14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
Dundee’s fare neither star nor benchwarmer
Review and photos by
THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
DUNDEE’S
BAR & GRILL
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
FACEBOOK.COM/MOUTHOFTHECOLUMBIA
Rating:
F
or sports fans, fall presents
a veritable quandary. As the
summer sun recedes into late
October and early November, the
big three American professional
leagues perk up. For a short time,
the NFL, NBA and MLB not only
overlap, but offer compelling
reasons to tune in: baseball is
neck-deep in the playoffs, football
games become make-or-break,
and basketball’s new-look teams
are taking shape.
On a few nights during this
sports smorgasbord, I found
myself at Dundee’s Bar & Grill in
Seaside, drifting from one game
to another.
Like any sports bar worth
its salt, Dundee’s has plenty
of TVs, not only above the bar
and papering the walls, but in a
number of booths, too. And, as
opposed to the more communal
bar experience, it can be nice to
have your own personal screen —
sometimes you want to go out, be
cooked for, but avoid the com-
ments of would-be experts.
Along with the glowing flat-
screens, the collective groans,
cheers and a cute but superfluous
icy track ringing the bar that keeps
drinks cold, Dundee’s offers the
requisite sports bar foods: burgers,
wings, pizza and the like. All come
in reasonably hefty portions.
To put it in sports terms:
Dundee’s fare is akin to a “re-
placement-level player.” In other
words: the food is neither star nor
benchwarmer, but a dependable
worker who executes a limited
role.
To be sure: players such as
these, while perhaps indistinct,
are necessary. Like a good blocker
or third baseman, sometimes you
need a simple sports bar with
good sight-lines and food you
can keep picking at through the
414 Broadway St.
Seaside, Ore.
97138
503-738-7006
Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every-
day
Price: $$ – Entrées start near
the $10 range, drinks a bit
pricey
Service: Cheerful, competent
Vegetarian / Vegan Options:
Not a destination, but will have
something for the vegetarian
in your group
Drinks: Full bar
KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM
Below average
Average
Good
Excellent
Best in region
Pizza: on the left, Ricardo’s, on the right, Tillamook Head.
commercials.
I began with the burger. It’s
big, but the patty is thin and wide,
flattened out. Bites have a beef-to-
bun ratio that’s light on beef. Of
the handful of different variations,
I had the Hot Lips ($9.99), and
enjoyed the generous, gooey,
creamy pile-up of pepper jack,
twangy jalapeños, chipotle mayo
and crispy shards of fried onion.
Midway through I was dabbing
sweat from my welled-up cheeks.
The burger, like most of the
sandwich-heavy menu, comes
stocked with house-made potato
chips, which I found wholly dull
— either tasteless, oily crunch or
soft and cardboard-y. Fries, tots,
sweet potato fries, chowder, chili
or a trip through salad bar can be
had for $1.99 more.
The salad bar, with a foot still
planted in the era where cottage
cheese and peaches are indis-
pensable, was nonetheless worth
the minimal up-charge. I was
thankful for the spinach, so much
heartier than a wilting, watery
iceberg mix. Really though, the
simple act of making it my way is
what did it. (On a recent trip to a
similar sports bar I was reminded
how lame salads at places like
these can be: easily ruined with a
crop dusting of chalky shredded
cheese, for example.)
Despite the thin, snappy par-
lor-style crust, Dundee’s pizzas
are weighty, loaded with deep
layers of cheese, an unsweetened
marinara and piled with toppings.
In one instance I counted seven
pepperonis layered over each
other.
There are four tiers of pie and
four sizes, from 8-to-16 inch-
es. The premium-tier 16-inch
varieties top out at $25.99. I tried
two different iterations from the
most-loaded category, both mari-
nara-based: the Ricardo’s and the
Tillamook Head, which a server
told me was one of the most pop-
ular. The Tillamook Head was ab-
solutely teeming, with almost full
coverage of ground beef and sau-
sage blacking out everything be-
low (salami, pepperoni, Canadian
bacon, mushrooms, olives, green
peppers, onions, pineapple). Seri-
ously, it was burgers upon burgers
of ground meats. The Ricardo’s,
with salty prosciutto, pepperoni,
garlic and olives, swerves into its
own lane thanks to dry chèvre and
sun-dried tomatoes. The pizza hit
the necessary marks.
So did the fried, beer-battered
fish. Cod, tuna and halibut are
available, either as fish-and-chips
or in a sandwich. I went with the
sandwich, and on the server’s
recommendation, chose the tuna
($12.99). The crust was right on,
the fish thick and flaky. And while
not astoundingly fresh or flavor-
ful, the essence was there.
The Wings (eight for $8.99,
available in hot & spicy, teriyaki,
spicy Asian and BBQ) were big,
and they scratch that itch.
And while no particular dish
I ate at Dundee’s will be gracing
the All-Star Team, they all earn
their spots on the roster. Just like
replacement-level players, when
they’re doing their job right, you
might not even notice. As such,
what may end up coloring your
experience at Dundee’s is whether
your team wins. CW