Woggy's - The Real Deal!

As chili is to New Mexico, fish & chips are to Northern California and Oregon.

Halibut season came and went. A day late and a dollar short, when offered some frozen I admitted $22/pd was out of my league. The woman suggested I was a candidate for rockfish.

Strolling the dock in Crescent City, I chanced upon a fisherman unloading the remains of his catch. The de-meated skeletons, with heads attached, smelled relatively fresh and though this was the wharf trash bin, my curiosity was piqued.

The fisherman, a bearded fellow about my age and of equal girth, almost a stereotype with his overalls and wire-rims, responded to my question about whether the red ones were snapper by launching into a description of the species, subspecies, cousins and relative prevalence of each, tossing in their latin names like a true scholar.

I have to admit I was taken aback and briefly, only for moment or two mind you, but briefly, made speechless. Recovering, I asked about where to obtain some. He said all of his went to Seaquake, a nearby restaurant.

As anyone who's fooled around with fish knows, nearly all (fish) have, depending on where you are on the planet, at least twenty names. I'd seen a few purveyors, preying to gullibility, refer to them as rockfish-snapper, but snapper, a LARGE fish that's bright red, has a delicious flavor. And while some of the rockfish are red, and to some extent of similar physiognomy, rockfish are in the size range with tilspia, but, in flavor, a rung below Ms. Paul's fish sticks.

https://www.mrspauls.com/fish-sticks/fish-sticks

Thinking to arrive in time to partake of fresh, we sped to Seaquake where a looong line sat peering at their phones. Hoping to be served sooner, we took seats at the bar.

Now, I'm not much of a barfly, but the woman mixing drinks in front of us had the motions of a karate master. As she sped through the process, it was impossible not to notice the smooth precision of execution. Finally, unable to contain myself, I asked, "Who *are* you?"

She was, as incongruous as it seemed, a world-class snowboarder and skateboard champion. She'd taken up bartending to support her habit and now, ten years on, was truly an expert. She'd recently relocated from Tahoe where skyrocketing rents had forced her out.

Tall and large-bodied, she allowed as how she commutes on a single-wheel board and though hospitalized a number of times, her enthusiasm remains strong. You just never know.

Back to rockfish...unimpressed by Seaquake but with fond memories of the fish & chips from Griff's in Port Orford (my notes from 2016 say to "Get two!"), Griff's had disappeared and The Crazy Norwegians didn't open for several more hours so I went to "The Dive."

*The Dive* has daily specials and it being Tuesday, it was fish tacos....$3.00 each, normally two for $12.00; I bit.

The agglomeration (on the smallish, sand-dollar size tortilla) included a smattering of "slaw" with its own sauce, some salsa and the fish. The fish reminded me of a mild-flavored mackeral and, hungry as I was, I choked it down.

I few days earlier, at Gold Beach, I'd noticed Woggy's, a food truck down the way (south) from "the Mall." They'd closed and Iver and Grace were finishing packing up for the day, but Iver took time to tell how he catches the fish himself...with a pole. His description of their crispy batter made my mouth water and as I was leaving Grace mentioned they also have clam chowder. Determined to return, I got a picture.

Today I did...and they're the real deal! The fish, though still rockfish, is cooked to perfection and comes apart with the shininess between flakes that connotes the optimum of savory. The batter is crispy with subtle flavors that distiguish it from all others. The chowder is delicious; neither too thick nor too thin, gently seasoned and heavily laden with toothable bits of clam.

Splurging, I got a burger to go. It too was worthy of praise. Garnished with generous amounts of pickle, lettuce and tomato, it was a substantial chunk of meat on a bun that was recognizable by NOT being yer average Food Club offering. The side of slaw was fresh and crisp and the fries interesting (generous portion)  in their thin coating of batter. And each entree (not including the chowder) was a mere $12.00 (and maybe some change).

They're a tad hard to find, but up to now, 27.July, they've set the bar.

29900 Harbor Way, Gold Beach, OR 97444

Grace and Iver

I'm going back for seconds.