To the Oregon Coast and Back – Wayfarer and Urban Masala

Kirk and Cathy have real jobs, and today they're either working on them or relaxing. So this mmm-yoso!!! blogpost, about a day trip to the Oregon coast, is by Ed (from Oregon originally).

During the middle of October, Tina and I spent more than a week in Northwestern Oregon (including PDX). Tina, who owns a real camera, brought it along, so most of the good pics in my Oregon posts will come from her, especially the outdoor shots – all I can photograph is food, it seems.

As well as getting together with relatives and friends in the area, some days we were on our own. When we woke up in Hillsboro Oregon on Monday morning, even the Hampton Inn parking lot was beautiful in the fog:

Soon we left the fog behind as we headed west on Highway 26, enjoying the colors of the season:

Though the fog was still visible in the distance when we stopped at a viewpoint in the coastal range:

In less than an hour and a half, we arrived at Cannon Beach, just south of the intersection of 26 with Highway 101, famous for its large beach and iconic Haystack Rock:

Our friend, part-time Oregon resident, gourmet cook and witty blogger, Joanie, texted Tina and said we had to eat at the Wayfarer:

The dining space was attractive and the windows looked out at the beach and Haystack Rock – look real carefully out the window:

Wanting to drink local, Tina and I had a glass of Archery Summit Pinot Gris and one of Domaine Drouhin Chardonnay:

Both were good, but the Chardonnay amazed me since most Oregon Chardonnays that I drank way back when seemed thin and acidic. This one was a classic refined focused Chardonnay.

The lunch itself started with some tasty warm bread and attractive chilled butter:

We were on the coast, so a cup of clam chowder was necessary:

Quite impressive. Full of tender pieces of clam and bits of potato, covered with a luscious, rich, creamy, savory broth. A classic version of the soup.

Joanie had advised Tina to have the Dungeness crab sandwich with garlic fries, so that's what she ordered. The garlic fries came with ketchup and a tangy aioli, and they were crispy and reasonably garlicky:

On first inspection, the sandwich looked like mostly baguette and melted cheese:

But it was packed full of flavorful moist Dungeness crab:

I chose a different local favorite, razor clams:

This variety of bivalve got its common name because it looked like the old school straight razor case into which the sharp blade was folded when not in use – kind of like an elongated sunglasses case. Nowadays the razor clams on beaches in Oregon and Washington cannot be commercially harvested so the pan fried clams on my plate, flavorful, a little crunchy, and tender chewy, probably came from Alaska. Still, a real treat for me.

I also loved the sides. The jalapeño jelly was sweet and tasty with the clams, but I preferred the old school dill flavored tartar sauce. The herbed rice contained a lot of wild rice as well as perfectly al dente green and yellow split peas. Nice flavor/texture combo. The fresh green beans, toothsomely prepared, were lightly flecked with garlic.

A very pleasing lunch. Thanks for the tip, Joanie!

After we paid our tab,:

we strolled down to the beach past one of the ubiquitous tsunami warning signs. Every time I see one, I think, "I'm betting on the wave.":

The road south from Cannon beach is often quite striking and occasionally sublime. For a while, it clings to the side of Neahkahnie Mountain hundreds of feet above the Pacific:

Then it comes back down close to sea level and sloughs and estuaries appear:

Here's Tillamook Bay, the picture taken from close to Garibaldi:

The road back to Portland area from Tillamook is easy driving and about as quick as the trip out on Highway 26. Nonetheless, after a day driving around, Tina and I decided to have a simple meal in Hillsboro.

We were staying in Hillsboro for a few days because of its proximity to friends and relatives, the Oregon wine country, and the coast, but most people who live in the area are connected to the tech industry, particularly Intel. So we figured there had to be a decent Indian restaurant nearby. A brief search on Tina's iPad led us to Urban Masala, which had just opened a couple of months earlier:

We enjoyed the Indian music in the background, but the decor and ambience were otherwise unremarkable:

The food, however, was pretty good, beginning with the complimentary papadum:

The chana masala was simple, spicy, and pretty straightforward:

The baigan bharta was far better than my photo of it:

The impressive khoormani ghosht, apricot lamb, showed off the tender gamy lamb with the sweetness of the fruit and abundant spice:

Equally outstanding was the wonderful garlic naan:

Light, puffy, crunchy flatbread, hot from the oven, as good as I've ever had.

Dinner tab less than half of lunch:

All in all, it was a good day. Gorgeous weather and scenery. Good food. Tina. Can't really ask for more.