A Fremont Restaurant That's Worth Its Salt

May 6, 1994

John Hinterberger

------------------------------------------------------------------ Restaurant review

XX The Longshoreman's Daughter, 3508 Fremont Place N. American. ($$) Breakfast ($3.50 to $6) 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Lunch ($3 to $7) 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Dinner ($6 to $11) 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly. Beer, wine. Major credit cards. No smoking. No reservations. Information: 633-5169. ------------------------------------------------------------------

The Longshoreman's Daughter, a funky, congenial spot in the middle of Fremont, is indeed run by a longshoreman's daughter.

"And a longshoreman's sister and a longshoreman's niece," said proprietor Lori Mason. "And if I could, I'd have worked alongshore myself. It's a good job."

The interior reflects her occupational admiration. The walls are painted in pastel depictions of dockside themes, the main counter is a piece of rolled steel industrial art (with a gorgeous old marble countertop), and the whole place has a no-nonsense, utilitarian feel.

What's surprising is that the quality of the food far outstrips the utilitarian fare you'd find along most of the working waterfront.

Breakfasts are sumptuous, affordable and popular. Expect to wait up to a half hour for a table on weekend mornings. They're priced from $3.50 for oatmeal with a choice of toppings to $5.75 for Texas Eggs, poached and served over black beans with tomato salsa and

honey corn bread.

The French Cinnamon Toast ($4.75), a choice of whole wheat or sourdough, comes with a small pitcher of pure maple syrup. The dish is generous to a fault; the bread is sliced so thickly that the egg batter doesn't fully penetrate.

Chicken sausages

Savory pan-roasted miniature red potatoes, redolent with thyme and rosemary, come with most of the breakfasts. And the sausages, with a consideration to matters of the heart (and attendant arteries), are made from chicken by Cascioppo Brothers of Ballard. Nice flavors (primarily sage), I thought, but a bit dry. Whether that was due to the low-fat content or an extended wait in a warming oven was left unresolved.

Evenings, they lay down white linen over the black tables and cover those with sheets of butcher paper. A blackboard lists a half dozen nightly specials plus a soup. These usually include a homemade ravioli (exceptional), seafood - like Tiger Prawns with Capers and Lemon Sauce, or Salmon in Sun-dried Tomato Pesto - and a vegetarian plate (Eggplant with Smoked Mozzarella, red peppers and red onions was a recent feature).

Almost everything is under $10.

Start with the Warm Goat Cheese appetizer ($5.95). The cheese is rolled in chopped fresh basil, heated and served with Hungarian-style peppers and grilled sourdough.

The "Hungarian" peppers were strips of red, yellow and green bell peppers marinated in an olive oil vinaigrette with crushed red peppers. A glass of fruity red wine makes the dish irresistible.

An innovative alternative would be the Pacific Rim Mussels ($6.95), steamed with lime, orange, chilies, cilantro and mint.

Red meat? Not here

There's no red meat on the menu. ("I'm sorry," explained Mason. "I just can't do that stuff.")

Mason got her start 12 years ago with a tiny coffee shop, the ETG (Espresso to Go), also in Fremont. When Lupe's Urupan Mexican restaurant closed, Mason took it over.

"I didn't know what to do with it," she said. "I didn't know about real restaurants. At first I just ran rummage sales! I still don't know all this restaurant stuff. I'm just learning."

Who's the chef?

"We don't have one."

There must be SOMEBODY back there.

"There are lots of people. We all pitch in. We have meetings. I don't want to say it's a co-op, because it's not. It's like a cooperative effort."

Regardless, a dinner of Chipotle BBQ Chicken ($10.95) emerged from the multi-creative forces unscathed. It was tender, grilled and napped in a dark and earthy, rich chili sauce and set against a mound of first-rate garlic-mashed potatoes.

Salads ($3 or $5, depending upon portion size) are exemplary, especially the Spinach and Walnut, with Granny Smith apples and crumbled blue cheese.

One drawback: The waitstaff often appears to be more involved socializing with the restaurant's regular customers - the interaction is quite clubby - than in moving food swiftly. I waited 27 minutes for a tuna sandwich one midday - and gave up.

Nevertheless, a good place with good food and its heart (along with consideration for yours) in the right place. It's fun.

John Hinterberger, who writes the weekly restaurant review in Tempo and a Sunday food column in Pacific, visits restaurants anonymously and unannounced. He pays in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews of the restaurants' management and staff are done only after meals and services have been appraised. He does not accept invitations to evaluate restaurants.