I finally posted the salmon recipe I created a few years back in Westport, Washington, and realized I should share some pictures to help you get to know this quaint little oceanfront town.
One way to enjoy Westport is the way we did a few years ago, as a stop on a ten-day journey up the Pacific Coast, starting in San Francisco and ending in Seattle.
Big-time Salmon Fishing
Westport was a 2-night stay on our Pacific Coast Highway trip, primarily to take advantage of the deep sea salmon fishing. Fish were caught! Five of them, weighting 50 lbs. total.
It’s not just about the fishing in Westport, though. There’s a lot more to do.
Stroll the Marina
The marina area is a great place to stroll and soak in the local culture, feasting your eyes on boats and birds.
Bennett’s Fish Shack
And then there’s Bennett’s Fish Shack, an eatery that perfectly fits its surroundings. Even the building has a cheery, casual, “aren’t-we-lucky-we’re-not-in-the-Big-City-Rat-Race” feel, so you can imagine how the servers are. Delightful.
And seafood, do they ever have seafood! Fried seafood, boiled seafood, broiled seafood, grilled seafood, sautéed seafood, on-the-half-shell seafood, seafood in a salad, seafood on a sandwich…you name it, and if it is Pacific seafood, I bet they have it. My choice was the mussels and clams you see below, and they were stellar. Plump, cooked perfectly, and in a succulent sauce that the perfect balance of lemon, butter and white win. There was plenty of bread for sopping and a decent wine, perfect for the lovely summer evening when we visited.
Lunch and Wine Tasting at the Westport Winery
While our menfolk were fishing during our only full day in Westport, my mom-in-law and I had a leisurely day that enabled me to take all these photos, and included a 2-hour stop at the Westport Winery. There’s a lot to do there!
The grounds are covered with charming, quirky and thought-provoking art.
The restaurant, aptly named the Sea Glass Grill, is sophisticated without being stuffy, and choices range from upscale salads to the Bubba Burger. All of the menu choices have recommended wine pairings – yum! I had the Crab Louie, and my mom-in-law selected the crab cakes. Alas, I took no photos! But below you’ll see the crab cakes from the Westport Winery web site. And yes, they tasted as good as they looked, and double-yes, the food was artfully plated, just like in the photo.
And of course we did the requisite wine tasting! Wine is what the Westport Winery is all about, even though they are now officially the Westport Winery Garden Resort, providing facilities, to eat, drink, shop and sleep. Did I say shop? I daresay we spent half an hour in the winery’s gift shop – really – because it had such a great selection of cool gifts and collectibles. And wine. And just now, looking on their web site, I saw this great description:
“The gift shop was selected as one of the top ten among Washington wineries in 2015. It is known for its incredible selection of gourmet food, apparel, books, and home decor. You can gather unusual and beautiful plants for your home garden from the winery’s nursery after finding inspiration in the acres of display gardens.”
That pretty much sums up our experience. Westport, you’ve got a winning winery. We’ll be back!
Nice Vacation Rentals
We stayed in a lovely waterfront condo and enjoyed watching the birds and ships. The Coast Guard staged a marine rescue training activity one evening during our stay – great free entertainment, and very comforting, besides.
TripAdvisor has tons of listings for vacation rentals in Westport.
More to See
We didn’t have time to tour the town’s museums, but really enjoyed driving around. The town is really colorful, and welcoming, and speaks of the sea everywhere.
Finally, the Sunset
These photos don’t need words.
References
- My other post about Westport: Westport Salmon, a Recipe Born of Necessity
- Bennett’s Fish Shack (on Facebook)
- Westport Winery and Garden Resort
- Nice post in the Chasing My Halo blog with more info: Things to Do in Westport, WA in One Day
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
