First, let's start with appetizer. Being in WA, this of course has to be Clam Chowder. The mill boasts in inclusion of Chase Clams (?) and Pancetta. The consistency was thick, but not overly so, and we found it to be quite delicious. The pancetta added a slightly salty flavoring, and the clams were just chewy enough without being tough. (For anyone not familiar with Pancetta, it's pretty much Italian bacon, usually served super thin sliced, but in this case was cut in to small cubes). Also, I believe they included a bit of Paprika, which added a slight hint of flavor, but mostly a yellowish tint to the chowder.
Next, the pre-dinner salad. This was a mixture of "field-greens", or as I refer to them, tree trimmings. Now I know more and more people like the fancy salads, but I am more of an Iceberg and Romaine kinda' guy. Anyway, it was pretty much nothing but this pile of tree trimmings, half of a slice of tomato, half of a cucumber slice, and a few pieces of red onion. Now, the good part: the Ranch. They admitted it was simply mixed from a powder, but it was thick, tangy, and sweet. It seemed to me that it had a sour-cream base, which is awesome! I was totally digging it...until I bit in to a piece of bleu cheese. That's right, they brought me the wrong dressing. Now, while I typically hate that moldy crap, I gotta say, it was still pretty darn tasty.
Finally, the main event: Maple glazed pork loin, with red potatoes and "seasonal vegetable", which in this case meant green beans. Sounds amazing doesn't it? True, the pork was some of the most tender I even had, but that was pretty much the end of the 'yay' factor. The pork literally tasted like solid slices of breakfast syrup, with little to no seasoning besides the glaze. The red potatoes, while seasoned deliciously with salt, pepper, butter, garlic and rosemary, were very undercooked. On the other hand, the green beans were cook perfectly, soft, but still with a bit of crispness to keep it from being mushy. However there wasn't a single grain of seasoning to be found.
Now, I don't want my first review to be completely harsh. The atmosphere was awesome. It seemed to be centered around prohibition-aged speak easies, with tons of photographs of early mill workers in the area. Loggers sitting on the giant stumps (sometimes 8 side by side on the top of one stump!), or relaxing on a hilltop enjoying the view. Very relaxing and inviting. The waiter was very friendly and helpful, and we never had to sit around waiting for him to check on us, but we didn't feel suffocated or rushed either. So, all in all, I would give it a 3 out of 5. But be warned, don't go unless you feel like dropping quite a pretty penny. For my meal, the bowl of soup, and a kids plate of grilled chicken, we dropped over $50.
Well, that's it for my first go-round. Let me know what you think and feel free to suggest any places in the Ocean Shores area for me to check out for ya!
