An evening at MyCovio’s
A sophisticated Italian
restaurant on the
Long Beach Peninsula
BY DAVID CAMPICHE
Photos by David Campiche
Willapa Bay steamer clams is the perfect accompaniment to a perfectly cooked spaghetti.
LEFT: Fettuccine with alfredo sauce and shrimp, slathered with Parmesan cheese. MIDDLE: Gently poached
seafood in an Italian-based cioppino. RIGHT: Thin spaghetti with house ground beef chuck, toasted ground
fennel seeds, Walla Walla sweet onion, garlic and ‘killer tomato sauce’ finished with Parmesan.
Paul Klitsie is a big Dutchman with
solid, strong arms and large hands.
Those hands move like a violin player
with both delicacy and soldier-like pre-
cision. Klitsie loves to cook.
He crossed the Atlantic as a young
man and haunted the restaurants in
Portland, rising, some years later, to
modest fame at his Ristorante Fratelli
in the Pearl District, and then at Wil-
lem’s, preparing modern comfort food
in Vancouver, Washington.
Food was a love affair even before
he left the lowlands and picturesque
canals of Holland. In Amsterdam, he
plied his early skills at Vasso. Like the
Dutch and Flemish artists of the North-
ern Renaissance, Klitsie was a man on
a mission.
Perhaps because of the close-
ness to water and fond memories of
the Netherlands, he fell for the Long
Beach Peninsula, and Ocean Park in
particular.
Klitsie recognizes the natural
beauty of the Northwest beaches and
extolls in the bounty of fresh seafoods,
mushrooms, berries and fresh produce.
His job is to bring all the lovely
things to life. He walks his two dogs
on the beach every morning, come
rain, come shine, and refuses to com-
plain when the weather is uncomfort-
able. He simply dons a rain coat and
hat, and marches on with courage, rain
in his face.
His style — though trained in
French cuisine — is Italian. The results
are masterful.
What I learned from Ron and Car-
rie VanDyke through the years, is
what anyone should quickly notice at
MyCovio’s: Klitsie pursues perfection,
and his staff reflects that as well.
MyCovio’s is a small but pleas-
ant space, located just east — a
stone’s throw — from the Ocean Park
approach. On a night when the ocean
sky was dispensing crimson and rho-
dodendron-colored fireworks, we were
led to our table by an accomplished
server and there began our splendid
repast.
There was a lot of pasta on the
menu. Thin spaghetti with farm-
raised vegetables. Fettuccine with
alfredo sauce with choices of chicken
or shrimp. Lasagna and thin spaghetti
with garlic, Italian parsley and fresh
Willapa Bay clams.
And there was a rich and meaty
ragu, on — again — thin spaghetti, and
with a self-described “killer tomato
sauce.” Of course, all the pasta was
topped with fresh grated Parmesan.
I settled on a cioppino, resplendent
with fresh, tender seafood: salmon,
scallop, shrimp and fresh Willapa Bay
clams. That killer tomato sauce was
indeed a killer.
I could feel my arteries pulsing.
One can’t begin to make a cioppino
or a bouillabaisse without a great red
sauce. Klitsie’s was full-bodied, rich in
tomato and wine and his savory spices,
probably oregano, Italian parsley and
basil.
Somewhere along the line, magic
happened; the dish was divine with
the seafood poached to perfection. The
appetizers were simple and heartwarm-
ing (Italian simplicity with the freshest
and the best): the bruschetta, two vari-
eties, one rich with garlic, Parmesan
and, in the second case, salted cashews,
dates and gorgonzola dressing.
The daily salad rallied behind us
at another table and looked wonderful
highlighted with feta and honey glazed
macadamia nuts.
We passed on a sous vide New
York strip steak with a rosemary
risotto, mascarpone and a plum bal-
samic reduction. One can only eat so
much, even when it is special.
We did save room for desert, with
two options. A delicate panna cotta
was finished with basil and lemon
and melted like a sublime kiss in the
mouth. The tiramisu (non-traditional)
was finished with a powered chocolate
and a light caramel sauce.
My only disappointment was that I
couldn’t get a cappuccino, for me, the
perfect finish to a great Italian meal.
And if one can’t sleep hours later
because of the caffeine, well, he or she
could toss and turn in the recent satis-
faction of the fine meal.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021 // 11