<p>The Mouth enjoyed the tuna poke, featuring raw yellow fin tuna, mango, avocado, hijake salad, vinaigrette and fried wontons.</p>

Although Ive popped in a few times for coffee, and Ive maybe had lunch there once, a long time ago, up until recently, I had never eaten dinner at Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro. 

Ill be honest: Although I think their décor is interesting and kind of cool, its not really my style, and I almost think that their food, which is exceptional, deserves a more upscale home. Im sure Ill catch some flak for saying so, but thats the truth a ceiling that has partly, and intentionally, crumbled away, while having a kind of antiquated charm about it, does not make me think Im about to eat an outstanding meal, which is exactly what happened. So, you can see my frustration.

Lets put that aside for a moment and focus on the food, shall we? We chose a broad sampling of appetizers to start, beginning with a chickpea, tabbouleh and flatbread salad. On a return trip I would certainly choose this as a meal all in itself. Tabbouleh is traditionally a Levantine vegetarian dish, usually made with tomatoes, mint, parsley, onion and lemon juice, and often featuring either bulgur or quinoa. With the addition of chickpeas and hummus, and the accompanying flatbread, the salad featured a pleasant blend of flavors and tasted fresh and interesting.

Chinese sui mai traditional pork dumplings were next, and they were served with coconut curry and green papaya salad. While I am generally a fan of sui mai, I found the spices used in this particular version to be heavy-handed. There are generally a mix of five spices (often referred to as Chinese five-spice) that can find their way into Chinese cooking, including star anise, cloves and cinnamon, and to me, the flavor of clove and cinnamon was overwhelming. The sides of coconut curry and green papaya salad, while delicious on their own, added too many flavors to an already overpowering profile, for me, although the rest of my table loved the dish, so what do I know?

Far better, in my opinion, were roasted Brussels sprouts wrapped in bacon with sundried tomato polenta and arugula salad. Brussels sprouts are by far my favorite vegetable, and salty, sweet bacon was the perfect balancing component. The sundried tomato polenta was simply exceptional, and when I return next I feel I could make a meal of this dish alone.

A tuna poke was also fantastic with raw yellow fin tuna, mango, avocado, hijake salad, vinaigrette and fried wontons. The tuna was extremely tender and light, and the mango and avocado added tremendous flavor and texture. I cannot say enough about how stellar this dish is.

As an entrée, I chose the special of prime rib and garlic smashed potatoes. Between my dining outings as The Mouth and dining out on my own time, I have certainly eaten at well over 100 restaurants in the area, and I feel I can say without hesitation that this is the best prime rib I have ever eaten outside my own kitchen. Cooked perfectly to my specifications, with a salty, peppery crust and extremely tender middle, the prime rib was phenomenal, and proved my point that a well-seasoned and expertly cooked cut of meat needs no additional sauces or gimmicks to make it taste good (although the horseradish served on the side was very tasty). I also appreciated the smashed potatoes, which still had some skins present and tasty chunks of potato here and there; I like the hearty ruggedness of potatoes like this. In my opinion, this dish deserves a spot on the regular menu.

I couldnt pass up a Mexican chocolate pudding with cayenne pepper, the perfect capper for the evening: thick, creamy chocolate with a hint of cinnamon and just a touch of heat from the cayenne to make it interesting.

Although the atmosphere isnt necessarily my style, Im highly impressed with the delicious, eclectic offerings at Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro, and I highly recommend it.

A tuna poke was also fantastic … I cannot say enough about how stellar this dish is.

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Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro

Rating: 4 stars

243 11th St.

Astoria, OR 97103

503-325-1727

www.astoriacoffeehouse.com

Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Prices: Dinner entrées start at $10 and top out at $22, which are reasonabe pricetags given the quality of the food.

Atmosphere: Quirky and quixotic, the restaurant purposefully looks a little worn down, with large holes in the ceiling and a floor that could use a buffing. Random collections adorn the space, including at least a dozen globes. Though I typically refrain from using the word hipster, thats exactly what it is.

Service: Our server was friendly and knowledgeable, and our food arrived quickly.

Alternative options: Those with special dietary concerns will delight in a wide variety of salads and pasta entrées that are meatless.

Drinks: Coffee, tea, espresso, soft drinks, a regional selection of beer and wine, and a full bar.