Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack

One of the unfortunate casualties of the pandemic was the closure of Erizo, a multicourse chef’s menu restaurant in Portland offering sustainable seafood that was local to the Oregon Coast(sometimes caught by the chefs, usually purchased direct from the fishermen) and that included highlighting bycatch and invasive species. The space was small with only ~20 seats, and included close service in telling the stories of the sea. I did get to dine there one time before the restaurant that made the 2019 Eater The 16 Best New Restaurants in America closed. Good news though, as Jacob Harth and his team have taken up the mantle from Olympia Oyster Bar to pop up as a seafood shack at Nevør Shellfish Farm in Netarts in 2020 and continuing this year on Fridays-Sundays 12-5 pm with a “Parking Lot Soup” menu. During my super low-tide getaway, I made sure to stop at the Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack, and here’s a look!
Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack popup on Fridays through Sunday with Jacob Harth Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack popup on Fridays through Sunday with Jacob Harth Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack popup on Fridays through Sunday with Jacob Harth

The menu is everchanging based on what is available and fresh every weekend, though some themes – raw on the half shell, oysters bbq’d over fire, oyster skewers, seafood on thick bread varying from sardine to eel to if you’re lucky uni, soup, a crudo, a ceviche. Nothing except seafood, and currently no beverages so bring your own libations. They have a handful of picnic tables, as well as some benches and barrels for stand-up quick dining if you want to dine al fresco here in the air of Netarts Bay instead of the car. A port a potty is available, but no regular washroom or running water, so you might consider some wetnaps too. Some parking is available in their lot, or pull over alongside Netarts Bay road.
Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack popup on Fridays through Sunday with Jacob Harth Nevør Shellfish Farms Seafood Shack popup on Fridays through Sunday with Jacob Harth

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Camp 18 Restaurant – a must stop on the way to the Oregon Coast

As you were reading my last post in which I shared what I did with a 24 hour trip to Cannon Beach, you may have wondered where did breakfast go, as I only showed what I had for lunch and dinner on the beach. The answer to that is Camp 18 Restaurant is a coast must stop on the way to the Oregon Coast. Even before moving to Portland, when I first visited Oregon as a tourist and was taken to the Oregon Coast, it’s pretty become tradition that if we can, we stop for a meal on the way. Camp 18 Restaurant is located on US-26 between Portland and US-101, in Elsie. Almost every time, we stop here for breakfast or lunch and to appreciate the cat (no petting though, per request of the signs up). The classic American menu here serves breakfast until 2pm, but and also has a lunch and dinner section available after 11am. Camp 18 Restaurant is also a roadside attraction of history of the logging industry with a logging museum and loggers’ memorial. Note: the photos for this post are over multiple years of visits and may not reflect current Covid setup.
Camp 18 Restaurant, a must stop on the way to the Oregon Coast on US 26 on the way to US 101  Camp 18 Restaurant, a must stop on the way to the Oregon Coast on US 26 on the way to US 101 Camp 18 Restaurant, a must stop on the way to the Oregon Coast on US 26 on the way to US 101

The name of Camp 18 Restaurant comes from its located at milepost 28 on Highway 26. In Oregon’s logging history, logging camps were usually numbered – and there you go. Camp 18 Restaurant has been offering family dining since 1986, but was a dream that started construction in the early ’70s by Gordon and Roberta Smith and logging friend the late Maurie Clark. Gordon, who with his own experience and knowledge of the logging industry (the story on the menu and Camp 18 website tells us he was called “Riggin Boss”), logged all the timber used in the 14,000 square foot log cabin himself and was hauled in, hand peeled, and draw knifed with help of his family and friends. Almost all the lumber used in this log cabin was cut in Goddon’s saw mill, set up on the property across Humbug Creek, that he had been running since 1966 and before the restaurant opened.

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Low Tide at Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach

A few months a year is when you can find super low tide – you can look up online almanacs for daily tide charts for the year. They list daily high and low tides both in terms of the time and amount of feet that is predicted, and what you are looking for are negative numbers. Super low tides tend to be very close to negative 2 feet. It may easier to search for your area (say Oregon Coast or Cannon Beach, or any beach city in the world) and “super low tide” or “minus tide” – to find them. They usually occur for 4 months, over a few days in those months. In 2021 for the Oregon Coast these were April 29, May 27, June 25 and July 24, according to predictions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, with May and June being the lowest of the entire year. So I planned a trip specifically to check out the super low tide at Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach in June.
Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide

Planning

It worked out that it also happened to be during a crazy heat wave in Oregon where we were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s always much cooler at the Coast. Good thing I planned months ahead of time before all the rentals were sold out. Many places during the summer high season want you to stay 2 days, so keep that in consideration if you are going to stay overnight that you may need to stay longer or you will have some limited choices of where to stay. You can drive early in the morning, but as the low tide was early in the morning (around 7 am) I didn’t want to drive in that early, even if it is only 1.5 hour from Portland barring any traffic or accidents.
Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide Haystack Rock and The Needles in Cannon Beach at low tide

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Lincoln City Oregon Food

If you happen to be out at the Oregon Coast, whether passing through or staying at a rental, I have a few highlights from my own trip and the Lincoln City Oregon food I really enjoyed. My visit was short, but these 3 stops really stood out and I would 10/10 visit and order again. If you are traveling, stay safe, comply with whatever Covid-19 protocols the city or businesses have in place, and visit as many local businesses as you can along the way. They can use your support.
Trip to Lincoln City, Oregon Coast Trip to Lincoln City, Oregon Coast

Dory Cove Restaurant

Dory Cove Restaurant is a local institution. The current location that you can find this homey restaurant has been there since 2017, but it is the new location that carries on the more then 40 year tradition and recipes of the original location that used to be on the other side of town but which was a victim of an unfortunate fire. Dory Cove is open 7 days a week and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner so is perfect for any day, any time eating. You may find yourself juggling the open days and times of other eateries, so knowing Dory Cove is a pretty safe bet is good to know. They have seafood omelets and egg benedict plates (woo hoo that crab benedict…) at breakfast, as well as a thick yet creamy and chunky clam chowder. Their specialty entrees are well-sized: just look at this Parmesan crusted 8 ounce halibut with parmesan cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and parmesan garlic bread. Grabbing this takeout to eat at your rental with a nice bottle of wine while overlooking the ocean is so luxe.
Dory Cove Restaurant at Lincoln City, Oregon Coast Dory Cove restaurant specialty dish of Parmesan crusted 8 ounce halibut with parmesan cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and parmesan garlic bread, here seen with their legendary clam chowder

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