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Although this floating restaurant gently rocks in McCuddy's Landing Marina a few miles south of Scappoose on Highway 30 (a.k.a., the middle of nowhere), its waterlogged exterior hides the heart of a big-city-dining dynamo. Chef Mark Altstetter, a Culinary Institute of America grad, mixes Oregon-centric ingredients with a little south-of-the-border flair—all in a bright room with a 360-degree view of the Willamette River (if you count Mark's ample outdoor seating). Lunch is all about toasted pita slathered with chunky salmon spread and super-spicy pickled jalapeños, or maybe a cup of unctuous chowder and a tall B.L.T. slathered with Caesar dressing and thick slabs of bacon, while dinner beckons with a handful of well-prepared pasta and fish entrees. But really, it's all about brunch. You will swoon over the Benedicts—a crisp crab cake topped with poached gold and provolone on ciabatta created a particularly good morning. More good news, mateys: 2007 marks the first time Mark's will be open year-round, so look for raucous Friday- and Saturday-night crowds groovin' to live music to heat up the dining room and tiny adjoining bar all winter long. (KNC)
Signature dish: Mark's is where seafood and brunch live happily ever after.
Standouts: There's no better way to spend a summer afternoon than canoeing up to Mark's huge wrap-around deck and nabbing a fat Oregon shrimp cocktail.
Regrets: Although waters run swiftly and smoothly past this floating eatery, diners should look out for occasional waves of choppy service.
WWeek 2015