Located at the crossroads of Chuckanut Drive and Bow Hill Road stands Cob + Cork, a quaint, small-town restaurant “inspired by the harvest of local soil and water.” After opening its doors in August of this year, Cob + Cork has quickly become a community gem thanks to the work of owners Lisa and Terry Thomson.

From a young age, Lisa knew she wanted to be a chef, so she worked throughout high school and moved to Paris to study French cuisine after graduating. She worked as a nanny while learning at the original Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine and studying language at La Sorbonne.

From then on, she dedicated her life to the hospitality and food industry. She has worked in kitchens in California, France, Germany, and Canada, all the while learning from chefs who are experts in cuisines from around the world—but she learned the most from being immersed in food cultures and eating.

Upon first entrance, you’ll be welcomed into a warm and inviting atmosphere. Hanging on the walls are family photos and vintage wooden corks gifted to the owners by family friends. These are not wine corks; rather, they are vintage corks originally used in a commercial fishing business and gifted to the Thomsons by family friends. The word “cork” speaks to both uses, as does the cuisine on offer. As a whole, “Cob + Cork” represents food and wine as well as land and sea.

Begin your meal with some starters. If you’re someone who usually skips your greens, then you are required to try the Arugula Salad. The pomegranate dressing, dried cherries, walnuts, and Samish Bay Vache will make you second-guess your convictions on what a salad can be—utterly delicious. For seafood lovers, there’s the PNW Steamer Bowl. A bowl of clams and mussels is cooked in a soul-warming broth of white wine, herbs, and garlic and plated with baguette.

For dinner, a customer favorite is the Schnitzel, a Bavarian dish Lisa learned to make while living in the Alps. It consists of pork pounded thin and breaded. I went with the Crab Mac + Cheese, which was exactly as it should be—warm, cheesy, and comforting, with a subtle twist of Dungeness crab.

“I think mastery is when you can create really good food with really simple ingredients and let the ingredients speak,” Lisa says. “That’s basically what Cob + Cork is. It’s very approachable food that people will recognize, but with our fresh, handcrafted spin on it”.

Cob + Cork also hosts monthly events as part of their Bite Club. Each month they feature a new region of cuisine with small tasting plates and a paired wine. Attendees can also stay for a prepared dinner based on the theme of the night. On Nov. 18 they will be hosting “A Night in Napa,” and on Dec. 16, “Home for the Holidays.” Reservations can be made on the Cob + Cork website. Make sure to reserve sooner than later because tickets sell out quickly!

5545 Chuckanut Dr., Bow, 360.421.1918, cobandcork.com