globehopper

mms, we would be happy with 2-3 hours hiking, maybe 6 miles? We won't be bringing hiking boots!
I definitely want to find this secluded beach now.

Taking into account your advice, here's the updated itinerary:
Day 0- Fly in after 11 hour workday, get a rental car, stay overnight in Portland
Day 1 - Drive along hwy 26 to the coast, check out Ecola state park, lunch at Cannon Beach, stay at Arch Cape House
Day 2 - Drive south on hwy 101, find 100 stairs beach, then to 3 Capes scenic loop, get lunch or picnic? Drive east on hwy 22 to hwy 18, check out TBD wineries, stay at Hotel Oregon. If time and energy permits, check out air museum in McMinnville.
Day 3 - Drive to Portland, see TBD sites, check out a microbrewery, stay at Hotel Monaco.
Day 4 - Drive east to hike TBD, eat well, maybe try more wine? return to Portland for the night.
Day 5 - fly home

Does this seem to flow better? We haven't picked out any restaurants or wineries yet!

beachbum

Yeah, I think it "flows" fine, except that you'll be rushed on day 2. Wineries close by 5:00pm, some as early as 4:00. And the heart of wine country is actually northeast of McMinnville, though there are some great wines being made in or near town.

And, I wouldn't count on having much time for wine tasting on day 4 either. There are a few wineries in the Gorge area, but the better ones are north, across the river in WA.

Are you wanting those dining and winery recs yet?

globehopper

Beachbum, thanks for the heads-up about winery closing times; I hadn't though of that. In that case, I'd opt for a good picnic instead of a restaurant lunch on day two.
Yes, I'm ready for winery and restaurant suggestions! We eat all seafood and meat and would rather try local eateries. And good dessert suggestions are also important! We like a lot of different wines and definitely not connoisseurs.

beachbum

Okay, you asked for it!

Lots of good dining choices in Portland. What time do you get in, and where are you staying?

I expect you'll have lunch and dinner of day 1 in Cannon Beach. I'm tempted to recommend Gower St. Bistro for both, but if you have their clam chowder for lunch, I suppose Wayfarer next door would be fine for dinner. Wayfarer isn't the nicest place in town, but has the best seafood selection, and quality is pretty decent. If you'd prefer a little more gourmetish, Newman's @988 is your best bet.

Ya gotta go to Nick's for dinner in McMinnville. Family owned restaurant, in 2nd or 3rd generation. And the food has gotten better with each.

What day of the week is day 2? Lots of wineries are closed early in the week. Assuming that's not an issue, suggest you drive through McMinnville toward's Dundee, stopping at Stoller, DePonte, and Domaine Drouhin. If you've got time, add Archery Summit, but leave your credit cards in the car. They're very proud of their wine!! If you dally too long on the coast, Youngberg Hill, off hwy 18 before McMinnville would be a nice stop, though they're not best known for the wines. In McMinnville, Eyrie is a long-time favorite, and if you're up to making an appointment, Westrey makes one of the better pinot noirs around.

You have a lot of options for breweries too. I like Bridgeport and Lucky Lab. Be adventuresome that night and have dinner at Le Pigeon. Funky hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but with a chef garnering national acclaim as an up-and-comer.

You say you want to eat well on your Columbia River Gorge day. Good luck! I only know a few restaurants out there, and none that I'd recommend. Maybe someone has a good suggestion for Hood River. Treat yourselves to dinner that night at a place like Fenouil (PNW-influenced French), Ten 01 or Higgins (both known for fresh, local, farm-to-table).

Scarlett

I agree with beachbum on Cannon Beach eateries.
In Arch Cape you can have breakfast or lunch in bread and ocean. Love this place!

In Portland:
Part of the hotel building but not a hotel restaurant is the Red Star Tavern.
www.redstartavern.com

Any meal there is good as well as late afternoon tea, drinks to sit and rest and gather energy.
For a stop for energy / coffee /sugar- the Pearl Bakery..
www.pearlbakery.com

Seafood in Portland - SouthPark.
http://www.southparkseafood.com/

Fenouil www.fenouilinthepearl.com
is my favorite restaurant but if you would be interested in very authentic Italian , Piazza Italia is good and fun.
www.piazzaportland.com

I almost always agree with beachbum, and took all of his advice when I lived in Portland

If you want one more good Portland restaurant for dinner - Wildwood is great!
www.wildwoodrestaurant.com

We had lunch in the Oregon Hotel at their restaurant one time, liked it !

globehopper

Beachbum, we'll land in Portland way past our bedtime, so won't be concerned with dinner that night. I haven't booked a hotel for the first night yet.
Day 2 is Friday for wineries, then Saturday in Portland.
Perhaps we better plan on packing a good picnic for the Columbia River Gorge. That's always a good excuse for stopping in food stores and bakeries in Portland.
Thanks to Beachbum and Scarlett for the restaurant, brewery and winery recs! I have many websites to check out this weekend.