Restaurant reviews are biased. Yes, you read that correctly. The reviews you’ve read on this website over the past weeks and months, are biased. While I’m no slouch in the kitchen, while I keep up on my culinary skills, I have no professional expertise. I’m not a chef. So when you read a review, good or bad, you are basically reading my opinion. An opinion, which is tainted with the part of the country where I grew up, the ethnicity of my parents, and my own personal likes and dislikes when it comes to food. While I try to keep an open mind about everything I taste, I have to admit my mind is colored with past meals that have, to me, defined a dish. So it is with Fish & Chips. Especially when an establishment, such as The Pacific Inn, claims to have Seattle’s best.

Let’s start with the restaurant itself. I’m using some heavy artistic license here because The Pacific Inn is less a restaurant and more a fixture. A fixture that grew out of the sidewalk at the corner Stone Way and 35th Street, it seems utterly ancient. And while I’m sure there are older buildings in the area, you’d be hard pressed to convince me so. It is a hard place with dirty walls, wobbly booths and tar stained windows from a time when smoking was allowed in restaurants in Seattle. But I came for one reason, and one reason only. No matter whom I asked or what I read, everything and everyone pointed me to The Pacific Inn as having the best Fish & Chips ($6.99) in Seattle.

The three fish filets that arrived (When they finally did arrive) looked delicious enough. A golden brown crust studded with chopped herbs and what appeared to be bits of panko breadcrumbs. Here is where my bias comes into play. To me fish & chips should be made with a beer batter, not breadcrumbs. The seasoning should be; a little salt and maybe pepper. What is it with adding herbs to the crust? Let the flavor of the fish stand on its own. Well, after one bite I realized that they couldn’t do that. The fish, while flaky, was dry and flavorless. The only real flavor came after a liberal squirt of lemon and a healthy dip into tartar sauce. The “chips” were a little better. Not the limp, soggy fries one normally gets but crisp and fluffy, although definitely not fresh made.

Was this the best of Seattle, really? I choose to disagree. To my way of thinking fish & chips should be large, fat planks of Cod. Fresh, juicy bits of fish that have been dunked into a beer batter, quickly fried and salted and served in newspaper with crispy fries. What I found at The Pacific Inn was nothing more than a pale shadow of what this meal could have been. My advice is to take a short trip to The George & Dragon Pub for your fish & chips. But of course, that’s my opinion.

Being from Florida, after first moving here, I was told that Seattle weather is much like the weather in England. Winters are dark and grey with very little sunshine and it rains, a lot. Having never been to England I cannot confirm or deny this. But I can say that on some rainy winter days in Seattle I like to pretend that I am in England. What better way to promote this belief than by stopping in at self-proclaimed, “Seattle’s only authentic English Pub”, The George & Dragon Pub?

The interior is fairly large for the small exterior footprint, two seating areas on either side of a central bar area, designed with a Tudor style interior of white plaster walls and exposed wood beams. I choose a seat at the bar where I could watch the soccer game from one of four TVs (Two big screens on either side of the building and two smaller screens behind the bar, up high, to allow an unobstructed view for those patrons on bar stools). The bar area was fairly busy but I was served quickly. I tried to get a feel for how quickly the one bartender/server was able to get to the individual tables, and while they seemed to be taken care of, I could imagine that in busier times there could be some lag in getting served.

Along with a pint I put in an order for Fish and Chips ($8.00) and Shepherd’s Pie ($6.75). I had taken a few sips of my beer when one of the cooks came from the back with my food – that was quick. I began to wonder if the quality would suffer. I tried the fish and chips first. I had tried fish and chips at another establishment in Fremont and was quite disappointed in the results, here I was hoping that an authentic English pub would provide a better product, and they did. The fish was lightly battered with a crunch to the crust but with a tender, flakey interior. My assumption is that the fish was Cod and was fresh as it had no fishy aroma to it and was still moist with a slightly briny flavor. A little squeeze of lemon (provided) and this fish was perfect the way it was. The fries left a little to be desired, though to be honest I am more of a fan of crispy, “twice cooked” fries. So I won’t harp too much on that subject.

The other order was shepherd’s pie. I can remember having had this a couple of times growing up and each time it was alright, nothing too memorable. As for the shepherd’s pie at The George & Dragon, well, I would have to give it the same review. Not a horrible meal, the thick, melted, cheesy crust was very good and the sauce that the ground beef was in was very tasty. But the mashed potatoes were bland and tasted of boxed, “potato flake” potatoes and the few peas (I’m used to both peas and carrots in shepherd’s pie) I did find were dry and shriveled. Along with the pie came baguette toasts and butter, this helped to overcome some of the faults of the dish but overall, I think I will pass on this dish the next time.

So was this the real deal? Does George & Dragon live up to its title of “Seattle’s only authentic English Pub”? Well, I was able to suspend by belief and I almost pictured myself in merry old England. Even with some of my misgivings about the shepherd’s pie, the food was very good. As for where to go when I’m in the mood for fish and chips, well, there’s no doubt where you’ll find me.