The first thing you notice about The SEA Crab House upon arriving is that it really does look like a hole-in-the-wall coastal seafood joint you’d stumble across a block from the beach in Astoria or Newport. From the sky-blue paint job down to the font on the sign, The SEA Crab House is primarily concerned with creating a coastal experience for their patrons from the moment they pull in to the parking lot.
Christophe Adrien, the director of marketing of the SEA Crab House franchise, explains: “SEA Crab House is all about creating experiences. It’s not fine dining, it’s fun dining. We encourage all our customers to throw on a bib, roll up their sleeves and enjoy the deliciousness and fun that come from sharing a seafood boil with the people who matter most to them. It’s in our motto: Let’s break bread— and crab — together.”
As I’ve mentioned in these pages before, my mom is a self-taught fish and chips expert who is not afraid to throw shade or love at the different fried fish and taters options throughout Bend, so, as she also enjoys fun dining, I obviously had to have her along. We accidentally arrived early (Google hadn’t updated to their winter hours yet), but instead of telling us to scram, they very kindly gave us some clam chowder while their boiler was heating up.
The chowder was delicious and light, with Southeast Asian (the “SEA” in SEA crab) spices and a couple very fresh, still shelled clams floating in the thick broth. The chowder is different than any I’ve had in town in that the texture is way more clam forward, drawing attention to the freshness of the fish as opposed to the Northwest style that leans heavily into the potatoes and Old Bay.
“The restaurant is the brainchild of founder Patta Lorwatcharasophon,” says Adrien, “who started with a Thai restaurant on the Oregon Coast and fell in love with the seafood boil concept. She has taken the concept of a Cajun-style seafood boil and infused it with Thai seasonings to create a unique fusion of flavors you won’t find anywhere else.”
Since I knew it would absolutely disgust my mom and I enjoy making her squirm, I ordered the steamed clams with the express intention of delighting in her discomfort. Very lightly steamed and presented in garlic, white wine, tomatoes and basil, it was nice to have clams that not only tasted so fresh that they could have been yanked from the sea that very morning, but that also weren’t drowned in so much butter that I could actually get some hints of salt water with my shellfish.
Next my mom got the fish and chips (obviously) which came with a crispier, darker panko breading and thick hunks of cod. The whitefish was delicious and tender, with the breading having a nice blend of crunch and flavor that never threatened to derail the milky flavor of the cod or the flakiness of the texture. The SEA Crab House fish and chips officially got the mom seal of approval.
Since SEA Crab House is pretty much famous for their boils, as I man of science, I knew I had to try one. I went with the live Dungeness crab (who was enjoying his day in a tank near the entrance before my hungry ass showed up), a few corns on the cob, a golden potato and some spicy sausage, which was then all boiled together in a bag, doused with a mixture of the Sea Crab’s Cajun and Thai sauces and then dumped on a tray in front of me like I was the filthy animal that I am.
The crab was meaty and sweet (sorry, Sebastian!) and the sauce really complimented everything on the tray with a nice blend of Southern heat and Thai chili. Next time I would probably forgo the potatoes and corn and go with the Cajun fries and garlic bread to add a bit more complexity to the flavors. All the corn and taters did was pick up the taste of the sauces without really adding much to the dish, although the sausage was plentiful and reminded me of the smoky spice of Portuguese linguica.
With the seafood boil and the freshness of the fish combined with the live tank, the SEA Crab House really does try to craft a coastal experience, and the constant expansion of the franchise seems to show that it’s what diners are looking for.
“We recently opened a location in Beaverton,” says Adrien. “That opening has been a smashing success from the start. Our Seattle location soft-opened last week and has a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 30, but Bend is our headquarters and where we have our corporate office (on 4th street). Patta chose Bend because it’s the best place she has ever found to raise her four children. We are planning expansions in Bellevue (mid-May), Boise (mid-June), and Portland downtown (mid-July).
We finished everything off with a rich and heavenly slice of creme brûlée cheesecake which, honestly, might have been my favorite bit of the meal as the cheesecake was thick, creamy and flawless. All told, with tip the bill was a bit over $100, which is pricey and will be prohibitive for the average diner not seeking an expensive meal. The live tank is really where the lion’s share of the bill comes from, so if you want to go without breaking the bank, it might be better to focus on the apps and entrees. You’re paying for the experience as much as you are the food. Try the fish and chips. My mom insists.
This article appears in Source Weekly March 30, 2023.
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