1675 Marine Drive Northeast
Olympia, WA 98501-6907
(360) 705-3473
www.anthonys.com/restaurants/info/NorthPointOlympia.html
Dinner at Anthony's Hearthfire Grill is a relaxing experience. It's like sitting out on the deck of your boat (or someone's boat), on the water and watching the other sailboats go by. I was told about the view - after seeing it firsthand I think it's the best view of the Olympia waterfront you'll find.
The restaurant is practically made of big 10-foot windows, so you can see absolutely everything about the waterfront. We ate in the bar; we didn't have a reservation, although the seating in the bar is almost as good as right next to the window since the bar area is raised. The restaurant is well staffed, and we were well attended to throughout.
We started out our Anthony's Hearthfire experience with the Silver Salmon Swimmers, at $2.50 for the happy hour price, and the crab, shrimp and artichoke dip for $5. Also on the happy hour menu are $3.50 beers and $5 cocktails and wine. I got the rum punch and my husband got the Elysian Perseus Porter beer; both were quite nice. The swimmers were unexpected; I thought we were going to get fish and chips. They were actually sliders with salmon, coleslaw and sauce. The dip was so wonderful; I wanted to eat it with a spoon so it didn't go to waste.
After perusing the menu we chose two of the Early Dinner Specials - which consisted of 3-courses for $15.95 (available Monday through Friday until 6 p.m.). The Early Dinner Specials come with a salad, soup and a starter, a main dish and dessert. Hubby got the tomato basil soup, which was good, but so creamy it reminded me a little of the Safeway Select soups. I grabbed the shrimp cocktail, which was not only a great display of shrimp in a glass, but featured a lovely salad under the shrimp.
When it came to the main dishes, Hubby picked the Double R Ranch flank steak with a delicious rub. The hunk of beef was paired with dried cranberries, which was a nice touch; the steak was tender and delicious and the cranberries were the perfect compliment. It was served with a buttery garlic sauce that added extra taste and gluttony. The plate was rounded out with lovely green beans and a cornbread pudding - which hit the spot.
I ordered the butterfly prawns with margherite, as recommended by my waiter. It was good, but not quite as sweet and spicy as I had imagined. I expected soba noodles; in fact, it was a nice surprise to receive homemade noodles with sesame. I had never considered this as a dish, nor had I thought of the butter sauce on steak - but both we may have to try in our home kitchen. I wanted to eat all the pasta even though I was full.
We bucked up and did the Pacific Northwest wine taster, earning us a tasting card listing the wines that we tried, which I thought was very cool idea. The wine selections are OK, but not as good as other restaurants I've seen in town. Anthony's Hearthfire does, however, have an ample after dinner cocktail menu. The wines are served in stemless glasses on a wooden platter with numbers, so you can refer to the handy wine tasting sheet. We had a Chinook White Wine from Yakima Valley and we could actually taste notes of apple. We also dabbled a Thurston Wolfe Winery PGV from Washington and an L'Ecole No. 41 Luminesce from Walla Walla.
The crème brulee as for dessert, and it came in a wide mouth dish so there was more room for the crème brulee crust (which is the best part, right?). We also got a dish of the Olympic Mountain ice cream in cherry chocolate chip, which was good but almost too creamy. Peaches in crème was also available, using fresh, in season peaches.
The menu isn't as inspired or creative as other restaurants in Olympia, but going to Hearthfire you know you will get a good meal, a great view, quick and efficient service and maybe if you time it right, a great happy hour. We took the sesame pasta and bread home as leftovers, because they were so delicious.
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