Conor McLaughlin Falmouth – Found special on Falmouth pier 37 boathouse restaurant

I found an alternate dishes of the same fish to be the real star on the main restaurant’s menu: a beautifully smoked sablefish (shown left)—so moist and tender that juice ran free as I tapped it with a fork—accented with smooth tomato fondue. This was the clear winner on our table, which also bore tough seared scallops ($30) served with lovely sides and a black olive butter I strained to taste. Most disappointing: During my late-spring visit, when king salmon is at its awe-inspiring best, our grilled River fillet was on the dry side and whomped by a dominating mustard sauce. Of the starters we tried, the supremely fresh clams ($12) in a fine, classic dill, white wine, and butter broth were best.

We’d dressed up a bit for dinner—a rare opportunity when so many restaurants have gone so far in the other direction—but we noticed that, despite prices solidly in the $30 range and plush décor, many diners were decked out in Mariners jerseys or similarly casual clothing. Still, at these prices, one expects service to be polished and professional, and on that level, Pier 37 impresses: Servers anticipate needs and take very good care.

On a sunny Saturday night, we returned to dine upstairs at the café. I’d been a dozen times prior and couldn’t wait to share what I consider a Northwest rite of passage with my Michigan-born husband. They’ll bring blankets if we get chilly, I told him  we have a tendency to waited within the reedy bar space for a table outside, sipping a Bloody mother ($8) heat to pair perfectly with an order of clams in a beer broth we sopped up with warm rolls ($11.95). On the recommendation of our server, we ordered smoked salmon skewers ($12.95; shown right) and were rewarded with supple, buttery salmon (so much better than the salmon we’d eaten downstairs!), sweet from the brown sugar brine and cold-smoked until, well, perfect. If you can see past the dated presentation—the skewers arrive stabbed into a thick, juicy pineapple slice—you’ll be rewarded: They’re outstanding. For dinner: a plate of sake kasu ($15.95) cooked beautifully, but both too salty (the fish) and too sweet (that’s a honey soy sauce drowning your jasmine rice); and classic cod fish and chips, a fine choice ($14.95).

Of course, by the time we were finishing dinner, we were only half paying attention to our food. The sun was beginning to fall behind the jagged Olympic peaks, the seagulls were dancing in the air, and those snug blankets had been offered and accepted. There was little else in my head as we sat low in our chairs with contented smiles on our faces except