Rockfish Bakery
Fishing for Pizza Fame
By Niki Price
OREGON COAST TODAY
At first, pizza at the Rockfish Bakery was something of a private club. While they were baking the Lincoln City restaurant’s everyday selection of artisan-style loaves, the bakers would throw in a sourdough pizza crust covered with whatever cured meats, fresh cheeses and roasted vegetables that were lying around. Employees of the Rockfish or its parent eatery, the Blackfish Café, would drop by for a slice or two, or take some home for dinner.
Fortunately, what was once just an inside perk is now a regular offering at the Rockfish. They make at least two kinds every day, one vegetarian (with different types of cheese, fresh tomatoes and roasted vegetables) and one carnivore (featuring in-house sausage or a cured ham called capicola). But what really makes their pizza special, said Rockfish manager Trillium Kallio, is the crust.
“It’s on our own housemade sourdough crust, so it’s very unusual and tasty — nice and crisp but it still has a lot of substance. We bake it on a stone, so it has a crispy but delicate crust,” she said.
The pizzas are generally ready by 10:30 or 11 a.m. every day the Rockfish is open, Wednesday through Sunday, and they sell for $2.75 a slice. With a couple hours’ notice, they can make a whole pizza for about $20, depending on the toppings. Their pizzas have been warmly received, Kallio said, but she always makes sure to warn first-timers: they usually aren’t made with tomato sauce.
“We use mostly olive oil with fresh herbs, which is slightly unconventional but really tasty. They’re surprised how good it is without all that heavy sauce, as long as you have really good stuff on it. And it’s a lot better for people who have heartburn issues,” she said.
There are other changes on the lunch menu, with a bigger variety of deli sandwiches available on your choice of the Rockfish signature breads, served with a dill pickle and with a bag of Tim’s Cascade Style potato chips. One of the best sellers is piled with turkey, which is slow-roasted across the street at the Blackfish Café, plus sundried tomato mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese, for $6.25.
The regular sandwich menu also includes an extravaganza of roasted seasonal vegetables like summer squash, zucchini, peppers and eggplant, with a cream cheese spiced with sambol, an Asian chile paste. There’s also a club sandwich and a ham and swiss, in the same price neighborhood.
To expand your horizons, try one of the chalkboard specials. Last week, they tried a pork sandwich with cabbage slaw and pico de gallo, as well as a roast beef with caramelized onions. If you try one that you really like, let them know.
“We’re open to suggestions,” said Kallio. “If we come across some sandwich specials that are a really big hit, we may add them to the menu.”
Right now, the Rockfish sandwiches are served on your choice of multi-grain (“a subtly-sweet 10-grain bread with a substantial texture but a light flavor that goes with most everything,” Kallio said) or a crusty Italian. Soon, they may also be offering a whole wheat bread and a rye with caraway seeds. All are made with organic flour.
The Rockfish was established in 2004 to provide dinner rolls and hamburger buns for the renowned Blackfish Café. Chef Rob Pounding and his wife, Mary, own both restaurants and have been excited to see the progress at the Rockfish. On a given Saturday, locals and visitors drop by for brownies, quick breads (carrot cake, gingerbread, apple spice and more) and cookies (big and soft, with chocolate chip, double chocolate and oatmeal varieties) whipped up by Dominique Long. Justin Bastian, who has moved over the Blackfish family from the Bay House, contributes pastries like Danishes, rustic scones, lemon bars, macaroons and key lime bars. The Rockfish cinnamon rolls, redolent with imported cinnamon and creamy frosting, are a perennial favorite. They’re all for sale individually as well as for a crowd (“With a few days’ notice we can accommodate almost anything,” the manager said). They’re washed down with Café Mam, a shade-grown, fair-trade coffee that is certified organic.
“We think that it’s just a fantastic coffee. It has a real bold but smooth kind of flavor to it,” said Kallio. “It just seeps out of the espresso machine with a good crema and a good creamy texture all in itself. And they make a great decaf as well. It’s so good that people have a hard time telling it from the regular.”
Barristas like Kallio make cappuccino, latte and Americano coffees, breve, hot cocoa and steamers. Their mocha syrups are made in-house with organic cocoa and sugar, too. More coffee specials are on the way, Kallio said.
There’s a street-side counter facing Hwy. 101, and seven wooden tables open for lunch, coffee and conversation. Paintings by Jill Faulk and ink drawings on wood by Ben Soeby complete the bakery scene, which comes complete with the staff’s favorite pizza.
“It’s a really nice place to kind of sit back, have a good conversation, play some chess or read a book, with a calm ambiance and a friendly staff,” Kallio said. “We play some funky music at times, too.”
The Rockfish Bakery, 3026 NE Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City, is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. They’re closed on Monday and Tuesday. To place a special order, call 541-996-1006.
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| The Rockfish Bakery, which was founded to provide breads and rolls for its parent restaurant, the Blackfish Cafe, now does a brisk business on its own. They make artisan whole-grain, sourdough and sweet breads as well as savory scones and stone-baked pizza. Bakers like Dominique Long make at least two varieties of pizza every day. OCT photos. |
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