Something special

Pacific Café pleases both the palate and eye

Stacee Sledge

Oct 2, 2003 — Until recently, I'd only been to Pacific Café once, where I shared a delicious lunch with my mother while she was visiting from the Midwest. From the first delectable bite, I knew my husband would love the place, but I somehow never got back. I've finally corrected that unfortunate situation.

A recent Saturday evening found us entering the eatery for an early dinner reservation, just as clouds rolled in to darken the already reaching romantic dining room.

The moment I walked in the door, I remembered exactly why I thought Michael would like it: the aroma lofting from the kitchen. Herbs and fresh seafood and steam and flavor wafted out from the cooking area tucked out of site behind the long dining room.

A dozen tables decorated the comfortable space, warmed by honey-colored wood accents and a bit of exposed brick. Wraparound windows along the front and side of the tranquil room peeked through dark wood shutters.

Each table held crisp linen napkins, heavy silver, understated glassware, elegant white plates and a flickering candle.

Pacific Café serves a fabulous fusion of Asian and Pacific Northwest cuisine, with a touch of European style thrown in for good measure. The decor makes a subtle nod to the Asian influence with beautiful Shoji screen accents used as dividers between some tables.

Pacific Café

Location:  100 N. Commercial St. Phone: 647-0800 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. 5:30 to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Serving: An impressive fusion of Asian and Pacific Northwest cuisine, crowned by decadent desserts reminiscent of European specialties. Menu items sampled: Calamari $7.95  King salmon $18.95  Prime beef tenderloin $23.95  Dessert sampler plate $7.95  Dark chocolate truffle $1.95 each

We were greeted warmly and seated immediately after entering. As we perused the menu, our server took our wine order and told us about the evening's specials.

Normally, I politely steer my husband away from specials when we're eating out for a review because I like to discuss a dish that readers can also order. But the look on his face when our server described the king salmon made me relent.

It wasn't as easy for me to decide — everything sounded superb. From Thai chicken panang coconut curry with bamboo shoots and straw mushrooms to Pacific seafood linguine Parmesan with prawns, clams and fish, I was torn.

I had decided to try the Dungeness crab cakes with ginger apricot sauce but at the last moment changed my mind and ordered the prime beef tenderloin.

Shortly after taking our orders, our server returned with a basket of crunchy bread and a small serving dish holding two small decorative globes of butter.

Our appetizer of calamari arrived next, served on a small square platter and garnished with scant curls of scallion and red pepper. The portion was generous, with barely breaded, lightly fried rounds and tentacles of scrumptious squid dipped into small bowl of pesto aioli.

The restaurant filled up around us as we enjoyed our leisurely paced repast.

Our entrees arrived next, both presented with obvious care to the taste and the aesthetics of each dish.

The gorgeous filet of king salmon was pan-broiled and topped with a flavorful pesto sauce that complemented the fish but didn't overpower it. One bite and my husband, who is a connoisseur of salmon, practically sighed in satisfaction.

My prime beef tenderloin was served with a five peppercorn merlot sauce that was delicate yet strong enough to stand up to the succulent cut of meat. I've been fortunate enough to enjoy some of the finest steaks our area has to offer, and I'll now add Pacific Café's prime beef tenderloin to the short list of the most exquisite I've tried.

Both entrees were served with two potato croquettes, slightly flattened ball-shaped wonders, crisply breaded on the outside.

Each entree also shared its plate with a rainbow of fresh veggies, from zucchini and red pepper slices to purple cauliflower and yellow squash. Beet was shaved into unbelievably thin strings that were then rolled together beautifully to top the remaining vegetables in a beautiful garnish.

I had my heart set on trying the Belgian chocolate torte with white chocolate ice cream, but the restaurant had run out. Instead, we chose the dessert sampler plate and a duet of dark chocolate truffles.

The sampler included a mini version of the restaurant's lovely crème caramel Courvoisier, a classic French dessert of custard baked in a caramel-coated mold and finished with Courvoisier cognac.

Sharing the platter was a milk-chocolate-dipped almond chocolate praline, a scoop of ice cream, fresh whipped cream holding up a thin triangle of white chocolate, and slivers of fresh strawberry.

We also added two dark chocolate truffles to our dessert order. Biting into each was pure heaven, tasting hardened shells with oozy chocolate inside.

The only disappointment of the night was that it was over too soon — but to remedy that, we've already made plans to pop in for lunch next week. I knew he'd love it.