Good food at a reasonable price. That is the goal for the new owners of The Riverhouse Nestucca in Pacific City. The Riverhouse Nestucca made its triumphant return Wednesday June 13, and new owners Steve Howard and Jeremy Davidson are attempting to restore the Riverhouse tradition while adding their own signature touch.

Previous owner Steve Newfield created quite the reputation for the Riverhouse, with his signature salad dressings and other menu items. Howard and Davidson are well aware of the impact Newfield had on the community and wanted to pay tribute to him by keeping the name ‘Riverhouse’ in their title, while still making the restaurant their own.

“Everybody knows and loves the Riverhouse and talking to Steve, we really didn’t want to change too much, just update it,” Davidson said. “It’s just kind of a nod to the tradition.”

With the restaurant’s return to Pacific City, Howard is aware that locals and lovers of the previous Riverhouse may be expecting the same menu.

“One of the drawbacks is that people expect us to have the same menu and we decided we didn’t want to go in a different direction, but we did want to go in our direction,” Howard said. “We hope that we aren’t a disappointment to people who have been hanging on to the old Riverhouse dressings and their French onion soup, but everything is going to be our menu.”

The new menu will draw from the experience of Davidson, who is well known as the chef of his past business The Portland Soup Company. Davidson worked in Portland for 10 years, where he gained a large following for his delicious handcrafted soups he made daily in his food cart. The Riverhouse Nestucca will be a family friendly restaurant featuring what Davidson calls casual fine dining.

“It’s kind of nice food without all the fuss,” Davidson said. “We want to be professional and have nice food but priced right. We are trying to make it accessible and contemporary.”

Since the dining staff for the restaurant is still small, The Riverhouse Nestucca will only be serving dinner for the first few weeks, Wednesday through Saturday. Once some of the kinks are ironed out, they plan to offer breakfast and lunch as well.

Those who are missing the Riverhouse of old will not be disappointed when they step into The Riverhouse Nestucca once again. Howard and Davidson wanted to pay tribute to Newfield by keeping certain things the same, in order to stay true to the tradition.

“We looked at this place about four years ago and literally everything looks the same in terms of the dining room,” Davidson said. “We didn’t have to change much, but we wanted to put our own stamp on it as well.”

The new menu will feature the traditional Pacific Northwest seafood, with fresh, locally caught fish, locally sourced produce and much more. The restaurant will also have an extended wine list and some handcrafted cocktails. The two owners are expecting a good turn out to start, based on the buzz they have received from the community and they are hoping to build a nice reputation for The Riverhouse Nestucca.

“A sophisticated low brow,” Howard joked about their style. “We have a relaxed, casual atmosphere and we are going to have a real respect for our customers by providing good food and good service.”