Lakefront Cuisine: Pier 31 serves up relaxed dining experience, All-UC-Eat Style

There’s nothing so wonderful as a hot summer day out drifting on the Lake of the Ozarks. Boat loads of people passing by. Grandparents pulling squealing children in tubes or on boards. Earnest fishermen searching for “the big one.” Rollicking young people taking Dad’s boat out for a tentative spin, music blaring. It is the stuff that memories are made of. Days that will be recalled years later. The Good Old Days… Back when I was young…

Sooner or later hunger will strike. If you’re lucky enough to be on the main channel near the 31MM, relief is near. As you head into the Four Corners, that wide spot where three large channels join the Osage Arm, you can’t help but notice the long, white marina clinging to the western shore. This oasis of comfort and relief to the weary boater is Mariners Pier 31 Restaurant and Marina.

It’s also easy to get there by road. Just take the Pier 31 exit on the new Hwy 5 Camdenton Bypass. Follow the Mariners Pier 31 signs to the end. It’s not too far past Tuscany at 4514 Pier 31 Rd.

There is nothing trendy or pretentious about Pier 31 or, for that matter, about Bud Simmons, the owner and operator. When you walk in there, you immediately feel relaxed. The d/cor is simple. A large patio filled with comfortable wrought iron furniture hugs the waterside of the rambling building. Two enclosed dining rooms wrap around the patio. Large windows give everyone inside plenty of opportunity for people watching. The colors are bright and tropical. The ceilings, hung with fishing nets, bristle with aquatic life (fake of course). The tables are covered with colorful plastic cloths. Rolls of paper towels wisely adorn each table. Here, eating is the most important activity and no one needs to worry about making a mess.

“Skipper Bud”

I was lucky enough to spend a hot, lazy afternoon with Bud Simmons. One of the perks of this job is that I get to meet so many interesting people who are dedicated to keeping the Lake spirit alive and thriving. This certainly includes Bud who is the most energetic laidback person I’ve ever met. The other perk is that I get to try all sorts of food. And, in this case, I really mean ALL sorts of food. When I asked Bud to tell me about what they served, he said I just needed to try it. He then proceeded to order almost everything on the menu.

While the food was being prepared Bud, like a proud Papa, showed me around his place. Upstairs there’s a dining room with a covered deck for private parties. A glass wall beyond the main bar opens onto a shop with sundry items that boaters might need as well as a huge array of women’s apparel. Candace, the clothes buyer, goes out of her way to find unique lines and she does her job well. If you’re looking for a wild bikini, this is the place to come. There are also shelves lined with really cute sandals. They are all leather flip-flops bedecked with stones and beads. The prices are reasonable, too. I’ve got my eye on a couple of pairs.

Last year they added on rental rooms above the dining room. These range from standard motel room size to a large, two-bedroom suite, appointed like a comfortable condo, that overlooks the Four Corners and the boat docks. There’s a boat service area beside the restaurant. A large parking lot snakes up the hill toward Pier 31 Road. Above it all sits a two-bedroom rental house with a swimming pool on a deck overlooking the water. Beyond that is the private yacht club. It all rambles along like some old riverfront town that started as a ferry landing and was built up slowly over the years.

Indeed, it has been there for years. It’s been there so long that officials even named the road after it. Known alternately as Pier 31 or Mariners, when Bud bought the place 11 years ago, he combined the two names and has been adding on to the facilities ever since. He says he first bought it as a place for his fishing buddies to kick back and relax. But I have a feeling that Bud is an undisguised “Foodie” and he really wanted it to make the kind of food he loves. His eyes grow brighter and brighter when he talks about food. For 40 years he was a traveling cabinet salesman, eating everywhere from fancy restaurants to little “hole in the wall” dives, tasting, remembering, storing up ideas.

He retired from sales last year to devote himself full time to his Lake venture, though he still travels and brings back the best of what he eats. It shows in the menu. This menu is large enough to provide a good variety but not so big that it stifles decision making when it comes time to order.

We settled down at a high table beside the windows overlooking the lake. Our food started arriving in waves that soon reached Tsunami levels. Bud called in reinforcements to help us consume this feast, in the form of his partner, Lillian. The poor woman took one look at the overflowing table, then at me and wondered if they were going to have to carry me out on a gurney.

Fry Me A River

The first thing I tried was a catfish strip. I’m a Missouri girl. I love catfish and this was perfect. The outside is crispy and the inside is moist. Not a hint of greasiness, in fact, none of the deep fried foods that I tried was greasy. There was never that acrid after taste that you get in some places. (They must be very careful about their oil in this kitchen.) This was fish that would have pleased even my great granny, an old hillbilly who knew her way around a bottom feeder. The breading was fresh and full of herbs and spices that didn’t mask that wonderful bottom-of-the-lake taste which makes catfish so special. It enhanced it. You don’t even need to dip it in anything. The recipe comes from Mississippi, Bud says. Apparently, they know how to do catfish right. (The Pier even has all-you-can-eat catfish on Friday evenings.)

When Bud asked how I liked it, I said it was wonderful as I stuffed another piece in my mouth. He replied, in that under spoken manner of his, that I didn’t need to just say that. I definitely didn’t need to sugar coat my response to his catfish

The grouper strips were just as good. This mild fish was fresh tasting and juicy inside a perfectly crisp crust. The breadcrumb coating is less spicy than the catfish. Both the catfish and grouper are cut thin enough to make them easy to dip in a thick tartar sauce, but, again, you don’t really need the sauce. If you want fish strips, either is a good choice, depending on the type of fish you like.

Next I tried the lobster bites. I had never had fried lobster before and these were great little tasty poppers. The frying seems to enhance the texture of the meat. They remind me of good, New England-style fried clams with a lobster flavor. Bud said he thought they had turned out a little smaller than they should be. They seemed fine to me. I think they were even better after they cooled down a bit. You can dip them in the drawn butter that’s served on the side or just eat them unadorned. Either way, they are fun appetizers.

The other thing I had never tried before was fried green beans. These really go well with the lobster bites. The frying seems to intensify the flavor of the beans. They serve them with ranch dressing which was a good compliment but not necessary to enjoy them. I kept finding my hand automatically reaching over for just one more.

I also tried a small piece of deep fried corn on the cob. I’m still not sure whether I like it or not. It’s different. It didn’t taste like any corn I’ve ever had. It reminded me of something, but I still can’t figure out what. You’ll just have to try some yourself. If you figure it out, let me know.

A Chip Off the Old Block

You may laugh when I say you have to try their potato chips. There is absolutely no resemblance between these crunchy delights and those dry, salty things that come in a bag. They are thin slices of potato heaven. Again: no greasiness, no oily taste. (I’m beginning to sense a recurrent theme here.) Crispy and warm, you dip them into their homemade queso and you really can’t stop eating them. The queso, too, is special. It is rich, tangy and thick. Dotted with chilies, it has a mild tang to it, nothing overpowering, just an occasional reminder. This is a milder version of the kind of queso you find in an authentic Tex-Mex restaurant where they don’t know the meaning of Velveeta. Thirty years of living in Wisconsin has taught me to appreciate good cheese and I will definitely go back to Pier 31 for some more.

One thing I didn’t get to try (yet) was the Irish Nachos. They take a mound of the wonderful potato chips and pile on ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and jalapenos. They top it all with that tangy queso. That sounds like a nice change from the usual tortilla chip Nachos.

Smokin’

I take a break from the appetizers to try some of the barbequed items that have just arrived. First I tried a rib. The menu says they are St. Louis Style. I ask Bud what that means and he goes straight to the source. He immediately calls his friend Jack Garnier who is the founder of Trotters BBQ, and I think was the inspiration for the Pier’s version. It turns out that St. Louis Style doesn’t refer to the sauce or the method of smoking, as I had suspected.

It refers to the way the ribs are cut; a uniform 8” long and wider than Kansas City Style. Then they are trimmed of fat and the skin is removed from the back. It certainly makes it easier to pull the meat off the bone with your teeth. The sauce must be the secret recipe of Pier 31’s inspired head chef and legendary Lake veteran, Jack. It is not you’re usual tomato confection but has a flavor more like an Oriental BBQ sauce, Korean maybe, Japanese? It is a thin glaze that is perfectly caramelized around the meat with just enough char on the edges. I had to lick my fingers afterwards to enjoy every last bit. Who needs paper towels with food this good?

Their pulled pork sandwich is authentic Ozark BBQ. It is slow-smoked and juicy with not much fat left around the edges. If there is anyone out there who still yearns for the old days of Hickory Pits that used to be dotted along Hwy 5, you need yearn no more. Pier 31 knows how to smoke pork without having to completely smother it in sauce to provide some flavor to a dried out piece of leather. Even my brother, BBQ snob that he is (just kidding, Bro!), would approve of this.

I tried a few pieces of BBQ brisket. It was a little too smoky for my own personal taste, but made the way a cousin of mine likes it. Each of the three BBQ items I tried was prepared differently. Bud must have eaten in BBQ joints all over the country, as he seems to have something to satisfy almost everyone’s notion of what that quintessential cooking style should taste like.

All the while we were nibbling, Bud was pointing out interesting boats passing by or dealing with questions from various employees. He would often excuse himself to go welcome a table of new arrivals and explain the menu. He is a real people person who treats his staff like family and his customers like guests in his home.

Just When You Thought It Couldn’t Get Any Better

The piece de resistance of this culinary orgy was presented last by the young assistant chef Logan. It was a beautiful, foot-long filet of grouper coated in a cornflake crust. Moist and tender, the flesh easily separated into thick, juicy pieces. Besides adding a nice flavor to the coating, the uncrushed cornflakes make an interesting presentation as they form ruffles across the top of the fish. My only complaint was that it arrived after I had already stuffed myself so full I could barely move.

He served the grouper with the Pier’s house salad. This consists of a wedge of lettuce surrounded by tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, etc. Besides looking pretty on the plate, the lettuce actually stays crisper when served this way. Anytime you cut lettuce, you bruise the edge with your knife. This way the edges stay intact till the very end. You also avoid that limp lettuce effect that you get when cut up pieces sit too long in a busy restaurant. It creates a very refreshing cold dish on a sultry day.

There are a number of menu items that we didn’t try but sound interesting. They do several pasta dishes including one with Lobster stir fried in garlic butter with jerk seasoning and a white wine sauce, They are famous for their crab legs. You can get a pound of the delectable crustaceans anytime or they serve them all-you-can-eat on Sundays. Prime rib, rib eye, burgers, shrimp and chicken round out the menu.

I would recommend Pier 31 to anyone looking for a great casual dining experience at reasonable prices with a family-friendly atmosphere. You can check out their web site for specials and other information. Wisely, Bud hasn’t set an end-of-the-season closing date. It all depends on the weather. So check the web site or better yet, drop in to find out.