIONS: It’s all about the
meats
DRINKS: Sea Hag off ers a full
bar
KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM
Poor
Below average
Good
Excellent
Best in region
bargain to be reckoned with.
As for fries, Mericle’s also offers
a Texas-style poutine that’s so
smooth, easy, cheesy, peppery and
bacon-covered that you might need
a nap after. There are plenty of other
calorically frightening appetizers,
like fried pickles and chili fries,
as well as rotating specials. I tried
the Brisket and Pulled Pork Que-
sadilla ($8.50) and was heartened
— sorry — to fi nd more meats than
cheese inside. Well, I suppose there
could’ve been more cheese.
But it’s rare you’re wanting more
at Mericle’s. I twice found myself
having eaten my fi ll then continuing
to pick at the massive servings, my
eyelids getting heavy. In my eyes,
though, that brisket continued to
sparkle.
Central Texas, welcome to the
North Coast.