The first time I went to MyCovio’s I chose lightly pan seared rockfish on a bed of spinach with an antiboise sauce crafted from nine ingredients including olives and apple cider. Tina Turner could have sung about it: simply the best.

On my second visit, eager for variety, knowledgeable server Matthew Sites steered me to the 8-ounce pork loin. Cooked sous vide — French for “in a vacuum” — it was tender, juicy and satisfying, served on a sweet bed of, oh, too few translucent onions.

It is remarkable that Ocean Park on the northern end of Washington state’s Long Beach Peninsula should have attracted a gentleman chef from Rotterdam, Holland’s blue-collar port city, home to Feyenoord, a pro soccer team feared for its uncompromising tackling.

On the playground during grade school, you would have picked the confident, imposing figure of Paul Klitsie for any team.

I eschew appetizers to save room for my entrée, but MyCovio’s is the exception. His bruschetta could be a meal: sliced beef with just enough mascarpone cheesy sauce on crispy toasted garlic French bread. Three bites — the best $5 you will ever spend.

Klitsie brags everything is from scratch except tinned tomatoes. Mushrooms are locally foraged; ocean seasons dictate that rockfish ensemble could be halibut or black cod. His fascination with all things Italian means the often-changing menu is pasta focused, with fettuccine, lasagna or spaghetti, washed down with one of eight wines, Fort George Vortex IPA, extra-dry prosecco or blackberry cider. Desserts — do save room — include tiramisu or panna cotta.

Tables are close to allow shared expressions of joy, but there is space for only five, plus a trio of bar seats to watch the chef work, so arrive early. My two starters and entrée cost $40. And that tender pork? Vacuum sealed and lowered into a water bath roiling at 144 degrees for 56 minutes then pan seared when your order is placed. Proof this chef is a scientist, not merely an artist.