Timeline

Duke tried to go fancy with a white table cloth restaurant just down the lake from his lively and always-busy Duke’s Chowder House and, well, it was not a hit. “We called it Duke’s Yacht Club. Our customers showed us that they loved Duke’s Chowder House but when I tried a new concept that was…

Green Lake Duke’s Chowder House opened across the lake with a cozy umbrella laden patio looking at the beautiful lake and the hordes of walkers and bikers. It remains a strong neighborhood restaurant throughout the year and tourists’ hang out during the summer season. “Our original nautical design remains in this restaurant,” says Duke Moscrip.…

The restaurant concept evolved, and Duke’s Chowder House was born. South Lake Union with its views up the lake and docking for those wanting to boat up for a great meal. Famous for Duke’s creamy, delicious chowder, the restaurant thrived, and this was the start to Duke opening Chowder Houses around Puget Sound. In 2019,…

I recall a time in 1987 when fans rallied behind my idea to buy the Mariners. Back then, team owner George Argyros was not a favorite of the fans. Since the team’s rocky beginnings in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, the team never saw a profit and struggled to win games. We lost . .…

Searching for the world’s finest seafood means getting on the boats. Whether he’s traveling to Chesapeake Bay to visit clammers or braving a hard-working boat to catch Copper River Salmon, Duke goes to the source. To get the best fish and seafood, you have to know the source and how the fish was treated from…

“On Pearl Harbor Day in the late ‘70s, our manager, Mark Kobayashi, decorated the restaurant in bold Japanese war posters and decided to create a new drink, the Kamikaze cocktail,” says Duke Moscrip. “Now everyone makes a version of this fun cocktail, but I think our version is still the best; and the original.”

Duke opened his store in Bellevue that year with people clamoring for our clam chowder, already becoming famous. It was a long-time favorite of the Eastside crowd until they lost their lease and were forced to close in 1994. “I hated to close that store because we had such a loyal following, but the owners…

Mussels are a delicacy on most good seafood restaurants today, but that was not always the case. “Nobody served mussels when I first met Peter Jeffords at Penn Cove Mussels. He brought me some to try one day. I was amazed at how tasty they were, and mussels have been on the menu ever since,”…

Duke’s Bar & Grill opened on Lower Queen Anne Hill. It soon became the hang out for advertising agency execs after work as it was a lively place where everyone could just relax. The menu was eclectic as we were trying anything and everything, but the fish & chips and chowder stood out and stayed…

Duke Moscrip invested in Ray’s Boathouse and helped turn it into the seafood restaurant it is today. After visiting Ray’s, just a simple restaurant at the time, we were instantly inspired to make the concept of simply prepared, fresh local seafood a reality. From a partnership involving Russ Wohler, Earl Lasher and me, Ray’s Boathouse…