SNOHOMISH — Roger’s River View Bistro is one of those places where the specials are written on a chalk board.
The farm-to-table focus on fresh and local ingredients means that the specials change frequently.
My husband and I sat down for a meal there on the first day of spring.
It was raining outside, but we still asked to be seated on the restaurant’s deck overlooking the Snohomish River. A clear plastic tarp that covered the deck railing kept the rain off our table and kerosene heaters kept us warm.
I hope to go back in summer when the deck is wide open and the bistro’s produce is even better.
On the bistro’s website, “partners and purveyors” lists the local farms and companies that supply Roger’s.
Bob’s Corn near Clearview provided the main ingredient in the corn chowder ($6) I had for an appetizer. Despite being picked and frozen in September, the corn was crunchy, and the creamy broth was tasty.
My husband ordered a small but beautifully plated Caesar salad ($6) with house-made croutons.
Other appetizers include a Swiss fondue, French onion soup with Walla Walla sweets, pork sliders and a salmon rillette, with grilled salmon, smoked salmon and farm-fresh dill served on chilled toast points.
Toast points are corners of toasted bread or thin toasted slices of baguette. We also enjoyed Shannon’s toast points ($7), with local cheese topped with homemade jam.
Pork Milanese ($18), a butterflied pork chop breaded and pan-seared with fresh field greens and tomatoes with a lemon caper sauce was my husband’s entree choice. The pork sat on top of savory mashed potatoes, which kept the meat warm and moist.
I ordered Roger’s Clams in a creamy basil, shallot and leek sauce over house-made pasta ($18). The taste was great, but the pasta was a bit tough and the broth had bits of broken clam shell.
When I return in summer, I am going to try the Farmer’s Waldorf Salad, which includes romaine and spring greens tossed in a Skip Rock Distillers nocino and honey herbed vinaigrette, topped with orange glazed chicken, gorgonzola crumbles, house-made candied pecans, apples and sweet roasted peppers.
Other dinner items include a steak seared in a cast iron skillet, roasted salmon, chicken cordon bleu and a bistro burger.
The restaurant has a nice selection of local and Northwest regional beer, wine and a short list of spirits, in particular from Skip Rock, just up the street.
The dessert menu lists pecan pie, a sundae, cheesecake and a chocolate fondue with fruit.
But we chose the special ($8) that night, a cobbler made with local fresh-frozen berries and pears. It was delicious and not too sweet.
Our coffee ($3), made in a French press brought to our table, was from Vista Clara Coffee in Snohomish.
Another great thing about Roger’s River View Bistro is that on Mondays, kids eat free from the children’s menu.
Roger’s doesn’t take reservations for parties smaller than 10 people and is open for lunch only Saturdays.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Roger’s River View Bistro
1011 First St., Snohomish, 360-563-2800, rogersriverview.com
Hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m. Friday; noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sundays.
Alcohol: Limited bar. Happy hour is 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
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