Norma's Ocean Diner

20 N. Columbia St., Seaside, OR - (503) 738-4331

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Posted By Michael Stern on 10/29/2006 12:16:00 AM

Seaside is a semi-honky-tonk town in a divinely beautiful location along Oregon’s Pacific shore. You can buy all kinds of t-shirts, fudge, and salt water taffy; and at Norma’s, you can have a real Northwest meal.

We knew we were going to like this place the moment we walked in and saw the chalkboard near the pass-through window to the kitchen. It lists which fresh seafoods are available and where they are from: salmon from the Oregon coast, steamer clams and oysters from Willipa Bay, halibut from Alaska, and local petrale sole. Even the featured wine is Oregonian: Duck Pond Merlot.

The waitress congratulated us on our choice of petrale sole mid-April: “Oooo, it’s in season right now,” she said. And it was wonderful: delicate-flavored, buttery-rich, ocean-sweet. Nor could we resist Dungeness crab, which is available here in all sorts of ways. We chose the “Louis” presentation, which turned out to be about a dozen big, pearly hunks of white meat arrayed atop a pile of lettuce with all the proper garnishes, plus garlic toast made from fresh-baked bread, and a ramekin of excellent house-made 1000 Island dressing.

People at a nearby table were all eating fish and chips. The menu lists cod, salmon, halibut, and even albacore available as the fish part of the equation. We asked our dining-room neighbors how they liked it. Between bites, they were able to exclaim that this is the best fish and chips they have eaten anywhere, any time. Alas, we were too stuffed to have some ourselves, but that’s high on our agenda for the next visit.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

Clam Chowder	Petrale Sole
Fish & Chips	Marionberry Cobbler
Dungeness Crab Louis

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"A close view of Crab Louis. Those big hunks of crab meat are indescribably moist and ocean-sweet. The 1000 Island dressing comes on the side for either dipping or drizzling. Shrimp Louis is also available."
Michael Stern

"Norma's boasts that its chowder is pork free, but that doesn't mean it isn't rich as sin. Creamy and deliriously savory, it is available as a cup (shown here) or a meal-size bowl. Garlic toast comes on the side."
Michael Stern

"Petrale sole is a West Coast treasure. Here it is lightly pbreaded and pan-fried, accompanied by garlic toast and excellent cole slaw."
Michael Stern

"Norma's has been open over a quarter-century. It is a modest restaurant with exemplary Oregon food."
Michael Stern

"In the fish & chips combo, you get to try cod, albacore, salmon and halibut. Just don't ask me which one is which!"
Cliff Strutz

"We didn't love all the desserts, but who can resist this marionberry cobbler with a scoop of Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream?"
Cliff Strutz