There is nothing about the appearance of the Crab Pot in Lincoln City that would lead you to believe there is great food inside--actually inside is a misnomer, because there is no inside, it's a no nonsense fishmonger stand with an awning out front. The only clue to the quality of the place might be the cars lined up in front, or the people standing five deep at the counter waiting their turn to get fresh seafood. I stoped in the other day. For some reason I got it into my head to make a cioppino. This is a hearty fish stew made with fresh ingredients. I waited my turn, let a few folks go ahead of me, and then told the owner, Allen Black, "I'm thinking about make a cioppino." He asked the next logical question, "What do you want to put in your cioppino?" I had no idea. Seeing the totally blank look on my face, he suggested that we consult with Saint James. I was even more puzzled until he brought out his original edition of The James Beard Cookbook by James Beard. As he looked in the index for Beard's cioppino recipe he did some reminiscing about the author. What he said almost knocked me over. "James use to stop by here all the time. I wish I would have remembered to have him sign my book one of those times." How strange to be one degree removed from one of the most famous chefs in the history of the Pacific Northwest. James Beard, THE James Beard use to stop by this fishmonger's place to get his fresh seafood. And what great fish it is. You can get one of the best crab cocktails I've ever tasted for $7.95. (You choose a piece of bread, or a half a lemon for garnish.) I picked up four Dungeness crabs, two large fillets of white sole, a couple of pounds of steamer clams, a pound of scallops, and a dozen large, fresh prawns. That much fresh seafood is not cheap, but the taste when it's all steamed together in a tomato enriched broth is heaven. We added a loaf of brown and serve sourdough bread from the local Sentry Market (by the way some heavenly coffee can be had right next door, freshly roasted on sight.)
This dinner was for our family and our good friends, Garry and Irma. We combined the meal with an '06 Montinore "Almost Dry" Riesling wine. I loved the meal. We spread out newspapers all of the table, give everyone a fork, spoon, bowl and plate . . . and dig in. There is something so fun about tearing apart a crab and sucking down all that great, sweet meat. Working so hard for you food seems to make it taste even better.