Because you shouldn’t eat the tulips/ by Tom Cole, Etta’s
Spring in the Skagit Vallet, and every good Northwesterner knows that means just one thing: fish and chips at La Conner Pub. It’s practically a ritual rite of the season. Sure, these days there are any number of charming bakeries, bistros, and brewpubs around town, but this dear old stand-by has an honesty and dedication to fried food that deserves a hearty “hello!” from hungry visitors.
We settled into our window table and watched a harbor seal paddling around in the Swinomish Channel. First came our two glasses of cold, cheap white wine and then lunch. I had fish and chips, thick battered and brown from the deep fryer, all snuggled next to hot, hot fries and a plastic cup of fresh, dilly tartar sauce. Extra tartar sauce is mandatory, and our cheery server made sure I had plenty. My wife went for fried scallops, and they were a good contrast to my fish: crunchy and crisp and bursting with steaming scallop juice. I’d have let out a war hoop of joy, but the bar crowd was watching a Fred Astaire movie on TV and one should be careful not to interrupt other rituals in progress.
Someone said somethign about a few tulips around La Conner right now, but fried food at the Pub is a pretty tough act to follow. Plan accordingly.
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April 14th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
The second trip to La Conner try out Nell Thorn Restaurant & Pub. As locals, it’s our go to place. And they buy loads of local farm products. (Ok I admit I sell them produce.)Cheers!