Shark’s Seafood Bar & Steamer Co

A seafood gem in the rough, somewhat off the beaten path in Newport, Shark’s Seafood Bar & Steamer Co is the place to go for expertly made cioppino and bouillabaisse, pan roasts, and all manner of Pacific fish poached in steam kettles and served with a sauce of your choice.

Up to now, my benchmark for Good Fish has been a little seafood restaurant in Zandfort am Zee in the Netherlands. I ate there every other day for two weeks… BUT, it may just get dropped down to second place by Shark’s Seafood Bar in Newport, Oregon.

Shark’s Seafood Bar & Steamer Co is a little place at one end of those all-too-common tourist rows you find in beach towns. Hidden in a little store front; past the fancy galleries, past the tacky t-shirt shops; past greasy-food-and-who-knows-what “family” dives… I’d have missed it if not for the recommendation of one of the guides at the local science center.

Even though it was a Saturday night, we lucked out as it was early, and a couple was just leaving. We also lucked out and were seated at the back counter, right in front of the steamers…right in front of the cook! Those steamers are AMAZING.

Imagine a 1-quart stainless steel helmet flipped upside down, suspended between two pipes, with a lever to tilt the pot on it’s side, and you have a pretty good idea of the cooker. The original came from a submarine’s galley. The cook- I really do have a hard time calling the artist behind the counter a “chef”. He’s a cook, a solid, no-nonsense, gets it spot-on each time COOK.

What to eat at Shark’s Seafood Bar & Steamer Co

My girlfriend had the New York seafood hot pot. It was a mix of fish and shellfish in a fantastic broth. Perfect. Perfect enough that she Did Not Share. The couple next to us had seafood in a red sauce over noodles. They were both smiling. The menu covers a lot of aquatic ground and I could have spent a good week trying things without repeating. And, this is a place with a conscience. Despite the name, sharks aren’t on the menu at Shark’s. In fact, if any fish is in danger of being over-fished it isn’t on the menu.

One final recommendation: Try for the counter in the back when you go. The conversations we had with the cook as he and his staff performed their ballet of preparation at the steamers is as entertaining as the food is scrumptious.

Original post by Gary Brown