14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
Dining out on Thanksgiving? Feasts abound!
is doing a family-style dinner with
turkey, mashed potatoes, yams,
bacon Brussels sprouts, stuffing and
cranberry, as well as starters and a
shared pie and ice cream dessert.
It’s $35 for adults, $18 for kids.
At Bridgewater Bistro (503-325-
6777), reservations are required for
a special, à la carte menu. They’ll
have traditional roasted turkey as
well as salmon, duck, vegetarian
options and plenty more. All come
with the familiar Thanksgiving
sides — mashed potatoes, yams,
veggies, cranberry chutney and the
like. And, of course, they’ll have
pie.
Story by
THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
FACEBOOK.COM/MOUTHOFTHECOLUMBIA
I
n every year of my life but
two, I’ve spent Thanksgiving
at the home of either my par-
ents or aunt and uncle.
Of the outliers, one came while
visiting a girlfriend who was away
at college. She and I were wel-
comed into the home of her dorm
roommate’s Bahamian family.
The other was when I first
moved to North Coast. Curious
to see my new home, and with
extended family with other com-
mitments, my parents visited, and
we ate out. Freed from cooking
duties, we built our appetites with
a righteously beautiful hike along
the cliffs and coastlines of Ecola
State Park.
The restaurant we dined at no
longer exists, so any description
is moot. Suffice it to say: The lack
of leftovers aside, going out for
Thanksgiving opens up a world of
possibilities.
Regardless of circumstance,
there are plenty of reasons to go
out for Thanksgiving, not the least
of which is that some restaurants
offer extraordinary spreads,
preparing some of their most
involved, spectacular meals of the
year.
Before we get to listing
them, I would be remiss not to
mention that the idea for this col-
umn came from a reader. Writing
to the Mouth bears fruit! To that
end, I’d love to hear about your
Thanksgiving traditions, reci-
pes and the like. (Another idea:
Thanksgiving prep gone awry!)
Share at mouth@coastweekend.
com.
One last thing: Many of these
Thanksgiving services require
reservations and may be booked
by the time you read this. In other
words: Call ahead.
SEASIDE/GEARHART
THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.COM
CANNON BEACH
As perhaps the North Coast’s
epicenter of fine dining, no city
hosts more upscale Thanksgiving
specials than Cannon Beach.
Two of those — EVOO Can-
non Beach Cooking School and
Newmans at 988 — are already
booked solid. (Is it too early to start
thinking about reservations for next
year? Maybe not, when EVOO’s
menu this Thanksgiving — their
13th — boasts a ridiculously
enticing seven-course smorgasbord
that includes scallops, black tobiko
caviar, truffles, salmon, short ribs,
duck, boar and NY strip.)
Don’t dismay! At press time,
there are still openings at some of
Cannon Beach’s top restaurants.
The Stephanie Inn (855-977-
2444), a contender for, if not the
undisputed champion of, sourcing
the most exquisite ingredients on
the entire coast (not to mention
souring them regionally), offers
a five-course, traditional turkey
dinner that’s $119 per person.
Another Martin Hospitality
venture in the upper echelon, The
Wayfarer (503-436-1108), offers
à la carte Thanksgiving choices,
including Herb-Roasted Tom Tur-
key (from Astoria, $47) and Beef
Tournedos ($57), as well as salads,
pies and so on.
More affordable, casual options
can be found at Pelican Brewing
Company (503-908-3377) and
Morris’ Fireside Restaurant (503-
436-2917). Both will have Thanks-
giving-style specials alongside the
full, regular menu. Pelican won’t
be taking reservations. Rather, it’s
first-come, first-served — which, in
a last-second pinch, could come in
handy.
ASTORIA
Astoria doesn’t have as many
Thanksgiving options as you might
think. That blow is softened by the
two restaurants staying open: Baked
Alaska and Bridgewater Bistro,
both institutions in their own right.
Baked Alaska (503-325-7414)
For $60, Maggie’s on the Prom
(503-738-6403) offers a four-course
menu replete with choices. For the
entrée, for instance, choose between
the classic turkey, New York steak,
grilled king salmon or a butternut
squash risotto. Reservations are
required.
Both The Boardwalk Restau-
rant at Shilo Inn (503-738-8481)
and Twisted Fish Steakhouse and
Sports Lounge (503-738-3467)
offer all-you-can-eat buffets.
Before we even get to the desserts,
the Boardwalk has 17 dishes,
ranging from butternut squash
salad to sweet potato gratin, brown
sugar ham and, of course, turkey.
It’s $25.95 for adults, $19.95 for
seniors. The Twisted Fish won’t
be taking reservations for their
similarly priced buffet $24.99
for adults, $19.99 for seniors and
$12.99 for kids.
MANZANITA/
NEHALEM/WHEELER
One of the only restaurants in the
“three villages” open on the holiday
is also one of the best. Wheeler’s
Rising Star Cafe (503-368-3990),
where refined, classic techniques
meet a humble, intimate setting,
are doing a special menu with
five choices — lamb shank, Black
Angus Rib-eye, salmon, duck and a
risotto for vegetarians. As reser-
vations are nearly requisite on the
average day, they’re certainly so on
the holiday.
LONG BEACH/
WASHINGTON PENINSULA
Besides excellent ingredients
and culinary inspiration that’s both
local and worldly, the Shelburne Inn
(360-642-4150) provides one of the
most marvelous, compelling interi-
ors in the region. Indeed, a holiday
meal here ought to be memorable,
elevated by the historic details and
the warm, caring service. The $59
prix fixe dinner includes a wild
mushroom soup, Waldorf or Caesar
salad, pecan or pumpkin pie, and
choice of three entrées: turkey, New
York strip with wild mushroom
demi glaze, or salmon with huckle-
berry glaze.
The Depot (360-642-7880) is
another excellent choice. At press
time, their Thanksgiving menu
was still taking shape. This much
is clear: It includes a special, à la
carte, traditional turkey dish, as
well as select items from the regular
menu. As one of the most beloved
and awarded restaurants in the
region, the Depot has earned the
benefit of the doubt.
With ocean views atop the Adrift
Hotel, Pickled Fish (360-642-2344)
is doing a buffet for $35 per person.
Again, press time details on what
will be served were opaque, but
previous visits leave me confident
that diners will find worthwhile
value.
Finally, in Long Beach, there’s
42nd Street Café & Bistro (360-642-
2323), who are doing something a
little different: entire Thanksgiving
meal kits that are premade and
oven-ready. For $269 you’ll get
a 20-pound turkey, tomato soup,
mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing,
cranberry chutney, two pies and
more. Of course, you’ll need to
place the order in advance. CW