Seafood restaurants, in my admittedly limited experience, generally fall into two categories: There are the grubby oceanside shacks with great clam chowder and “gulls” and “buoys” signs on the bathroom doors; and vaguely corporate restaurants who cater to those who (power) lunch and specialize in torturing white fishes.

Bay 13 is not a shack.

I went to a press tasting lunch there today, expecting the worst; Bay 13 received a resounding “meh” from Food Dude, who cited its corporate feel as a concern. It’s owned by the folks behind the Paragon, and run by Joe Moreau, the “proprietor” (what, exactly, does that term mean? He doesn’t own it…).

While I was unimpressed with most of the food, after hearing Moreau talk about the menu, I’m really glad that Bay 13 is open and doing what they’re doing.

If that sounds contradictory, hear me out. Joe won me over when he pointed out the simple fact that despite Portland’s proximity to the ocean, this city sorely lacking in seafood options (particularly seafood options that don’t involve giving money to the McCormick and Schmick’s empire, something I’m a touch loathe to do). This is true.

So not only is Bay 13 a viable seafood option, they’re taking perhaps the best approach to seafood possible: They’re is introducing the idea of “sustainable seafood” to Portland on a scale we really haven’t seen before (at least not in my knowledge… anyone?). Fish on the menu is harvested and caught in accordance with the Marine Stewardship Council’s guidelines for sustainable fishing; not only that, but Bay 13 will soon be opening a fish counter where this seafood will be available for purchase.

More impressions after the jump

While I found Bay 13's design intially off-putting, it definitely grew on me once i started paying attention to the details. The space is huge, but several bars offer a variety of seating options, and some curtains around portions of the dining room break up the space. The original building is actually quite well integrated with the decor; high ceilings, stainless steel, and big windows evoke a warehouse, but lots of wood and green curtains keep things from feeling too sterile. There are plans to put a fireplace high on one wall, which will be cool if it happens, plus the fish counter to go in eventually.

My enthusiasm for the food at Bay 13 is largely hypothetical: I'm generally not a fan of seafood, and nothing I tried today stood out in preparation. The sushi rolls were unremarkable (with the exception of some fried tempura on one roll, which added a nice crunch); oysters from the raw oyster bar were good; my petrale sole was drenched in a lemony sauce so rich that I had no interest in eating more than a bite; the sweet potato fries were rather good; the fish and chips went over like gangbusters with the rest of the table. It's a style of high-end cooking that doesn't particularly interest me; not terrible, just a bit stodgy. Nothing I'd really come back for.

If there's a next time, I'll order off the "simply grilled" section of the menu, which features an ever- changing list of fish grilled and served with lemon. Today it was ahi, salmon striped bass, and arctic char (apparently quite similar to salmon). Flown in three times a week so you know its fresh, I think this might be the best way to experience their food.

Oh, and apparently this is hot shit because they mentioned it no less than 47 times at lunch: Bay 13 offers complimentary bottled water, sparkling or still, which is bottled on site, triple filtered, and... something about osmosis. It was, uh, good.

That's it. If you're still reading, my middle name is Marie and I really like pineapple.