eating at the Oregon coast?

[sharff]

We are planning at trip to Portland in mid August that could include a drive to the coast if there are restaurants that would make it worth the drive (rental car, motels).

Any must eat at places along the northern Oregon or southern Washington coast?

Years ago we ate "all you can eat" fried oysters at the Ark on the Washinton coast. Almost worth the trip just to go back.

Thanks,

Al Sharff

[mklynch]

We've had great meals at the Bay House in Lincoln City.

Also liked the Side Door Cafe in Gleneden Beach.

Since Rob Pounding left Salishan, it's taken a nosedive. His Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City is good - very moderatly priced.

[Mr. Bill]

Not far from The Ark is the Shelburne Inn & Shoalwater Restaurant.

http://www.theshelburneinn.com/

http://www.shoalwater.com/pages/hubs/menus.html

Love the crab and shrimp cakes!

At the opposite end of the scale, much farther south, (just south of the bridge in Newport), is the Lighthouse Deli & Fish Company. Had some killer smoked salmon and other yummy fish treats there last summer. Not a destination in and of itself, but it's very close to the Aquarium and the Rogue Brewery. What's not to love about sitting at a picnic table by the highway on a sunny summer day?

[Jill-O]

I'd go to the Lincoln City part of the OR coast. It is an easy drive from Portland, about 1.75 hours. There are lots of rooms in Lincoln City, OR so you can usually find a cheaper room there as opposed to Cannon Beach and I think it is nicer than Seaside, myself. Just MHO, tho'. And yeah, I think if you have a day/night to spare from Portland, you should drive to the coast.

I was just in Lincoln City with a friend and, as usual, had a great breakfast at the Otis Cafe at Otis Junction on Rte. 18 less than 5 minutes off of 101. Great huge cinnamon pecan rolls, eggs, fabulous homemade wheat and molasses breads, good iced tea, a nice fruit and cheese plate too. Everything comes like you order it, the service is great, and it is kind of a hoot to have to walk through the entire kitchen to get to the restroom. They also do lunch and dinner but it is most crowded for breakfast and it is a tiny place.

After almost always just having breakfast at the Otis, I finally got to the Wildflower Grill. If you are in Lincoln City, you actually pass it on the right on your way to the Otis.

We got there at noon on July 4th and had no wait and opted to sit outside on the deck. If it is in season, ASK TO SIT OUTSIDE!! I usally prefer to sit inside but the back deck is glassed around and practically wind-free and looks out at what appears to be a nature preserve. It is gorgeous. The whole time we were there we watched a blue heron, a duck and ducklings, red wing black birds, 3 other kinds of birds and enjoyed the water and lush vegetation. It was just fabulous.

Friend and I ordered breakfast but the next table ordered lunch and got beautiful large salads and burgers and such. I'll be back to try that stuff another time - stuff looked great. Breakfast was really good, though. I had eggs over easy, ham (really good!), hash browns (good, and I prefer home fries) and shared a shortstack of blueberry pancakes (very yummy) with my friend who had the omelet (choose any 3 ingredients from a long list- she had bacon, spinach and swiss cheese) and hash browns.

All of the food was very good and all of it came just as we ordered it. It is obvious that someone in the kitchen cares about what they are doing there. The portions are very generous and the prices similar to the Otis - not dirt cheap, but not outrageously expensive, especially for the coast - about $7-10 per person for a full breakfast, you can do it cheaper, though. The service was good and friendly and the atmosphere was fabulous and even if you sit inside, it is so nice and homey. It is an old house converted into a restaurant. They have a couple of rooms upstairs that are more private and you can reserve them for larger groups or, if they aren't reserved, have a more private and intimate setting for your meal.

You can find them on 101 just past the Ryan Gallery on the left side of the road if you are coming into Lincoln City heading south. If you are heading out of Lincoln City going north toward Neskowin, it will be on your right a little bit past the Lighthouse shopping center (the one with the Bimart and Goodwill) as you head out of town. I think they are open for breakfast and lunch 7 days, but only serve dinner Tues.-Sat. - so check on that...

There's a Mo's in Lincoln City (at the very south end) and in Cannon Beach and other places - I think their chowder is good, if you like a bacon-y and thick kind of chowder.

I second the rec for the Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City, fairly moderate prices for a casual upscale and good meal. Blackfish Cafe Also in Lincoln City is Kyllo's on 101 right on the water (at the "D" River wayside) with great views (think sunset dining) and has a really nice bar area - and the drinks are good, sometimes even great...and if there's a long line you can get anything on the menu in the bar area (at a table or at the bar). (Last time I splurged on a crab cocktail - worth the $9 or whatever it cost!) You'd probably be able to get away with $50-60 for two without drinks (or without dessert) at Blackfish. You could get close at Kyllo's if you chose smaller portions (lunch or light options served all day) and were careful ordering.

The Seahorse Motel in Lincoln City is a nice place to stay that is on a bluff above the ocean with convenient access to the beach below, and they allow pets. They also do package deals with meals at the Blackfish and the Wildflower, and with admission to the acquarium in Newport.Seahorse Motel in Lincoln City Or, if you just want cheap, and not right on the ocean, try the Motel 6 and you can walk about 3 blocks for beach access.

I just did a couple of fabulous hikes near Lincoln City this past weekend, feel free to message me through the site if you are interested in where. They were fairly short and easy (kids and fit seniors friendly) but gorgeous and nice way to burn off the cinnamon roll... ;o)

There's lots to do in Astoria too (and the Crest Motel is a great place to stay there) but I don't have any food recs for you there. There have been some posts about places there recently, though, on the NW board at chowhound.com.

P.S. - Anyone know if the Red Fox Bakery in Lincoln City is gone for good? They were closed and the windows covered with brown paper when I passed by over the weekend...

[lala]

Jill-O, I would not be surprised if Red Fox bakery is defunct. I buy their goods whenever I'm on the Oregon Coast (at least two times a year), and I have noticed that the quality has steadily declined. Last September, I bought my usual selection of pastries and bread, and actually Threw most of them Away after a couple of bites. Everything was really heavy and nasty, not made with their usual ethereal touch.

So if they are closed, there's a reason...

[Jill-O]

Wow. Thanks for the 411 lala. These things happen, but I guess I'm kind of shocked.

Oh well. Sayonara, Red Fox Bakery...

I guess you can forget about that one, Al! You can get your baked goodies at Otis and Wildflower, I suppose.