12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
SUSHI POP-UP FEEDS THE DEMAND
Review and photos by
MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
H
Hosting a sushi pop-up the
last weekend in March, the Os-
prey Cafe’s already tight quar-
ters in Seaside were overflow-
ing. It was a madhouse, high on
Friday evening and anticipation
for something — perhaps ironic,
surely tragic — that North Coast
residents can’t normally get:
top -quality sushi made from
local catches. Hopefuls jammed
the entryway, waiting upward of
an hour, trying not to drool as
plates of glistening fish passed
by en route to the precious few
tables and booths.
The crowds were drawn not
only by the promise of oceanic
delicacy, but the rare collabo-
ration of three prominent North
Coast chefs: private chef and
three -time Iron Chef Goes Coast-
al defending champion Jonathan
Hoffman; former proprietor of
Roll and Bowl cart and longtime
sushi chef Bryan Tiller; and
Joshua Bokish, winner of 2016
Iron Chef Goes Coastal People’s
Choice Award and owner of the
Osprey. Sharing in the belief that
the region is abundant, and that
North Coast diners are eager for
meals that expand its possibili-
ty, the three took a chance on a
limited engagement.
Each chef brought a dis-
tinctive skill set. Tiller, who’s
studied under four master sushi
chefs, was in charge of sashimi,
nigiri and rolls. Hoffman con-
tributed appetizers, entrees and
desserts. Bokish mixed sake-
based cocktails.
The lion’s share of ingredi-
ents at the pop-up were both
seasonal and locally sourced.
Some — like wild onions and
nettles — were foraged by the
chefs themselves. The seafood
too revolved around regional,
in-season catches, including
Dungeness crab, albacore tuna,
Seasider: Local greens, avocado,
cucumber, mango, salmon, shisho
mint with lemons.
The Cove: Tempura fried Dungeness crab, spring salmon, cream cheese, av-
ocado and sweet chilli aioli.
and the centerpiece: an 18 -pound
springer salmon. (Springers, the
first to return to the river, are the
fattiest; they’re scarce, sought
after and spendy.)
We began with sake-based
drinks, an Osprey specialty.
Truly, Bokish is a wizard with
rice wine, hardly limited by only
being able to sell beer and wine
(no hard alcohol). The Sakeri-
ta” ($8) magically mirrored the
namesake margarita whilst for-
going the traditional ingredients.
It was miraculously synthesized
instead from kiwi sorbet, yuzu
curd, cranberry rhubarb, candied
kumquat and sake. Delicious.
Pretty quickly plates emerged,
beginning a steady trickle. First,
a bowl of edamame ($4) punched
up with green garlic and chili
sauce. Then the most distinct
dish of the evening: Scallop
Crudo ($9) artfully plated in two
long rows of spheres. One array
was a scallop sliced into thin,
off-white medallions. Each slice
was mirrored by a collection of
red, pickled watermelon. The
white scallops were topped with
shavings of miso-cured egg yolk.
The plate too was adorned with
swirls of almond coconut cream.
Enticing and tantalizing, sweet,
smooth and almost gelatinous,
the bites were textural sensa-
tions. Slurping sleek ocean spray
with tangy fruit, and rich, milky
cream, the concept succeeded
on all levels, from aesthetics to
flavor and feel.
Our first roll, The Ocean
Osprey ($11), with local greens,
kimchi, pickled burdock,
smoked albacore tuna and dot-
ted with sweet chili aioli, was
complex and balanced. Against
parts sweet, spicy and acidic, the
smoked tuna outlasted the swirl.
The came the nigiri, pure and
unmeddled. The springer salmon
($7), a vivid orange with rivers
of luscious fats, was outstand-
ing, buttery, melty. The seared,
thin tuna tataki ($6), though,
was overdone, a bit dry.
The fried Salmon Skin Maki
Roll ($6) was a salty, crispy,
chewy, oily delight. Almost like
a jerky, it was a welcome swerve
— not toward true gluttony, per
se, but hardly abstinence. Served
warm, The Oregon Roll ($7)
was a surprise. With avocado,
cucumber, hazelnut oil, crab,
Oregon Roll: Dungeness crab, av-
ocado, cucumber, hazelnut oil,
topped with spicy albacore.
served on lemon and topped with
“spicy albacore dynamite” that
was smooth and creamier than
it was spicy. The Surf ’n’ Turf
($9) was wrapped in a paper-thin
layer of New York strip. Dain-
tily, minimally seared, it added
a slippery, fatty casing, but not
quite the salty, savoriness of a
steak bite.
While there were no vege-
tarian rolls, the Seasider ($8)
pushed the garden to the fore-
front with shisho mint — like a
cross of mint and basil. Those
herbaceous wisps danced with
pangs of lemon and gooey sweet
mango; so much so, the salmon
almost became secondary.
This seems as good a time as
any to mention that there were a
few entrees on the menu: Spring
Salmon ($28), Koji Flank Steak
($24) and Ramen ($14). I didn’t
try any of them. And besides a
few orders of ramen, neither did
anyone else. While wonderful
in their own right, I’m sure, the
draw of the night was sushi.
Our last roll, The Cove ($13),
was the heartiest. It should’ve
come with a warning: multi-
ple eager diners burned their
tongues on the freshly tempu-
ra-fried fireball. After letting
cool to nearly-scalding, it was
a crunchy, oily, soy-sauced joy
— a perfect, eggy crust cradling
molten cream cheese and plenty
of crab.
We enjoyed the desserts,
including the minuscule Mochi
Butter Cake ($8), accompa-
nied by kiwi sorbet, yuzu curd,
cranberry rhubarb jam and
candied kumquat. It was gone
in a moment. The coconut-milk
based chocolate gelato with
salted caramel was as simple
as it was irresistible. We leaned
back in our chairs and lingered,
satisfied.
While we were one of the last
tables of the evening, similar
lingering — almost inherent in
sushi dinners and why tatami
rooms exist — clogged the ser-
vice. Such slow paced, relaxing
is almost anathema to a pop-up
that needs to turn tables to make
their nut.
Early in the evening, it
seemed, the hosts became aware
of the challenges of such a
limited engagement. While they
proved that demand for excellent
sushi is bubbling on the North
Coast, balancing that demand
over time is a complex, multi-
faceted question — one they’ll
need to address before they
repeat the event, or turn it into
something more.
Here’s hoping these talented
chefs find the answers to the
business side, as their skills in
the kitchen are bona fide. And,
indeed, there’s so much more
that can be done with the North
Coast’s most bountiful catches
than just baking or grilling them
on a plate with potatoes. Perhaps
nothing showcases the majesty
of the springer salmon more than
eating it raw.