Chef Eric Metzlar has a knack for combining great food with great locations. I’ve long been a fan of his Sea Shack restaurant, located on the picturesque shores of Nehalem Bay in Wheeler. Here you can watch great blue herons, kayakers and fishermen on the water from your seat in this comfortable restaurant and bar, while feasting on some of the finest fish ‘n’ chips and other seafood on the coast.

Chef Metzlar’s most recent venture, The Pier 11 Steak House, is located in an equally spectacular site, situated right over the Columbia River in the historic Pier 11 building (formerly home of the short-lived John Jacob’s Grill). While there is still lots of seafood on the menu, the focus here is on premium aged steaks and other meats and poultry, including pork, lamb and duck. Specials sometimes offer wild elk, buffalo or Kobe beef.

The historic building was built in the early 1900s by Capt. George Flavel, a former bar pilot. Later, from the mid-1940s into the ’60s, it served as a feed and mill plant run by the Lower Columbia Cooperative Dairy Association. The creaky wooden planked floors still bear signs of earlier days, when horse-drawn wagons were used to haul grain through the building.

The Steak House’s newly restored interior, with warm dark woods and soft lighting, offers a sophisticated contrast to the rustic planks and open beams in the spacious building. Booths and tables have been rearranged to create a cozy feeling in the bar and offer to offer more privacy in the main dining room.

I would be happy to sit for hours taking in the panoramic view of cargo ships, the bar pilot boats, sea lions and waterfowl passing by on the river, but with delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen, something tells me it’s time to eat. Chef Metzlar and his son, Eric Jr., have designed an ambitious collection of menus, offering something for everyone – from kids to seniors, and everyone in between.

With nearly a dozen appetizers listed, all of which sounded delicious, a friend and I chose to start with Marionberry Brie Strudel. Wrapped in crisp phyllo sheets, the warm French brie was served with caramelized roasted apples, French bread and marionberry compote. Overall, the dish was good, but the compote lacked flavor and I felt the price (at $11.50) seemed high. Crab & Bleu Portabella ($13.50), a balsamic marinated, grilled Portabella, was topped with lots of fresh Dungeness crab and finished under the broiler with molten blue cheese. My only issue here was that the heavy-handed use of strongly flavored balsamic vinegar overwhelmed the fresh, sweet crab. Under “Appetizers,” you will also find such favorites as steamer clams (cooked in wine, butter, lemon and tomatoes), Cajun calamari, housemade crab cakes and classic seafood cocktails, among others.

Soups include Chef Metzlar’s chowder, which won the People’s Choice Award at The Taste of Tillamook in 2008. Packed with sweet tender clams, bits of smoky bacon and earthy potatoes, its rich, velvety texture was irresistible. What I loved perhaps even more was the hearty Five-Bean Soup. It was made with a rich, flavorful broth filled with chopped vegetables and five varieties of tender beans, creating a wonderful assortment of textures and flavors in the mouth. Perhaps with the soup, diners would enjoy an all-you-can-eat salad buffet featuring such goodies as sliced pepperoni, black olives, grape tomatoes, dried cranberries, cheeses and meats, hard-boiled eggs and edamame. For a few more dollars, you can order a variety of toppings, including lemon pepper prawns, grilled chicken or tender bay shrimp, among others. Or you can choose from a creative list of sandwiches. The lunch menu includes a razor clam sandwich, a prime rib hoagie, cod sandwich and many others. I was curious to try the Oyster Po’ Boy. A good friend from the East Coast first taught me to make them. He even had his father ship out special rolls for the event. At Pier 11, Cajun-dusted, grilled oysters are served on a warm hoagie, topped with cabbage slaw (traditional) with tomato and citrus tartar. This lived up to my expectations.

Pier 11 Steak House occupies the former feed store built on pilings over the Columbia River in the early 1900s.I didn’t try the fish ‘n’ chips at Pier 11, but I’m sure they are equally as good as those served at the owner’s Sea Shack restaurant in Wheeler – crisp, golden, moist and tender, made with the freshest fish around. It was hard to choose from dinner entrees (which come with housemade bread, soup and a choice of vegetables and starches). Listings included such tempting items as marionberry pork chops with a fire-roasted apple brandy glaze, rosemary lamb chops basted with rosemary, sage, garlic and olive oil and smoked duck a’la orange. The list goes on, but I was here for steak.

Under “Steak,” you’ll find slow roasted prime rib, rib-eye topped with balsamic roasted garlic butter, Porterhouse topped with fire-roasted Poblano chile and Cotija cheese. They all sounded delicious, but I opted for a filet mignon topped with caramelized onion and Gorgonzola butter. It was very good. Perfectly seasoned and cooked medium rare, this beautifully marbled thick steak was drenched in molten, pungently flavored Gorgonzola. Combined with the sweetness of caramelized onions and a side of crisp, sweet potato cakes, it was delicious. A side of perfectly cooked vegetables added to my enjoyment. We were too full for dessert, but our waiter happily sent us home with a slice of crème brulee cheesecake, which hit the spot a few hours later.

This is a new restaurant with a very ambitious menu but, under seasoned hands, they are off to a good start. I look forward to returning soon to enjoy another steak – maybe a rib-eye, or maybe the prime rib, or perhaps a Porterhouse … they all sound delicious.