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| Jaime Stark, the captain of the grill at Avast! A Pirate’s Bite in Depoe Bay, poses with a grilled ahi tuna steak salad. At left, the salad in yummy detail. OCT photos by Niki Price. |
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Avast! A Pirate's Bite
Enjoy Depoe Bay’s counter culture
[Published March 21, 2008[
By Niki Price
OREGON COAST TODAY
These days, everyone wants a kitchen island. With seating on one side and cooking surfaces on the other, it’s a place where the guest can observe, in anxious anticipation, as the meal comes together. And, after the food is served, the chef can watch the recipient taste and enjoy the meal she’s prepared. At its best, the island can elevate the dining experience — and not just because of the barstools.
Avast! A Pirate’s Bite, in downtown Depoe Bay beneath the unfurled black pirate flags, is like one big kitchen island. With 12 seats that hug what can only be called a galley kitchen, Avast! serves lunch and dinner with a personal touch. Owner Jaime Stark creates everything on the menu, from grilled sandwiches and fish tacos to burgers and salads, right before your eyes.
The menu is short, but there are many decisions to make. Filet mignon, ahi tuna or prawns? Chicken or mahi mahi? Pick one, then decide on the seasoning. Jaime offers Cajun, Caribbean jerk, garlic, taco seasoning and lemon pepper, or a simple preparation of salt and pepper. Then, decide if you’d like it in a taco, in a sandwich or atop a bed of organic spring greens.
“Everybody likes something different,” said Jaime, working the grill on a Wednesday afternoon. “That’s why I like to be flexible. You can create your own taste with the things you like.”
It’s all about blending the flavors well, she said. As she talked, she grilled an ahi tuna steak with Caribbean jerk seasoning. It was sliced and arranged atop spring greens, feta cheese, green onions and tomatoes, with light balsamic vinaigrette ($9.95). Another favorite of hers, she said, is the ahi with a mild wasabi rub, on a salad sprinkled with ginger dressing.
“Some people love fish for its own flavor, and some people like heavier spices and dressings,” she said. “A great salad is easy. Just make sure everything is as fresh as possible. The secret is what you put on it.”
The menu might start you dreaming about islands, and not the kind with a granite countertop, either. Jaime’s fish tacos are made with your choice of ahi tuna, mahi mahi, coho salmon or prawns (always wild-caught, never farm-raised), filled with shredded vegetables, fresh salsa and a green cilantro sauce, in flour or corn tortillas (starting at two for $8.95).
“People order the tacos just to get the cilantro sauce. It’s just so wonderful that you could use it as a dip for potato chips,” said Perry Petruzzi, co-owner of the restaurant. “Or you could go as extreme as I do, and eat it with a spoon.”
“People come from all over to have them. They get hooked on them,” Jaime said.
Avast! is one of the few places where you can find Red Stripe Beer, from Jamaica, as well as 34 other labels from around the country, including New Belgium, Flying Dog and Pike Brewing, and local favorites Deschutes and Rogue.
The counter culture at Avast! also includes wine by the glass and seafood cocktails. The bay shrimp cocktail ($6.95) is served Baja style, with cilantro, green onions, seasonings and a wedge of lime, while the crab version ($8.95) offers the sweetest, heftiest portions, with a wedge of lemon.
If you’re not planning on an adventure, you can even stick with comfort food, done right. Jaime dishes up homemade clam chowder, which is gentle, herbaceous and bacon-free. “Our chowder is a local favorite,” she said. “Even those who don’t usually like chowder seem to like ours.”
Daily offerings also include an original recipe, Southwest-style sirloin beef chili that will warm most any heart. Depending on the day, you’ll find homemade Rice Krispie treats, rum-laced brownies and chocolate chip cookies, too.
Everything is available to go, including deli sandwiches and salads, for a picnic lunch by the ocean. When the weather is nice, many families take their treats across the highway to the deck of the Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center.
For a small island, Avast! sells a lot of products. Logo T-shirts, tanks, hats and hoodies are available, as are Mick’s signature jellies and other fun stuff.
And, after you’ve heard all the selections and you’re still not sure, don’t be surprised if the chef reaches across the counter with a sample in hand. Social and tasty, too — that’s the beauty of the island kitchen.
“Don’t be surprised if you end up sitting next to the mayor, or a marine biologist or someone from Iowa. When the place is full, you’re elbow to elbow with someone with someone you might not know. But you’ll know all about them by the end of your meal,” Jaime said. “It’s not uncommon to see guests move down to accommodate the new arrivals. That’s true friends, coming to eat.”
Avast! A Pirate’s Bite is located on the east side of Hwy. 101, just south of the stoplight in Depoe Bay. They’re open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. For details, call 541-765-7658.
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