Rediviva’s owner and chef Andy Bickar doesn’t want to serve the same old menu in his restaurant.

Instead, Bickar, since 2013, at Rediviva Restaurant in Aberdeen, has gone his own route to make sure the food choices remain fresh, which means the menu changes quite often.

“If we want to serve local food, which is the goal,” Bickar said. “We have to be very adaptable. That’s why our menu changes almost daily, especially weekly. But, it changes almost daily because our quantities (that we get) are small. I’d rather do it that way than have a consistent menu from a freezer.”

While sometimes the menu’s changes lead to people muttering “Ah shoot, I was going to order that,” Bickar sounds as though he’s OK with that sort of thing.

Such is life when Bickar attempts to make locally sourced food, and food that isn’t routine.

While making people’s regional favorites, such as “Fish and Chips,” and clam chowder, would net him more money — something restaurants need to survive — Bickar is just fine with not making those dishes a staple on his menu, because the menu would bore him. He’s also trying to learn and to become a better chef, so he feels he has to push the envelope and challenge himself.

On Thursday night, Feb. 17, when The Daily World dined at the only true “fancy” restaurant in Aberdeen, the menu wasn’t boring. Instead, it called for adventure.

While some of the dishes might sound a bit eclectic, Bickar and Sous Chef John Swetz know what they’re doing.

For example, the raw sea scallops, if they’re still on the menu, are quite tasty. While it sounds risky to try raw scallops, the prosciutto, radish, sea beans, and Oregon white truffle vinaigrette make the dish equally flavorful and palatable to even a picky eater.

One payoff for Bickar is seeing people trust him and Swetz that they’ll enjoy what they order.

Combine that with a couple top-grade drinks from Rediviva’s bartender James Shawyer, a showman who takes great pride in providing people with an experience they won’t forget.

“It’s not just about serving the drinks,” Shawyer said. “But making the customer feel welcome and providing entertainment.”

But, his flavorful and refreshing concoctions are where he earns his stripes.

“I’m on Fire,” which is a special version of the classic bourbon drink “Old Fashioned,” really does get ignited with a match and a special tool. The drink is covered with a glass top, of sorts, while the drink gets smoked. The drink — made with Redwood Empire “Lost Monarch” Bourbon, was sweet, a little tangy, followed by a little spice from the Hellfire Habenero Shrub — is one that deserves small sips so it can be enjoyed slowly.

The knowledgable bartender, who’s worked at Rediviva since Dec. 9, 2021, also seems to know everything about everything and he’s happy to answer his customer’s questions. He explained to a couple patrons on Thursday that the restaurant’s name Rediviva was coined from the Columbia Rediviva, the ship that brought Captain Robert Gray to the Harbor in 1782. The word “Rediviva,” means rebirth.

Bickar called Shawyer “Impassioned,” and that he’s the right bartender for Rediviva, since Bickar wants those who work for him to have a passion for what they do.

A couple hours before opening for Thursday evening’s hungry Grays Harbor residents, Bickar was working on the new weekend menu.

In addition to the raw sea scallops, the menu featured “Jorstad Creek Oysters,” “Kabocha Squash” and pork belly, among others on the restaurant’s “smaller plates” menu.

One of the savory entrees featured was the 8-ounce Filet Mignon, which is made with Oregon natural beef that is topped with caramelized onion-marrow butter. It’s served with crushed marble potatoes, Treviso — a reddish leaf vegetable, and demi jus — a French-inspired, rich, brown sauce.

The cow did not die for nothing. The filet — cooked medium rare — was tender and it was cooked to perfection. Bickar knew what he was doing Thursday night.

But, again, the menu changes on most days, so don’t count on this list of items being on the menu if someone waits too long.

Bickar, who’s been cooking for more than 20 years, explained how he got his start.

“I grew up here,” he said. “My grandpa owned some restaurants in Aberdeen back in the ’50s — one called Jack’s Drive-In and one called The Shortstop. They were really popular, so I kind of grew up in a food family.”

Bickar said when he went to college, he worked in restaurants in Bozeman and Dillon in Montana. After his experience in Bozeman, he worked as an executive chef at a fly-fishing lodge in Dillon for one season.

“I decided to stick with it,” he said about cooking. “I just worked the last 20 years in professional kitchens and apprenticed under some great chefs. I figured it out beyond that.”

Bickar said in his kitchen experience through the last couple decades that the chefs he worked under were “working chefs,” meaning that they weren’t “expediting chefs,” who didn’t just make their staff work, and then come in at the last minute with tweezers to make sure the dish look perfect.

“So, that’s maybe to the detriment of my training,” he said. “I think I learned that skillset the most, of being able to juggle a restaurant and expedite it, while working instead of doing just one specific job.”

Bickar, like his predecessors, who clearly made for positive learning environments, has taught Swetz a lot in the six weeks Swetz has been on the Rediviva staff.

Swetz detailed his experience learning under Bickar.

“I’m learning something new every five minutes,” he said. “In the short time I’ve been here I’ve never learned so much under a chef. It’s pretty incredible.”

While Swetz has worked at Rediviva for six weeks and professionally for two-and-a-half years, he’s been cooking for much longer.

“I’ve been cooking my whole life,” Swetz said, before he compared working for Bickar, and what he’s learned from him, to being a knife that’s expertly sharpened. “So this is like the 30,000-grit whetstone of kitchens, if you know what knife sharpening is all about.”

Swetz championed Rediviva’s cuisine.

“I would just say that our cuisine is the most modern cuisine I’ve worked on,” he said. “I’ve worked under Szechuan chefs, Latin American chefs, Southern chefs, French chefs. This is just a great fusion environment.”

Other customers, like The Tap Room’s Michael Quercia, appreciate what Rediviva offers.

“I just really like what they’re doing at Rediviva right now,” she said. “Because it’s different than what anybody else has going on in Aberdeen.”

Quercia said while she likes other restaurants throughout Aberdeen, and Grays Harbor, she likes the freshness and unique quality to Bickar’s repertoire.

“It’s different than your basic burgers, and we need that,” she said. “We need more of that.”

Quercia last dined at Rediviva on Monday, Feb. 14.

“I went there on Valentine’s Day and it was perfect,” she said. “Everything was excellent. You do have to wait a little bit for the food, but it’s worth it. So, just drink some fancy cocktails while you wait.”