EVERETT—Delicious dim sum is hardly a rarity in Snohomish County’s diverse, and robust, dining scene but Fisherman Jack’s, at the Port of Everett’s Restaurant Row, aims to elevate the traditional dim sum experience with a modern twist.
At Fisherman Jack’s you’ll find traditional dim sum dishes like won tons, bao, and siu mai, as well as rice and noodles, Mongolian Beef, and Cashew Chicken. Where it breaks the mold of your typical dim sum restaurant is dishes like its Dungeness crab rangoon, sea bass rolls, Rainier clams, and a tuna tower all an homage to the Pacific Northwest’s rich seafood culture.
The Asian-fusion restaurant opened in September, 2023, as one of the Port of Everett’s first partners in its developing Restaurant Row project.
Since then, Rachel Escalle, Vice President of Operations for The NGMA Restaurant Group, informed the Lynnwood Times the Restaurant Group has been “blown away by how welcome [they] have been” from the Everett community and the “reception has been really amazing.”
Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber and Port Commissioner David Simpson joined local business owners at the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, to break ground on its upcoming Restaurant Row project—the future home to Alexa’s Cafe, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, the Net Shed Fish Market, Tapped Public House, and Rustic Cork Bistro.
These new businesses will join the recently opened Muse Coffee and Whiskey Bar, which held the annual Port Report event last year, Fisherman Jack’s, Hotel Indigo, which hosted this year’s Port Report event, Sound to Summit Brewing, and South Fork Bakery, which hosted the groundbreaking ceremony back in July.
At Fisherman Jack’s Escalle said that the customer experience is “hands down” the number one priority.
“We try to focus on every single aspect of the meal to make sure it is perfect,” said Escalle. “Everything from greeting guests and making sure they feel welcome to our servers, down to making sure our staff is fully knowledgeable. We’re also always finding ways to modernize our menu and our cocktail program.”
Escalle will celebrate her 10 year anniversary with the company this January. Escalle, who has spent most of her life in the restaurant industry beginning in college, informed the Lynnwood Times that food and the people, paired with working with her talented team under the leadership of General Manager Giuliana Jenkins each day, are all what she loves most about what she does.
Escalle recommends anyone trying out Fisherman Jack’s for the first time to order the spicy wontons, the restaurants most popular dish by far, house made pork dumplings served in a spicy and savory broth with peppers and onions, the staff favorite sea bass rolls, and the flank steak banh mi which is sautéed in spicy Mongolian sauce.
As for cocktails, Escalle suggests asking the highly trained and knowledgeable serving staff to find something that will fit your unique and personal palette. Her personal favorite is the Siren’s Call, a beautiful combination of pineapple, orgeat, tequila and hibiscus served up with dried hibiscus and pineapple scales.
The NGMA Group also owns and operates China City Restaurant in Mill Creek and the Muse Whiskey and Coffee also part of the Port of Everett’s Restaurant Row.
Fisherman Jack’s gets its name from Jack Ng, who owns and operates the NGMA Group with his wife Jin Ma and used to be an Alaskan fisherman before entering the restaurant industry.
Jack was born in a small village outside of Canton, China. He, along with his family, immigrated to Anacortes in 1989. They worked hard as a family to learn the American way and eventually started their own family business. Jack learned how to work in restaurants all throughout high school, and continued his hard work being a fisherman in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. This experience and work ethic is what allowed Jack and his family to open their own extremely successful business. They have owned and operated three restaurants since 1999. This business achievement has now recently expanded to commercial real estate.
As a resident of Whidbey Island since 1999, Jack has consistently influenced the community by being a leader. A devout Rotarian since 2008, he became President of the Rotary Club of South Whidbey in 2014, also holding various board positions throughout his time with the club. He spearheaded a fundraising wine club for the organization and is very involved with the committee that plans the Rotary’s Annual Holiday Wine Tasting fundraiser. Jack has helped raise over a hundred thousand dollars for the community’s benefit and improvement.
On top of his volunteer involvement, Jack is also active in local government. He was elected Port Commissioner of South Whidbey on February 13, 2015. He is also a Board Member of the Economic Development Council of Island County and a Board Member of the Island County Council of Government.
In his spare time, Jack enjoys playing tennis, basketball and golf. In the evenings, he prefers to spend his time sharing a glass of wine and exploring the culinary arts with friends and loved ones. He prioritizes time with his family, especially his beautiful wife, Jin, and his son, Jacob.
Fisherman Jack’s menu pays tribute to Jack’s upbringing in Southern China as well as his time working as a fisherman and love for the Pacific Northwest, where he has called home since the age of 12.
Ng, a Port of Everett Commissioner, met Port of Everett’s CEO Lisa Lefeber at a Port Conference where the NGMA Group’s plans to expand, and the Port’s plans to open Restaurant Row open conversations to what felt like a natural partnership.
The interior design of Fisherman Jack’s, from its sleek modern decor to its serene view of the Port of Everett Marina, was conducted entirely by the Restaurant’s husband-wife duo who took an incredibly hands on approach from personally choosing the paint colors, to artwork, all with the intention of reflecting their traditional, yet modern, menu.
Taking advantage of the scenic marina sights, Fisherman Jack’s even offers an outdoor patio where patrons can enjoy the tranquil backdrop in full force, indulging on savory bites while watching sailboats dock in port.
As for the bar program and cocktail list, Fisherman Jack’s provides the creative freedom to Bar Manager Joshua Brannan and his talented team to curate a cocktail list that both showcases their creativity while intelligently pairing with the restaurant’s food.
“Each bartender takes on a spirit and they run from it from them. We deeply encourage and give them the space and the tools to make sure they are fitting in that craft niche and do whatever they want with it,” Escalle told the Lynnwood Times. “We really want to foster a place where our staff can play around and find new and innovative ways to expand our cocktail menu while also trying to complement dishes.”
Fisherman Jack’s is located at 1410 Seiner Drive in Everett, Washington. It’s open every day from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. with Happy Hour everyday from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. until Closing.
Fisherman Jack’s is also currently hiring. To apply fill out an application on their website at www.fishermanjacks.com/now-hiring.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
