I think most of the critics are overly harsh. On the other hand, the fans of this place are perhaps a bit too generous. This is essentially a hotel restaurant, stuck in a 70s time warp, even though it is only tenuosly associated with the adjoining hotel.
The decor is pretty atrocious. It's dominated by mismatched wood, with dark paint and carpeting. The space does not flow and has too many levels. The art on the walls has no theme. The piped in music is apparently a local oldies station and pop hits from the 60s and 70s simply do not contribute to the steakhouse ambiance.
I tried the well-reviewed prime rib dinner. The meat was tender and flavorful. But to get it to my desired doneness, it had obviously been scorched on the flattop. The garlic mashed potatoes were well-prepared and flavorful. The au jus and creamy horseradish added to the flavor in a way that the side of vegetables (few slices of barely steamed carrots and zuchini) did not. She had the cod dungeness, which was interesting and flavorful. Her baked potato was servicable. But the same unremarkable veggies got little attention.
We split the triple-berry cobbler a la mode and were well pleased with our choice.
All-in-all: meh. We won't go out of our why to eat here when we are back in town.
Gross. Â Expensive. Â All-around BAD.
I'm not expecting Seattle quality food when I'm out on the peninsula, however, charging $25+ for entrees better come with something worth my while (and dollars). Â
This place is an epic failure. Â The $5 salad bar is a joke and the quality of food is worth about $10 less per plate than they charge.
I wouldn't be so annoyed if it was priced fairly... i.e. $15 for baked shrimp I would assume they probably suck...but $23?! Youch!
The mashed potatoes were nasty and like some sort of garlic putty and I can't even talk about the fish-n-chips my boyfriend had. Â For being that close to fresh seafood the cod was pathetic! Â We could have gone and gotten a McFish or whatever they're called from McDonald's!
Do yourself a favor and go to Michael's downtown PA...
I try really hard not to give out 5-star ratings so that I can save them for the truly extraordinary.
Bushwhacker earned it.
My family stopped here for dinner after a visit to Hurricane Ridge up in Olympic National Park. Â The hostess and waitresses wearing nice dresses and jewelry and the linen napkins on the tables made my wife and I felt a little under-dressed in our sweaty grungy hiking t-shirts and cargo shorts. Â However, pretty much all the other customers were in casual attire, so we didn't feel too out of place.
The food was extraordinarily good. Â I had the fresh halibut from Neah Bay. Â My son who never eats anything besides pizza, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets tried a bite and HE even liked it. Â Based on the other Yelp reviews, I had to try some clam chowder, and I agree with the other reviews - it was pretty good. Â My wife had the prime rib and shrimp which were also delicious.
They serve coke in a bottle, and also a local bottle root beer that was pretty tasty, too.
The desserts were pretty wicked. Â I wanted one of each, but we settled on sharing one.
They have a kids menu / coloring sheet and were very accommodating of kids' preferences.
Service was top-notch - prompt, professional, and friendly. Â
The only down side was it was a bit pricey, but we definitely got our money's worth in terms of quality of food and service. Â My son asked if we could find something else to do in Port Angeles so that we could go back to Bushwhacker to eat again.
I guarantee we'll be back here anytime we head out to tour the Olympic peninsula.