The wife and I decided to take the new Stratoliner out for a cruise and headed for the Tacoma waterfront on Ruston Way. It was a beautiful evening and was a nice 25 mile cruise one way. We decided to give Duke's Chowder House a try, as neither of us had eaten there before.
The restaurant was somewhat busy, with a short wait for first available and longer to sit out on the deck. We chose first available and had to wait only a few minutes. We had a nice and cozy window seat over looking the deck and sound. It was nice and cool with the doors open and the vents blowing cool air.
The menu had a good selection. Claimed they served award winning seafood, but pricing was a little on the high side. Not too bad if the food is good and the portions were reasonable. We came wanting fish and chips and fish and chips we were going to have. We ordered the 1/2 Mac & Jack's Fish & Chips Combo which consisted of a 1/2 order of lightly panko breaded Bering Sea Cod, exceptional made–at–Duke's tartar sauce, cup of Award Winning Clam Chowder for $16.60 each. We also ordered a couple of beers to wash it down.
When the food arrived I was a little disappointed. It looked like a couple of frozen fish sticks you get out of a box, a small handful of Jo Jo's, a small scoop of coleslaw and a small cup of chowder. The fish itself tasted good, the tarter sauce tasted like Skipper's, the Jo Jo's were a little limp and greasy, the coleslaw was OK and the chowder was very good. Not impressive for $16.60 per plate. I have had better fish and chips at Ivar's or Skipper's for half the price.
Overall the restaurant was clean, the atmosphere was great, the service was good, the food was OK and the price was too high. I am not much for going out to have seafood other than fish and chips. I would rather have a good Steak. I guess it will be a long time before we ever go to Duke's again.
We ended the evening on a good note by riding thru Point Defiance Park and watched the evening sunset.
The wife and I made a new deal. When we take the bike out for a ride, we need to check out the food at the taverns along the way and forget about restaurants. It is so hard to get good food at a decent price. $16.60 is not to high, but there should have been 50% more of everything they served. I don't mind paying for a good meal, but come on. At least make it worth the trip.
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