Sheer Luna Sea
Robert Anthony
The Luna Sea Fish House
Fresh fish lovers are crazy for this Yachats restaurant
By Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY
It’s not that Robert Anthony grew weary of fishing. He used to spend months on the ocean, following the salmon and albacore tuna, with just a golden retriever for company. But about 15 years ago, when the glut of farmed fish drove down the price for his Chinook, Anthony decided it was time to diversify.
He began by canning his own fresh salmon, smoked salmon and tuna, and created the Luna Sea brand of gourmet products (based on the name of the boat he owned for 20 years, the F/V Luna). Next up was a fresh fish market, selling his catch direct to the locals and visitors in Yachats. Finally, when the west coast salmon fishery was closed in the summer of 2008, Anthony decided to try something really crazy, with an appropriate name: the Luna Sea Fish House restaurant. It’s a place that serves his own tuna, salmon, ling cod, halibut and crab, along with other responsibly-harvested products from the Pacific alongside fresh, locally-baked bread, organic ingredients and sauces made from scratch.
In the 18 months since it opened, Luna Sea Fish House has made a name for itself, garnering “must go” reviews in Portland Monthly magazine and on tripadvisor.com.
The menu is built around the classic fish and chips entree – chunks of fish, beer-battered and deep fried, and served with French fries. Anthony recommends the dish made with fresh ling cod, which is available most of the year, but he’ll gladly sell you albacore tuna, halibut, tiger prawns, sea scallops, oysters, clam strips or shrimp. These dinners, served with fries, the signature Luna Sea coleslaw and bread, range from $9 to $13.
Another house specialty is the Grilled Teriyaki Albacore Burger, a hearty fillet served on a fresh ciabatta roll. Dripping with delicious teriyaki sauce, made by restaurant manager and recipe creator Judy Buchko, this albacore burger is
Anthony’s favorite – and a deal, for $8.
Fresh fish lovers are crazy for this Yachats restaurant
By Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY
It’s not that Robert Anthony grew weary of fishing. He used to spend months on the ocean, following the salmon and albacore tuna, with just a golden retriever for company. But about 15 years ago, when the glut of farmed fish drove down the price for his Chinook, Anthony decided it was time to diversify.
He began by canning his own fresh salmon, smoked salmon and tuna, and created the Luna Sea brand of gourmet products (based on the name of the boat he owned for 20 years, the F/V Luna). Next up was a fresh fish market, selling his catch direct to the locals and visitors in Yachats. Finally, when the west coast salmon fishery was closed in the summer of 2008, Anthony decided to try something really crazy, with an appropriate name: the Luna Sea Fish House restaurant. It’s a place that serves his own tuna, salmon, ling cod, halibut and crab, along with other responsibly-harvested products from the Pacific alongside fresh, locally-baked bread, organic ingredients and sauces made from scratch.
In the 18 months since it opened, Luna Sea Fish House has made a name for itself, garnering “must go” reviews in Portland Monthly magazine and on tripadvisor.com.
The menu is built around the classic fish and chips entree – chunks of fish, beer-battered and deep fried, and served with French fries. Anthony recommends the dish made with fresh ling cod, which is available most of the year, but he’ll gladly sell you albacore tuna, halibut, tiger prawns, sea scallops, oysters, clam strips or shrimp. These dinners, served with fries, the signature Luna Sea coleslaw and bread, range from $9 to $13.
Another house specialty is the Grilled Teriyaki Albacore Burger, a hearty fillet served on a fresh ciabatta roll. Dripping with delicious teriyaki sauce, made by restaurant manager and recipe creator Judy Buchko, this albacore burger is
Anthony’s favorite – and a deal, for $8.
“During tuna season, as soon as I get into port (with my catch) I fillet it out and Saran Wrap the loins, and have them vacuum packed and frozen. And it stays there until the day we use it at the restaurant – it’s a very high quality product,” Anthony said. “I have no farmed fish products in our store. If it’s not mine, then it came from someone I’ve known for years, and I know how they take care of their products.”
The lunch and dinner menu also features fish tacos, made with the catch of the day, along with fish sandwiches, steamer clams and cold crab cocktails. If the weather is rough, customers can dive into a bowl of homemade clam chowder or slumgullion, its extravagant cousin. Despite its rather lowly name, this soup is clam chowder baked with white cheeses and bay shrimp — a rich and heavenly meal, for $9.50. Anthony will take credit for the quality of the fish. Everything else, he said, comes from the mind of Buchko. The former owner and chef at the Little Bay Café, a popular restaurant on the Newport Bayfront that closed in 2005, Buchko has created the entire menu at Luna Sea. “Right after I found this location, a restaurant space that has been recently renovated, I ran into Judy. She was ready for something new, and she really hit the deck running,” Anthony said. “Now, I just do the gathering of the fish, and she takes care of all the other stuff with help from Laurie Larson, who has a lot of experience working for fish markets. I owe my success to them. I was really blessed to get them — I think they’re the cream of the crop.” 
Their newest invention has been a breakfast menu, served daily starting at 9 a.m. Since November, they’ve been serving traditional eggs, hash browns, ham and oatmeal, along with griddle faves like pancakes (buckwheat or buttermilk) and French toast. Specialties include the Luna Sea Omelet, with halibut, scallops, bay shrimp, jack cheese, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, and topped with a creamy cheese sauce, for $11.95. The cook will also whip up some salmon hash, made with red potatoes, veggies and big chunks of wild salmon, plus eggs and toast, for the same price.
“It’s an awesome breakfast. We use organic eggs, from an egg rancher up Yachats River Road, and other organic ingredients whenever we can. We have a seafood benedict that I think is great, with a homemade English muffin, halibut and bay shrimp, plus homemade Hollandaise sauce.” The Luna Sea is easy to spot, its exterior bathed in deep blues and greens, and a 20-foot long Chinook salmon swimming around the highway-front windows. The outside mural, and another one inside the small dining area, were both painted by James R. Mayo of Port Townsend, Wash. Customers also keep a lookout for the fisherman himself, and Anthony does his best to oblige. 
“When they come in and look around, I can tell they want to meet the fisherman. So I always try to come out, meet them, and talk about the fish we sell. My favorite customers are the ones who ask a lot of questions,” he said.
They don’t always have the chance to meet him in person, however. Although he’s now a restaurant owner, Anthony is still a full-time fisherman who spends every moment he can on the grounds. For the past 10 years, he’s been the proud owner of the F/V Liberty II, a 45-foot double-ender, built by Tacoma Boat Works in 1939. He likes to start off the coast of California in April, and follow the seasons north through the summer and fall. In the past, he’s fished as far north as Alaska. As excited as Anthony is about the “vertical marketing” of his Luna Sea products and restaurant, it’s clear they’re just means to an end. And that end, for this 31-year veteran, is fishing. “I lost a lot of fishing time putting our restaurant together, making sure it was going well. But this year, I’ve got a pretty tight crew there – so I can be aggressive on the fishing grounds instead.” Luna Sea Fish House, at 153 N. Hwy. 101 in downtown Yachats, is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call in your take-out order at 541-547-4794. To learn more, point your browser to www.lunaseafishhouse.com. |
