Cannon Beach Dining - Newman's

Newman's at 988 in Cannon Beach

Set in a 1910 farmhouse, Newman's is intimate and family-run. 

We started with the Ravioli du Jour w/ goat cheese and crab cakes which were nothing like any crab cakes I'd ever experienced. No breading, no fillers, these cakes WERE crab. Period. Two large cakes of crab, seared and topped with an aioli, it was almost too much and I gladly shared with my eagerly waiting husband.

We followed the first course with a wonderful tomato soup and beet & goat cheese salad. Unlike many beet and goat cheese salads, this one wasn't overwhelmed by an overabundance of cloyingly sweet candied pecans. Instead, it was accompanied by slightly sweetened, crunchy almond slivers, a welcome alternative.

My husband's third course was the rack of lamb entree, which must have been good because he licked the bones clean and mine, the lobster ravioli was so filled with large chunks of lobster that I nearly forgot we were on the West coast, a sight like that is only seen in Massachusetts or Maine. Like the crab cakes, I found myself with such a wealth of delectable goodness that I found it easy to share substantial bites.

We shared a dessert, the butterscotch pudding parfait. The texture was akin to cookie dough and was layered with whipped cream. 

It's been some time since we've visited Newman's and we were thrilled to see the food is just as good as it was the first time. It's also quite a deal. Two elegant, three-course meals with two kinds of warm bread served throughout, plus a shared dessert cost $114; try to find a deal like that in Portland.

Reservations recommended.

Sweet Treat

My latest obsession is one I picked up from Nancy's Kitchen in NW Portland. Nancy's is terrific and they've watched our daughter grow from bb (before birth) to the chatty yet coy four year old she is today.

We go often enough that they treat our daughter like their own and frequently bring her little treats or tastes of new items on the menu as we wait for our meal. The last time we were in, the treat warmed, homemade jam with sliced bananas. Q was being fickle and the smell of the warmed jam was so good, I had to try some... and then preceded to eat the entire banana dipped in the warm jam. Delish!

I'm not a huge fan of bananas but this has become my latest fave and while it's high in sugar (depending on the jam you use), it's pretty healthy overall. Healthier than a lot of dessert options, anyway!

mmmmm

Earlier today, I noted an article posted by a friend on Facebook, 51 great burger joints. I've wanted to try The Country Cat for a while now and the article gave me incentive. We hopped in the car and headed across the river.

There was about a 1/2 hour wait for a table so they took down my cell number and suggested we head down the block to the Montavilla Farmer's Market. The market was great and had I not been so excited about trying out The Country Cat, we would have eaten there. Among other things, there were fresh tamales, barbeque and one vendor had salted caramel ice cream. It's open from 10-2pm on Sundays and many vendors offer tastes. We tried some amazing peaches, some cheese and Pãobread (I purchased a bag because they'll be great additions to my daughter's school lunch on occasion and yum!). We easily could have stayed longer but the market had so many yummy looking desserts, we knew we had to leave before we filled up on treats and had no room for lunch!

The timing was perfect. Just as I was loading my market loot into the car, my cell rang and our table was ready. The Country Cat serves brunch from 9-2pm every day and there were plenty of options on the menu.

I started with a great looking bloody mary called the Proud Mary, garnished with homemade beef jerky, served in a beer mug. My husband ordered the Heritage burger. He's a barbeque fan and they brought him a side of bbq sauce on the side -- delicious, made with homemade ketchup. I stole a bite of the burger and it was divine. Accompanying the burger were fabulous skinny onion rings. Neither my husband nor our daughter are fans of onion rings but the whole family couldn't keep our hands off of them.

Our daughter had pancakes. I didn't try them because I had more than enough food on my plate, in addition to the onion rings I kept stealing off of my husband's plate.

I ordered the skillet fried chicken with pecan spoon bread. It was amazing. The chicken was moist inside and the crunch on the outside was just perfect. And oh, the spoonbread. The combination had to have been 10,000 calories and I just couldn't stop eating.

I can't wait to go back to both The Country Cat AND the Montavilla Farmer's Market!

Everything from French Toast to fancy mac & cheese, you'll find the recipes that make you feel warm & snug inside in Mother's Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again by Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro.

Inside you'll find "love notes" and other great tips to apply to the recipes inside and those you already make. It's a wonderful gift and don't forget to pick a copy up for yourself!

For a list of Oregon gift ideas see Buy Local, Buy Oregon post

Are they trying to make me suffer?

After Daughter's great dentist appt today, we decided to go to lunch. The only thing she wanted was "broccoli" and without a lot of ideas besides Thai take-out, which we do at least once a week, I decided to go to a club. Theoretically this club is child-friendly and many of the members under 50-60 are parents of school-age children. Theoretically is such a nice word, don't you think? And how grand would it be if "theoretically" turned out to be "actually" more often than not.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, we chose a corner booth sat down and waited. And waited. This would be the theme of our lunch.

I should let you know that Daughter is fairly experienced in dining out and while she IS 2.5 years old, she is NOT (generally) obnoxious. Besides the fact that she's a relatively well-behaved child, my husband and I take great care to ensure that she learns proper dining etiquette. We don't allow her to run around in restaurants*, not only is it rude but it's dangerous. I try to remember to bring activities (Color Wonder, mini Etch-A-Sketch**, etc) but when I fail, there's always Elmo videos on YouTube on my iPhone. We talk to and interact with Daughter so she doesn't get bored (that's typically when they get into trouble). She generally knows to use her "inside voice". She doesn't throw food or crawl around on the floor and if she gets out of control and warnings don't work, we get up and leave (and she knows we will). We also tidy up the table and tip well prior to departure.

Our waitress approached and asked us if we'd like something to drink. Milk for the toddler, water for me. The restaurant is more than half empty. This is important to note because had the restaurant been full or not well-staffed, my patience level would be much higher and I would have thought twice before bringing Toddler into someplace that might not be able to give us speedy service.

She brings us our drinks and while Daughter doesn't do well with straws & lids on her paper cups (she plays with them), I appreciate the thought the waitress put into making it child-friendly.

Unfortunately, that was pretty much the end to the child-friendly service.

I ordered a fruit cup & a Nutella w/Strawberry Preserves sandwich for Toddler and Gazpacho & a Veggie Wrap for me. I'm not sure if they were running out to a farm to gather the tomatoes for my Gazpacho but it took forever for my soup to arrive. Nothing for Toddler. The fruit cup was a separate order/dish/whatever you want to call it, so I'm not sure why Toddler's fruit cup didn't accompany my soup, first-course and all that. Perhaps, they think toddlers want to sit patiently and wait while others eat?

Thankfully, Toddler likes just about everything and even if she doesn't like something, she will nearly always try it. So we shared my soup while my eyes searched for a staff member who might be able to deliver the fruit cup. Toddler soon tired of my Gazpacho and wanted HER lunch. No kidding!? I had tempted her with fruit and a sandwich made of delights she rarely gets. My heart rate quickened as I watched Toddler fidget with increased energy. This was not good.

I spotted our waitress and called her over (she didn't even glance at us until I said, "Excuse me"). "Would you mind bringing us her fruit cup so that she has something to snack on?" No problem.

Maybe the kitchen is 10 miles from the restaurant? I'm beginning to wonder now. They certainly can't be picking the fruit for the fruit cup, can they?! FINALLY, our food arrives. Not just Toddler's fruit cup but the whole order. Success!

Or is it? She puts my plate in front of me and it is clearly a veggie BURGER. Very nice but not what I ordered. I should have kept my mouth shut but I was caught off guard and out of my mouth spilled, "This isn't what I ordered." She said she'd get my veggie wrap. I politely said, "I'm not sure it's worth it; Daughter is getting pretty restless." She told me she'd be quick and scurried off. And I waited.

Daughter polished off a good portion of her fruit and one of the sandwich halves by the time my lunch arrived. By this time I wasn't hungry and I was seeking a quick escape because I knew that we were nearly at Toddler's Expiration Date. I asked for a to-go box and the bill, please.

While waiting yet again, I ate half of my wrap and tried to entertain The Toddler. The waitress made at least 2 appearances in our general vicinity before she showed up with the bill. No to-go box. And she scurries off again. (I suppose I shouldn't use the term scurry because it might imply the slightest bit of speed to some readers and I would hate for the you to think that!).

Finally she delivers the to-go box and I throw our food in, look at the bill; I really shouldn't come here again.

We made it out alive, or rather I made it out with most of my sanity intact, no thanks to the waitress (Toddler was impressively well-behaved given the amount of waiting we had to do).

Perhaps I should draw up a contract for my next dining experience.
Here's what it would entail:

- I / We, Parent(s), do promise to contain my child and not allow them to endanger staff or themselves by running through the restaurant.
- Child will not be allowed to throw food or make large messes and if Child does, Parent(s) will make a valid attempt at cleanup and / or leave the premises with Child immediately.
- Child will not be allowed to scream and disturb other patrons.
- If Child cannot be controlled or managed by Parent(s), Parent(s) will remove Child from restaurant.
- Parent(s) will consider additional mess or effort required due to Child's presence when tipping.

In return,

- Waitstaff will offer to bring Child's food, or a portion of, immediately. If that is not an option, crackers or bread will be offered.
- Waitstaff will remember that speed is appreciated and while Parent(s) & Child shouldn't be ushered out, everyone needs to keep in mind that the longer a child sits, the more prone we all are to disaster.
- If you make a mistake and bring the wrong food, be honest about how long it will take to get the order right instead of promising to be quick and then failing. Time is of the essence here. I'd much rather go without lunch than experience a melt-down because you couldn't be honest with me.
- If in doubt, ASK. This is a good policy for life and I wish more people would do it. When encountering parents with a young child, ASK if they'd like their bill now or later. Yes, I suppose some might be offended but trust me, it's much better to offend one than have a string of bill-seeking, desperate parents on the hunt for you because their child just decided to wear a salad bowl into the kitchen after performing a version of Mission Impossible on the table.
- Don't forget the to-go box if asked for one. Really, after I've spent an hour waiting for a $6 peanut butter sandwich, I'm not in the mood to wait any longer, and yes, I do plan to take it with me (Child will be hungry as soon as we get home). In fact, bring a to-go box even if Parents don't ask. Worst case, diners don't want it. When you're dealing with small children, though, chances are, they'll want to take home what's left after Child took exactly one bite of his or her $12 macaroni & cheese.




*Daughter did this once to our great embarrassment and the remainder of our meal was spent taking turns dining alone while the other parent escorted our little convict on a walk outside.
**Cool site to see how Etch-A-Sketch works.

A Short Day on Orcas Island

Yesterday we had the opportunity for a brief visit to Orcas Island. Not only is Orcas a stunning getaway but, it's also a big part of my husband's childhood. He spent summers playing in the water, running through the forest and having all sorts of adventures there with his brothers, both in camp (Nor'wester) and out of camp.

We started our day at Teezer's, arriving just in time to snag the last Blackberry & Cream Cheese Pastry and slice of pumpkin bread (no nuts, perfection!). Add to that two blackberry scones and coffee (we brought milk in a sippy for Daughter) and we were set... for the moment.

Following our breakfast, we headed to one of Orcas' rocky beaches to check things out. No starfishes this time around but plenty of tiny crabs and rocks to skip. We did find what appears to be a baby deer skull tucked among the rocks. Next, it was off to lunch. We debated between Bilbo's (not fabulous Mexican), Rose's and Vern's (good steamers & a view but not much else) and decided Cafe Olga was the place. The food is consistently good and Husband can't get enough of their pie. I ordered my usual, the Chicken Cashew Salad on Greens & a cup of their Tomato Basil Soup, Husband ordered the soup and the Salad du jour w/arugula Prosciutto & artichoke hearts and Daughter had just a cup of the soup (all came with good rolls). Lunch was terrific and filling and we took a slice of blackberry pie to go and headed for the park by Cascade Lake for some sun and playtime before heading back home.