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JEFF IS NO LONGER WITH US AND THE OYSTER BEDS ARE MANAGED BY THE MOST RENOWNED OYSTER MAN IN THE WORLD
Dining means more than oysters
Sunday, January 25, 2004
By MIKE BAILEY, Columbian staff writer
LONG BEACH ---- Four years ago, Jeff McMahon packed his bags and traded the bright lights and flourishing culinary explosion in Portland for the secluded sandy stretch of Washington's southern coastline.
It seemed that McMahon, a chef at the acclaimed Saucebox Restaurant in Portland, also was trading away a chance to serve five-star culinary dishes for a life of ladling up cups of clam chowder served with baskets of fish and chips and other traditional beach-town fare.
But McMahon, along with a handful of other top chefs around the Northwest who now command the menus at several Long Beach Peninsula restaurants, could see potential in the crowds that swarm to the area all year to enjoy abundant recreational opportunities in summer and cozy, storm-watching weekends in the winter.
"People come to Long Beach, especially those from Seattle and Portland, for recreation, to be with nature, and to eat," McMahon said. And he knew that those visitors were accustomed to fine dining at home and would want more than just fried fish and chowder while spending a weekend at the beach.
Food has always played a major role in the tourism-based economy of Long Beach, known for its cranberry bogs, beaches filled with clam diggers, abundant forest mushrooms and the world-famous oyster beds that line the bay. Festivals built around many of these delicacies draw thousands to the hotels, cabins and bed-and-breakfast inns that line the sand dunes. During clam-digging season, lodging is at a premium.
And as expected, chefs are quick to make sure the local produce and seafood are featured on their menus.
But others, like McMahon, who is the chef at the Moby Dick Hotel and Oyster Farm in the town of Nahcotta on the peninsula, don't stop there.
When's the last time you went to the beach for braised buffalo short ribs with leeks, wild mushrooms and parsnip mashed potatoes or brined, roast pork tenderloin with bacony cabbage, couscous and a sweet and sour onion sauce? Or, instead of chowder, how about soups such as Italian wild mushroom with sweet vermouth or curried parsnip with creme fraiche? All are part of McMahon's menu, which changes weekly.
And if you can't hit the beach before savoring a bowl of chowder, even that gets an upgrade at places like the Shoalwater Restaurant, where their award-winning chowder of mussels and clams delight the taste buds.
Tony and Ann Kischner, owners of the Shoalwater Restaurant and the Heron & Beaver Pub-Cafe, both located in the historic Shelburne Inn, migrated from the Seattle area to raise a family in Long Beach and give visitors a chance to experience more than the usual cuisine. The Shoalwater has had its recipes appear in magazines and cookbooks. Among their dishes: Asian crab cakes with red peppers and ginger mayonnaise, English creme scones, and Asian chicken and coconut soup.
"People do want chowder and fish when they come to the beach," said Tony Kischner, who has those items on his menu. "But many are surprised when they discover that's not all they have to choose from."
Another well-known high-end dining opportunity is The Arc, with one of the best views of Willapa Bay. The wait for a table can be long on busy weekends at both The Arc and Shoalwater.
The expanded menus of local restaurants, coupled with dozens of other traditional seafood restaurants in the area, have directly inspired many people to visit Long Beach, said Carol Zahorsky, a public relations manager from Olympia who works with the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau.
"Dining on the Long Beach Peninsula is legendary," she said.
Many tourist agree.
"We're not the hamburger and fries kind of people," said Margaret Simmons, who along with her husband, John, lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Recently, the retired couple visited Long Beach for the second time. One thing that is important while traveling is to enjoy the food they eat, they said, and Long Beach's many opportunities for fine dining is the main reason they came back.
Blaine and Cheri Walker own the 42nd Street Cafe in Long Beach and both have worked in restaurants in the area for two decades.
Even people who come for recreation (to dig razor clams, go fishing or hike the trails in the area) and those who simple want to relax and walk along the beach will usually sit down for at least one meal to taste Pacific oysters that are harvested from beds just a few miles away, Blaine Walker said.
The Walkers, McMahon, and staffs at the Shoalwater and Arc traditionally have pan-fried oysters on the menu.
"People like to find surprises on the menu when they dine out," said Blaine Walker, who has incorporated a Cajun theme in the menu with items such as andouille sausage and beignets (a New Orleans-style doughnut).
"But they also come here for the oysters," Walker said. "We have that on the menu as much as possible and we cook them the way Mom and Dad used to do it."
But even those who work in the restaurant industry understand that they aren't the only reason people come to Long Beach.
Kite-flying or horseback riding on the beach, storm watching, and visiting nearby historic attractions such as Fort Canby are just some of the reasons Long Beach is one of the top visitor spots along the Washington coast.
"I have lived in London, Los Angeles and a lot of places around the world, but I know Long Beach is where I want to be," McMahon said. "It's a stunning place to live with so many opportunities if you want to be close to nature."
More information
* Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau: 800-451-2542 or www.funbeach.com. The e-mail address is info@funbeach.com.