14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
THE SHELBURNE
PUB
Rating:
French Onion Soup
Oysters Rockefeller
Fried Chicken Sandwich
The Shelburne Pub delivers simplicity, comfort, some flourishes
Review and photos by
THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
FACEBOOK.COM/MOUTHOFTHECOLUMBIA
“The years pass in their hun-
dreds and their thousands, and what
does any man see of life but a few
summers, a few winters? We look at
mountains and call them eternal, and
so they seem … but in the course of
time, mountains rise and fall, rivers
change their courses, stars fall from
the sky, and great cities sink beneath
the sea. Even gods die, we think.
Everything changes.”
― George R.R. Martin, “A Clash
of Kings”
I
ndeed, everything changes.
That includes the longest con-
tinually running hotel in Wash-
ington state, the Shelburne. The
Victorian-styled property opened
in 1896, and when you step inside,
that history — as well as your own
awareness of time itself — is trans-
portive. It’s a special place.
Yet the Shelburne has never
really been locked in stasis. Take,
for example, the legions of ornate
stained-glass windows: They appear
era-appropriate but were brought in
by longtime owners David Cam-
piche and Laurie Anderson, who
purchased the property in 1977, then
did their fair share of renovating.
As much as a charming, evoca-
tive place to spend the night, under
Campiche and Anderson’s guid-
ance, the Shelburne had long been
among the premiere restaurants on
the Peninsula, if not the Colum-
bia-Pacific region. The Shelburne
kitchen has been home to some of
the area’s most accomplished chefs
and restaurateurs, including Tony
and Ann Kischner (current owners
of Astoria’s Bridgewater Bistro),
and Jimella Lucas and Nanci Main,
who would go on to draw rave
reviews from James Beard.
Over their four decades at the
helm, Campiche and Anderson en-
sured the Shelburne was not only a
fantastic place to stay and dine, but
one that nourished the spirit as well.
Campiche cultivated a salon-esque
atmosphere, inviting fellow artists
and musicians to perform, create
and share.
Hence, the Shelburne was a
center of community and culture.
It was a place where couples got
married, teary wakes were held, and
the news of the day chewed over.
Among the Shelburne commu-
nity: Seaview’s Tiffany and Brady
Turner, who were married there
and returned regularly for food
and drink. Campiche, feeling his
stewardship was nearing its end,
began prodding the Turners to take
over. He knew operating a hotel
and restaurant was in the Turners’
wheelhouse; they own the nearby
Adrift Hotel and Pickled Fish,
among others.
“After five years of him trying
to get us to bite — we bit,” Tiffa-
ny told the Coast River Business
Journal. The Turners assumed op-
erations earlier this year and began
with renovations.
“The challenge is preservation
while recreating something more
relevant for today’s traveler; it’s
going to be a difficult dance,” Tif-
fany told the Coast River Business
Journal. “But I think it’s doing the
building and the history of it justice.
We’re really working hard to not
do any irreparable damage. In our
remodel and reinvention process
we’re going to be sure to preserve
everything.”
You’ll notice the changes the
moment you step through the front
door. The entryway has changed,
as have the carpets, wallpaper and
so on. In some ways the shifts are
subtle — if you didn’t frequent the
place you might not exactly be able
to put your finger on the specifics.
In essence, though, the Shel-
burne has become sleeker, less busy.
As one longtime visitor wondered,
could the revamped Shelburne be
both hip and historic?
Indeed, the makeover seems
somewhat generationally driven,
given to more recent aesthetics.
(Visitors of the Pickled Fish, for
example, will recognize the trendy
Edison light bulbs.) While primed
for Instagram, the Shelburne’s his-
torical charm remains tangible.
The food, too, has gotten a
makeover.
The Pickled Fish’s executive
chef Brad Dodson, who joined
the company in the fall of 2016, is
assuming executive duties at the
Shelburne, too. Essentially, that
adds two restaurants to his respon-
sibilities: the distinct Shelburne Pub
and Dining Room.
The Pub opened this spring,
intent on delivering what Tiffany
Turner called “simple, unfussy bites
with a global twist.” The Dining
Room, which is scheduled to begin
service in mid-July, will offer a
seasonal, monthly menu, more
focused on its fine dining origins.
(Like the Pickled Fish, both of
the Shelburne’s restaurants add a
20-percent gratuity on top of listed
menu prices, a practice I’ll address
in a future column.)
In the Pub, besides the usual
burgers, fries and sandwiches,
you’ll find a few welcome outliers
like pork rillette, a smoked salmon
Reuben and the hipster favorite:
avocado toast.
One chilly evening I became en-
sconced in the deep, gooey French
Onion Soup ($10). The perfect
comfort for inclement weather, the
little, pillowy hot tub warmed my
bones. More places on the coast
should serve it, especially in winter.
The Northwest Jambalaya
($15) earned the regional nod with
smoked salmon and oysters carous-
ing with the andouille sausage. The
oysters were every bit as melty as
the duck egg, whose yolk, mixed
with the lightly spicy, tomato-y rice
base, afforded a divine richness.
The Pub Burger ($9) was cooked
to a nice medium-rare with pink in
the center, though, when I bit in,
juices poured out like I was wring-
ing a sponge.
Then there’s the Fried Chicken
Sandwich ($9), a highly Insta-
Shelburne Hotel
4415 Pacific Way
Seaview, Wash. 98644
360-642-2442
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
everyday
Price: $$ — 20-percent gra-
tuity included to listed menu
price
Service: Young, hip, gracious
Vegetarian/Vegan Options:
Worthwhile
Drinks: Full bar
KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM
Poor
Below average
Worth returning
Very good
Excellent, best in region
grammable concoction thanks to
its overzealous breading. Make no
mistake: The way the fried chick-
en breast juts out way beyond the
bun looks awesome. How you feel
about the flavor, however, depends.
The abundance of fried dough is
staggering, racked with cinnamon.
It’s almost like a donut. It was too
much for me. Same for my compan-
ion, who has a greater sweet tooth.
Still, some are going to love it. I
could, too, say, by simply dialing up
the acidic accouterments — more
pickles, please.
By and large, though, the Pub
fare does what it promises, deliv-
ering simplicity, comfort and a few
flourishes in a transportive atmo-
sphere.
Still, more significant ques-
tions about the Shelburne’s new
era remain: Can the Dining Room
maintain its legacy as a destina-
tion and incubator of great talent?
And, perhaps most of all, will the
salon-like, community-centered
gathering place continue under new
curatorial hands?
Only time will tell.
Next week: The Shelburne Din-
ing Room CW