Daphne — Restaurant in Astoria

On Wednesday night I had the absolute pleasure of finally getting to enjoy dinner at @restaurant.daphne in Astoria with my lovely daughter.

I cannot express adequately what a treat this was. Chef Jake Martin has an incredible team at this small but mighty new eatery on the NW coast. The faire is completely locally sourced and features small family producers. The menu changes nearly weekly based on what is fresh, in season, and available. It is what I believe is best described as truly representative of the PNW both in flavor and presentation.

They also have an incredible wine list featuring a bunch of small Oregon producers and some lovely international choices as well.

I started with a beautiful glass of Eyrie 'Spark' Sparkling Rosé of Pinot noir (55%), Chasselas doré (37%), and Pinot blanc (8%)

Menu items enjoyed this evening, perfectly paired with Division Wine Co Ouest Rosé of Gamay Noir, were:

Warm Buttermilk Bread with Cultured Nasturtium Butter and Jacobsen Sea Salt

Salmon Tartare with Borage Flowers and microplained strawberries served with Nasturtium Leave wraps and a dollop of spicy strawberry sambal

Beets with a raspberry purée, horseradish cream swirled with raspberry leaf oil and garnished with dried shaved horseradish

Washington King Salmon, sweet summer legumes, mahogany clams, and tarragon

Ling Cod, thin shaved zucchini, brown butter and a squash purée

Dessert was a delectable rhubarb and lemon posset and strawberry upside-down cake paired with a 10 yr old Madeira 😋

I seriously cannot more highly recommend Restaurant...

Having lived in or near Astoria for nearly 30 years we are familiar with what we feel most Astorians can afford for a restaurant charge. This restaurant caters to the tourist and not the local residents. We were visiting our son as we now live in Arizona. We decided to try Daphne's since neither our son nor daughter in law have been to Daphne's. Upon arrival and perusing the menu we felt that the prices were extremely exorbitant. It would be the first time we experienced a menu item at $51.00 in Astoria. We decided we would still give Daphne's a try even with the extremely limited menu. Maybe the menu can be described as eclectic; have no idea. When our food arrived the beef items did not come as ordered (medium rare). We don't eat rare or medium rare beef so wouldn't know about this (our son's thoughts). The chicken orders came barely lukewarm. One order was sent back to reheat but still came out lukewarm.

The service was mediocre at best. We were the first second or third table to arrive. Service was a bit slow which we don't mind in most conditions. When clearing the table our daughter in law made comment about not thinking the beef was medium rare. The waitress replied "Sorry about that", grabbed the plate and walked off. Not a comment we would expect from a restaurant considered by the owner to be a first class restaurant. With one glass of wine, one beer and one root beer, not much food...

Daphne is a great little restaurant with creative dishes made using local, fresh ingredients. The menu apparently changes weekly based on what is available and in season. Most of the items are small plates meant to be enjoyed more as a tasting menu, but we both chose the fixed course dinner on the theory that the chef probably thought this was the best set of options. We were not disappointed. The first course was a salad of greens and sliced beets with a salty dressing. That was followed by perfectly prepared cod and then a plate of pork over house made pasta that were made out of powdered mushrooms. Each dish had a fun balance of flavors, savory with a tangy element for example. They also have a nice selection of local wines and beers.

Clearly all the effort goes into the food, as the restaurant itself is nothing fancy. The dining area is large and open and airy, but almost devoid of decoration. There are perhaps a dozen tables (reservations are a good idea) widely spaced so it’s hardly crowded, but also not what I would describe as intimate. The server was very pleasant but had the whole restaurant to cover, but the food was nicely timed and we never felt like he was overwhelmed.

We were told that Daphne is new in town, so it may not have a lot of buzz yet. From what I can tell though it is probably the best dinner option in Astoriavand...