The food of the Pacific Rim is as varied as the languages spoken there. For a chef, that means lots of freedom. Branden Moreau exercises all of his culinary muscles at Pacific Rim Ballroom and Supper Club, newly opened in Tulalip’s Best Western hotel.
Not a seafood fan? Try Aussie Bangers, Bubbles and Squeak — grilled sausage, cabbage and potato cake, a $14 option that’s heavier on colonial British food than traditional Australian cuisine.
For appetizers, chicken satay is offered alongside oyster shooters and tempura calamari (all $7).
The menu, a hodgepodge of flavors, is as unexpected as the restaurant itself.
At first, the place feels like a relic from a 1950s movie, in which the darlings of the song-and-dance world emerge from backstage and dazzle audiences with their contralto solos and tap routines. (Fred? Ginger? Is that you?)
The dining room is freshly scrubbed, but hasn’t been updated recently. The color mauve figures prominently in the furnishings.
The center of the restaurant, both literally and figuratively, is the dance floor, which is open most nights for a variety of events. On a recent night, a DJ played country music and gave line dancing lessons. Dinner theater, jazz and blues are all on the calendar. The staff encourages everyone to have fun; if you’re out on the dance floor, your server is likely to join you.
Moreau has been known to leave his kitchen to show off his expert yo-yo skills, which had the place cheering loudly on a recent evening.
As far as the food goes, I’ll start where you should: peach-almond cheesecake. Pray that this slice of heaven is offered every night, and order it, if you must, as an appetizer. Don’t plan on sharing. It’s that good.
A chocolate-stuffed egg roll, served with a ramekin of vanilla ice cream, was also, unexpectedly, very good.
If you must follow the rules and eat your vegetables before indulging, order the seared ahi ($7). The ginger sorbet, served in a small cup between slices of spicy-seared ahi, tastes as fresh as a thumb of real ginger. The ahi itself is what you’d expect from a good sushi restaurant — bright pink and tender.
All entrees and sandwiches come with a choice of a salad or “Pacific Rim” fries, which are fried sweet potatoes with cumin and brown sugar.
The house salad is better than most: fresh mixed greens with kiwi slices, with a light coat of tangerine vinaigrette.
When it comes to meat, I’m not easy to please, I’ll admit. I want a cut that’s tender enough to hold its own, without a lot of razzle-dazzle, especially when prepared with a flash of heat that sears it just beyond raw.
However, I’m of a mind that caution is prudent when I’m not presiding over the grill. I ordered my New York steak ($23) medium-rare. Unfortunately, it arrived well-done. It was difficult to determine whether the tough chewiness of the meat was more because it was a poor cut or the cooking method, which so frazzled the piece that its edges curled in protectively toward one another. I won’t rule out the notion that a microwave was part of the process.
The plate found redemption in a simple pineapple salsa, scooped atop a curved sheath of baked plantain. I also enjoyed the Pacific Rim fries, which came on the side with a chili aioli.
I also stole more than a few bites of pan-seared salmon ($23), crusted with sesame seeds. The “whipped” potatoes that came alongside the fish seemed an odd combination, but were still good.
It’s a tough road to start a business in the midst of a recession, especially a restaurant on the edge of town. Owners Mark and Cindy Langmas have been in the industry since at least 1990, when they opened “Moveable Feast Catering.” At Pacific Rim, they’re betting that everyone needs to have a little fun, now more than ever.
Dinner for two can be a bit pricey ($70 or more if you select an entree instead of a sandwich), but it helps to know that the price includes evening-long entertainment.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422, kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
Restaurant reviewers arrive unannounced and The Herald pays for their meal.
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