Although I love everything about the coast, and I am proud that I live here, sometimes I appreciate stepping into a restaurant and feeling like Ive been transported to another place.

Pickled Fish in Long Beach, Wash., which sits atop the modestly chic Adrift Hotel, is decidedly hip with its upcycled atmosphere, its fresh and innovative handcrafted cocktails, and its focus on organic food sourced locally through sustainable practices. It feels more like a restaurant you would find in an up-and-coming Portland neighborhood.

The really cool thing, though, is that I dont think owners Brady and Tiffany Turner and partner and chef Charlie Zorich fashioned it this way because its trendy but rather, because they had a vision for a unique culinary direction that fits their own personal style. There is truly nothing else on the Peninsula, or perhaps on the coast at large, quite like it.

With wooden tables salvaged from old ships, Mason jars for light bulbs, and leather barstool seats fashioned from worn welding smocks, the restaurant seems to be underlining with its décor what it hopes to express in its cuisine there is beauty and value in the world right at our fingertips, and sometimes something very simple can make a dramatic statement. Add this to arguably the best ocean view on the peninsula, and the combination is unbeatable.

An appetizer of house French fries, mundane as it might seem, is served with truffle-infused ketchup and can be ordered a lil messy, with garlic and fried pork belly, or dirty, dirty, with garlic, fried pork belly, pepperoncini and goat cheese. Naturally, I ordered my fries dirty, dirty, and savored every last bite, as each unique flavor fell into place in a perfect profile. I can see why they are called dirty, dirty I must admit, I felt a little guilty with every nibble, but I didnt really care.

A second appetizer of half an avocado with micro-greens and house pesto had a simple, clean taste, but overall the flavor could have used a bit of punching up for me. Just with salt it was helped tremendously, and I wonder if the addition of a good dose of lemon to the pesto, or more garlic, could achieve weightier results.

Ever in search of a good burger, the Pickled Fish burger didnt disappoint me with white cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, and house-made pickles. A house-made brioche bun surprised me a little with its relatively sweet flavor, which was a nice flavor addition, although I thought the bun maybe a little soft, not quite capable of being sturdy enough to sandwich so many toppings. Overall, the burger was delicious, though, so I dont feel right complaining about a detail as small as the bun, and the burger itself was cooked perfectly to my speculation of medium doneness.

In what I consider an unusual and fun twist, the restaurant also features wood-fired oven pizzas, and the mushroom pizza, with caramelized onions, rosemary, garlic cream, and chevre was a wonderful departure. As my regular readers may remember, I despise what I consider bizarre, near blasphemous pizza toppings, so I was equally pleased to see a traditional favorite, such as Margherita pizza with mozzarella, tomato and basil offered on the menu. The crust did seem relatively bland for my liking; I feel that any crust should be able to stand up on its own, relatively, if it was made to do so. Perhaps the addition of more herbs, or perhaps a fermented crust, would add drama?

A sautéed wild Alaskan salmon entrée was fried until nearly crisp, which lent a crunchy, flavorful punch, and was served atop a mixed grain salad with a caper aioli. Capers are used far too infrequently, I find, as are grains such as quinoa, and so the appearance of both was welcome. Overall, I found the dish to be wholesome, flavorful and filling.

My only real quibble with the evening was something that others will probably view as a strength. The restaurant regularly features live music from both regional and national artists, and in the relatively small space, dinner-table conversation was nearly impossible once the music began. Although the music was enjoyable in its own right, its worth paying attention to the schedule of entertainment. If you are interested in visiting the restaurant with a quiet party of guests, it might be best to do so on an evening without live entertainment. Likewise, if the music scene is what you are interested in, the restaurant certainly accommodates that, too.

All in all, Pickled Fish is a refreshing, different choice in our local culinary landscape, and I highly recommend that you visit.