(silvercitybrewery.com) – Silverdale (on the Peninsula) 

How I heard of this place: My friend Chris introduced me to this place as we celebrated his last day of work/service in the Navy with 21 of his colleagues! 

Type of cuisine: Poster-worthy pub fare. Everything from steak and pasta to a northwest take on pub sandwiches, including a sockeye salmon BLT and a wasabi burger, to an Asian chicken salad and a chicken pot pie that could serve an entire family!   

Ambiance: Large and bustling from eleven o’clock in the morning! Entering the Brewery, parties are greeted by the host or hostess, where they are immediately seated in either the roomy downstairs, the bar, or upstairs in a loft-style environment, overlooking the floor below. Squared windows line the space, but the dark feel of a pub in the wintery snow still exists. Booths have high seat backs to keep privacy in each party, and the wooden tables are chairs are bulky and hearty. It seems like the place to be, at least for lunch, in this small town.

What I ordered: There were so many of us there, I did not even attempt to remember what the entire table(s) ordered. The guest of honor started with a creamy artichoke and spinach dip ($10.99), in which baby spinach and rich artichokes were heated with cream cheese, Asiago and a pinch of nutmeg and served with organic tortilla chips dusted with fresh parsley flakes and Parmesan cheese. He continued with a basil mushroom fettucini ($12.99) with tender, pulled chicken (additional $1.99). This dish consisted of caramelized wild mushrooms simmered in a rich garlic basil cream sauce and topped with Asiago cheese. Lightly buttered French garlic bread placed, like horns, at the sides of the large serving dish. In my immediate vicinity, we had two orders for the chicken pot pie ($12.99). I was one of them, as it came highly recommended by at least two of the diners. This hearty delight with oven roasted chicken, layered with caramelized root vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, celery) and savory herbed chicken gravy, was baked in a large dish, topped with a flakey Tillamook cheddar crust. At my table was also an order for the Panko encrusted halibut and chips ($15.99 for three-piece), the Bucklin’ Hills baby back ribs ($16.99), the Porter mustard Reuben ($12.99), a Big Daddy burger ($11.99), barbecue pork sliders ($7.99), clam chowder (cup for $3.99), and a northwest seafood cobb salad ($12.99). I saw other pasta dishes, as well as steaming hot plates with large quantities of food pass by, knowing they were being served in our party, but this was all I could get from those seated around me. 

What I loved: Of the artichoke and spinach dip, the pasta and the pot pie that I sampled, I enjoyed them most in that order. The whole artichoke hearts and leaves tasted fresh and creamy in the cheese, the spinach leaves wilted but mostly in tact. While it sounds rich and decadent, the flavor was smooth and the small dish light. The pasta tasted of garlic and the mushrooms sweetly caramelized in the rich cheese sauce; garlic bread crispy with hints of garlic and cheese in the buttered baguette. The pot pie, enjoyed later for dinner, was a hearty, stick to your bones meal that could have easily served three. 

Why I loved it: The large portions, for the cost; a party in celebration of a good friend’s last day of service in the armed forces; seeing the happiness and the joy in the faces of colleagues who all came out to support and celebrate their esteemed colleague; friendly staff and efficient service from the establishment; what is not to be loved about that? 

Cost: Average to high ($4.99 – $30.99 per smaller appetizer to large entree)