The first stop was at Cameron's Living Room Dining. Nice digs - we hadn't been there before. The item for us to try was great. For lack of adequate menu descriptors, it was akin to a breaded shrimp puff/shrimp cake, served with a cherry sauce that brought out the flavor of the seafood, whilst keeping the overall flavor very light. Nicely done.
Stop #2 was at a local mainstay - Randy's Pier 61. Last night's offering was a selection of coconut-tempura shrimp and calamari. I wasn't sure if the calamari was squid or octopus (smart money is on large squid tentacles), but we were both very pleased with the appetizer. Keep in mind I strongly dislike anything involving coconut, and Tracy is gun-shy about calamari, after the "Baby Octopus Incident" years ago. Don't ask, it was a terrifying affair.
#3 on our itinerary was Thai Season, the new (and only) Thai restaurant in town. The restaurant was less than half full, and it took a long time to be served, but we were delighted with the offering placed before us - traditional Pad Thai, rice, and an off-the-menu item I think was called "morok" (or something like that) - we tasted coconut milk, elements of tea, chicken, and noodles, all wrapped in a banana leaf. We're big fans of Thai food, and plan to visit them again soon.
Stop #4 was at the Majestic Inn, a recently-renovated turn-of-the-century hotel that boasts one of the highest-priced menus in town. This is a place my folks like to frequent when they are in town, and rightfully so - they are known for serving food worthy of the price tag that goes with each meal. Our visit there last night, however, would not have heartened a culinary initiate to that establishment. Unlike our prior Taste visits - where we were seated by a staffer and told of the selection we would be tasting - we were greeted by the Matre'D, who simply said, "seat yourself, and the mushrooms are in the corner". Sautee'd mushrooms - something I can do in my sleep, and with much greater complexity and flavor than what was offered last night at the Majestic. Tracy and I had to fish what little mushrooms we could from the bottom of a deep re-heating pan in the corner of the diningroom in order to get a taste of the Majestic. Another diner (who had recognized me at our first stop (one of my very few times I can claim any sense of celebrity)) came over to our table and commented that the Majestic's Taste offering wasn't up to par for their regular menu. Grudgingly, I had to agree. Tracy and I were anxious to get out of there. The picture below is the result of about 3 minutes of dredging the Lexan for what few mushrooms I could find.
The last stop on our Taste of Anacortes tour was the Rockfish Grill, owned by Rick Star (a fellow bass player, and someone whom I have a lot of respect for). Instead of an appetizer, we were served desert - a dish of ice cream. Their not a creamery (their known for serving local food and local beer), so their desert offering included a small scoop of chocolate ice cream with a chocolate sauce and... drumroll please... beer ice cream! I was apprehensive to a beer ice cream... Would the beer flavor be overwhelming? Would it be a heavy desert? Nope and nope. It was light, rather fluffy, the beer component was unasuming, and it was served with a drizzle of key lime sauce, which brought out the subtleties of the desert. A great finish to our five-stop tasting tour of Anacortes!
