Whidbey Island offers good food, place to relax
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, July 29, 2004
After five days a week in a cubicle, Whidbey Island gives me a nearby and welcome mini-vacation. During the last two years, I have reviewed many of the restaurants on the island and wanted to share some of my favorites. They are, in alphabetical order:
Christopher’s Front Street Restaurant. 23 NW Front St. Coupeville, 360-678-1883, www.christophersonwhidbey.com. Andreas Wurzrainer re-opened Christopher’s in June 2002. Since then, he’s added light piano music Friday through Sunday to the elegant dining room. The restaurant serves traditional European favorites and has a reasonably priced wine list that includes selections from Whidbey Island, Washington, Oregon and California.
The Cove inside the Captain Whidbey Inn. 2072 W. Captain Whidbey Inn Road, Coupeville, 360-678-9325, www.captainwhidbey.com/dining.html. Chef James Roberts has won Gourmet magazine’s first-place award. He served as chef de cuisine at Seattle’s noted Rover’s restaurant before returning home to Whidbey a year ago. His fine-dining fare, complimented by an excellent wine list, includes fresh Northwest seasonal ingredients. If you stay at the inn, breakfast is complimentary.
Edgecliff. 510 Cascade Ave. Langley, 360-221-8899. Chef Gordon Stewart hasn’t changed the menu since our visit in September 2002 but he continues to feature seasonal vegetables and fruits in his dishes. Menu items include pastas, meat-and-potato or Pacific Northwest seafood favorites, and desserts. Most wines on the list fall into the $20 to $25 range and include bottles from Whidbey Island, Washington, Oregon and California plus French champagne.
The Fish Bowl. 317 Second St., Langley, 360-221-6511. There have been big changes at The Fish Bowl since our visit in August 2002. Originally, the restaurant shared space with a kitchenware store. The store is now gone. The restaurant used to serve lunch and is now dinner only. There’s live music on Friday nights. The menu’s changed considerably, but chef Micah Noack is still in the kitchen.
Knead &Feed. Downstairs, 4 NW Front St., Coupeville, 360-678-5431. “It’s all the same,” said owner Jeanette Kroon when we called for an update. This on-the-water eatery serves soups made from scratch daily, sandwiches served on bread baked in the restaurant, salads and freshly baked pies. Try to visit on the weekend when Kroon prepares a lunchtime shrimp bisque; it has a reputation as one of the best around.
Oystercatcher. 901 Grace St., Coupeville, 360-678-0683. This intimate restaurant that overlooks Penn Cove serves fresh seasonal favorites along with meat, poultry, fish and vegetarian entrees. Chef-owner Susan Vanderbeek changes the menu every three weeks. The wines include 18 whites, ranging from $16 to $45 a bottle, 19 reds from $18 to $60, five champagnes from $24 to $84 plus sparkling cider at $10 and one rose at $16. The wines are from Argentina, California, France, Oregon, Spain and Washington.
Rosi’s Garden Restaurant. 602 N. Main St., Coupeville, 360-678-5305, www.whidbeyvictorianbandb.com/restaurant.html. The restaurant has added more outdoor seating, said co-owner and chef Simon Bargh. Located inside the historic Jacob Jenne home that’s now the Victorian Bed and Breakfast, Rosi’s stays with its Italianate style – local seafood with an Italian flair. Bargh’s skills in the kitchen have been rewarded with three wins in the island’s annual mussel-chowder competition.
Star Bistro. 201 First St., Langley, above the Star Store, 360-221-2627. Star Bistro chef Paul Divina follows the seasons. Currently, he’s serving lighter summer fare with an emphasis on wild king salmon and Dungeness crab and stone fruit in desserts. He’s created two new salads – strawberry-avocado and Thai chicken chili. Menu selections change weekly. If you can’t decide what to order, consider any salmon dish, the burger or Divina’s specialty – pan-fried oysters.
Toby’s Tavern. 8 NW Front St., Coupeville, 360-678-4222. Since 1938 Toby’s been an island mainstay. When you visit, pair your pound of steamed mussels or fish and chips – salmon and halibut when they’re in season – with a Toby’s Parrot Ale, brewed in Anacortes, or one of the other 10 brews on tap.
