“We’re on the water, so we want to focus on really high-quality seafood,” said George Goodrich. The Cove will have an eight-seat raw bar featuring seafood (like oysters) and sushi.
The entire space, including the outdoor patios and fire pits, will be full service. “Counter service is not our style,” said George Goodrich. “As a restaurateur, I hate it. That’s not an experience to me. I can buy a box of food anywhere and eat it.”
Goodrich also wants to make sure customers have plenty of space. “We’re into comfortable seating with large seats and lush padded booths,” he said. “Designers like those hard chairs, but customers don’t. It’s part of the experience to have space and not be crowded. If you’re having a personal private conversation, you don’t want someone eavesdropping.”
The Goodriches will open and run the restaurant before planning events upstairs. They’ll focus on the event space as COVID-19 restrictions loosen up to allow gatherings. An event planner and a dedicated full kitchen that can accommodate all-day dining will be available for these special occasions.
Gwen Goodrich looks forward to restarting the wine dinners that were popular at The Hammond upstairs at The Cove. A self-proclaimed wine nerd with 17 years of experience in the wine industry, she has built her wine program around local, boutique wineries like Analemma Wines in Mosier.
At present, there’s no specific opening date, but the Goodriches plan to open The Cove this summer.