Upscale Seafood Bites at The Net Shed: Good (Mari)times Await

Story & images by: Richard Porter.

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I’m not sure where you’ve been getting your fresh fish mongered lately, but it probably hasn’t been in Everett. It’s a little hard to believe that a city so rooted in its waterfront heritage has -- up until now -- lacked a waterfront fishmonger. But here we are.

Now Open: The Net Shed at the Port of Everett Marina

The Net Shed is here to right that wrong by offering up fish and chips, fresh tuna flown in overnight from Honolulu, and a waterfront atmosphere that will leave you on the hook for more.

The concept here is simple. Buy fish, eat fish. 

The good ol’ seafood restaurant is a tried-and-true concept, but sometimes falters in modern execution -- now passe are tureens of yesterday’s clam chowder and fish and chips where the breading is sloughing off due to being previously frozen. Freshness is the key to today’s palate: and not just in quality of ingredients; also in presentation.

Step inside The Net Shed and you won’t get well-worn carpet and overplush booths. You’ll get a communal atmosphere, a collection of tables in conversational clusters on a finished concrete floor. Hip. I visited on one of those unseasonably sunny and bright January days when the south-facing glass-paned rollaway doors let in the full radiance of the sun. Brilliant.

Order in or grab-and-go, fresh seafood abounds at The Net Shed

We ordered at the walkup counter where you can get either eats from the menu, or seafood by the pound from the adjoining seafood case. Fish are sold at the market rate, so you will need to inquire on the day’s prices.

What’s on the menu? My companion and I ordered the lobster roll, scallops, and a poke bowl. We washed it down with sparkling bottled water and non-alcoholic IPA. I was also drawn to the sablefish (i.e. black cod), but will have to return to try it another day.

Lobster roll, scallops, and the poke bowl

The lobster roll was the perfect amount of savory, rich enough in cream cheese to split as a treat for two. The poke featured the aforementioned flown-in tuna from Hawaii, with Pacific Rim flourishes: a spoonful of seaweed salad, edamame, and a sprinkle of caviar as bright accents. The scallops sat like small coins, tasting of a subtle sweetness, a briny butteriness brought out by a perfect amount of pan searing.

I thought it was great. And, apparently, so did many other people. Six weeks into the business being open and the place was packed and loud: a sign that business was going swimmingly.

Large sun-drenched windows and roll-up doors bring the outside in and give way to the marina below.

The Net Shed & Tapped Public House Co-Owner, Sean Drought atop the new Tapped waterfront deck

Sean Drought, co-owner of The Net Shed, is also opening Tapped Public House this year, right around the corner on the Port of Everett’s Restaurant Row. 

He showed us around the almost-open business, talking about the ins and outs of running a successful restaurant: tip-sharing models, motion studies, branding. It’s clear to me that the excellent service at The Ned Shed isn’t an accident: it’s the result of careful design and planning. E”fish”iency, if you will.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Tapped opening soon.

There are a lot of factors that go into a “good” restaurant. I’m not sure that when I walk in a place I feel the algorithms of server rotation and floor plan dynamics. Maybe I do, on an intuitive level. And I’m sure that’s important.

What really matters to me is this. I live in residential North Everett. I can hop on my bicycle and ride in a bike lane to the pedestrian bridge at Grand Avenue Park. From there I can take an elevator down to the waterfront and pedal on the boardwalk to some fantastic places to eat and drink. 

Maybe there are folks who want more to life than this: fresh maritime air, beautiful scenery, and fine dining. I’m not one of those people. In Everett, it’s always the right time to take off for a slow promenade on the coast.

The Net Shed is a welcome addition to the coastal small business ecosystem; a big reason why I believe that good things happen here.

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The Net Shed
1500 Seiner Dr // Everett, WA 98201
Follow: @thenetshedwa

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Richard Porter is a marketer for Snohomish County’s Executive Office by day, and a freelance writer. He lives with his wife and daughters in Everett. When he’s not writing or drinking coffee, he’s probably binging podcasts while running or hiking.

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