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-   -   Stephanie Inn Dining/Cannon Beach,OR (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/stephanie-inn-dining-cannon-beach-or-440333/)

kimamom Jun 8th, 2004 10:42 AM

Stephanie Inn Dining/Cannon Beach,OR
 
Has anyone had any experience here lately? We will be in the area soon and it is on my list for a nice, fine dining experience one night.

Is the meny strictly a prix fixe thing? Everything sounds wonderful from their website. TIA ***kim***

jimshep Jun 8th, 2004 11:04 AM

The rooms and breakfast are fabulous (stay on second floor or above). I haven't eaten dinner there because we don?t like more than two courses, but well-traveled friends celebrating an anniversary said that dinner exceeded their expectations. The chef gives details about dinner during the afternoon wine tasting hour. Stephanie Inn is an example of a place that lives up to its ratings.

beachbum Jun 8th, 2004 01:07 PM

I've no recent (within the last year) dinner experience there, but I'm sure it's still prix fixe only. And the menu changes nightly, so you'll probably have to just chance that you'll like one of the two entrees offered.

In my case, it's never been a problem. My wife orders one choice; I order the other. We share, then usually end up debating which is best. Sometimes makes the choice of wine a little difficult, though.

The only drawback to the experience is the view. Given the coast location, it would be nicer if the restaurant overlooked the beach rather than the parking lot.

kimamom Jun 8th, 2004 01:43 PM

I think it will nice, but I agree about the views. The Shilo @ Seaside has gorgeous views of the ocean from their restaruant but last time I was there the the food was pricy and mediocre.

Has anyone dined there recently? It's been a few years. Unfortunately, I won't be staying at the SI, we are remodeling a beach cottage in Seaside and will be staying at our darling little cottage in Astoria.

Renovations should be complete this trip. Granite countertops, hardwood floors, paint, etc. etc. Lots of time spent in Home Depot this week but I can't wait to see it compelte and start renting it out!!! ***kim***

maxster Jun 14th, 2004 08:12 PM

If you are looking for a fine dining experience in Cannon Beach try Cafe Mango. It is just opening for dinners, but I was fortunate enough to sample the new menu and it is outstanding. My personal favorite is the halibut, but we thought everything was good.

kimamom Jun 15th, 2004 08:16 AM

Thanks for the tip, where is it located in Cannon Beach? ***kim***

Fodorite018 Jun 15th, 2004 09:43 AM

Kim we just walked past it numerous times this weekend...it is on S. Hemlock near Doogers...about a block before.

kimamom Jun 15th, 2004 10:03 AM

Thanks, mms! It sounds like a nice place to try this trip. ***kim***

kimamom Mar 3rd, 2005 03:56 PM

maxster, we did try Cafe Mango and I did have halibut, it was very good just as you said it would be! Thanks for the tip! ***kim*** ((#))

uuhhhh Mar 3rd, 2005 04:05 PM

too funny kim..... drag this old thread up, but don't answer maxter's question on the cannon beach one..

CaptCanuck Mar 3rd, 2005 05:08 PM

Hey Kim..how was your dinner at the Stephanie? We'll be there in a couple of weeks..and Cafe Mango sounds nice too..nice atmosphere?
And hey.."uuhhhh"..lay off Kim. Don't you have anything better to do than bother posters on a variety of postings? Talk about the subject matter or just chill out.
cheers,
CC

happytrailstoyou Mar 3rd, 2005 05:13 PM

uuhhh, Get a life.

Kim, We stayed at Stephanie Inn last week when the temperature was in the low 70s.

The view from our room was unbeatable, and we had a 35% discount "welcome back" rate. At $199 this made the room a good value when compared to more down-market places with ocean views that wanted $149-$169.

The afternoon wine tasting was fun. The wine poured freely, there was cheese and vegetables to nibble on. The chef described dinner, which was pretty boring that night--Caesar salad, pork tenderloin, etc.

We made the mistake of going to Kalypso in Seaside which was dead as a doornail and seemed to be chef's night off--everything was overcooked.

The closeness of the hotel to the beach can't be beat, and the sunset was spectacular.

At breakfast the fruit and hot cakes were wonderful, but the eggs were those fluffy, rather tasteless steamtable kind, and the bacon was overcooked and tough.

I'm still looking for a nice place in Cannon Beach with great ocean views and two wonderfully comfortable queen beds.


kimamom Mar 3rd, 2005 05:25 PM

=D> =D> to you both! We didn't have a chance to try Stephanie Inn, but will be trying it this month. :)

Cafe Mango is very casual, we dined out on the back patio when the weather was warm. The inside was a bit plain, but the halibut was cooked just right and the cheesecake with the mango sauce is a must!

Another place I want to try is the Bistro in CB. Too bad about Kalypso, the dining room is so gorgeous. I have had good luck there with the pan fried oysters but was very disappointed in my seafood pasta dish that we ordered. They do serve one of my favorite Oregon wine, the Muellar Thargau which is very good. :)

The Stephanie Inn looked wonderful, the front desk gave me a quick tour. I would love to spend time there. I'll report back on our meal when we dine there in a few days. Cheers! ***kim*** ((#))

CaptCanuck Mar 3rd, 2005 05:56 PM

Thanks Kim!...I'd also be curious how the Gower St. Bistro looks too since it looks quite nice from its web site...or if anyone else has tried it?
We've tried Bistro and it's a nice choice too.
cheers,
CC

minnie17 Mar 3rd, 2005 08:34 PM

Hi Capt,
We ate at Gower Street Bistro last October when we were in CB for a week. Loved it. We ate there 2 nights. Food was good, staff was friendly and nice. Restaurant is rather small, only 8 or 9 tables I think. Nice and cozy.
minnie.

kimamom Mar 4th, 2005 07:15 AM

We'll have to stop in Gower St. Bistro when we're in CB this month. I'll post back how it is. Another CB place that looks very nice from the outside is Clark's. Anyone been there? :) ***kim*** ((#))


beachbum Mar 4th, 2005 08:27 AM

If Clark's is the newer looking place coming into town from the north before you turn onto Hemlock, been there twice, kim. It was lousy both times. Apparently a lot of others shared the same opinion; when we drove by a couple weekends ago, they'd gone out of business.

kimamom Mar 8th, 2005 01:05 PM

Too bad about Clark's, it looked really nice driving by. Well, I guess we'll hit the Bistro and the Stephanie Inn for our CB places in a few days. :)

We'll have have three days in Portland, so I'm sure we'll hit lots of wonderful places there. I also want to try the Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe for at least one meal. (Really, I am a normal, healthy weight, LOL!) Thanks for the tip beachbum, I'll scratch Clark's off my list.

Any opinions on the Wayfarer at the Surfsand Resort? ***kim*** ((#))

beachbum Mar 8th, 2005 01:39 PM

I've stayed at SurfSands at least a dozen times but could count the number of times I've eaten at Wayfarer in a boy scout salute. IMO, it has an identity problem, trying to appeal to too broad a market, and not doing a particularly good job in any. I stopped going back after the third ho-hum meal in a place that can't seem to find its niche. I would much rather eat in a place like the Ecola Seafood Market where I know the chowder, fish/clam/scallop/shrimp/oysters and chips are good, and greasy, and served in an atmosphere more in keeping with it's location.

Pacific Way Cafe is pretty much it in Gearhart, so it can be whatever it wants. The owners there have done a nice job of appealing to a relatively monied group of vacation home owners, while still maintaining a homey, family & locals friendly feel. Actually, I'd rather eat there than at Stephanie Inn, which I think is just too much pretention for any place at the beach.


kimamom Mar 12th, 2005 02:24 PM

I'll give Ecola Seafood a try, where is it exactly? I also want to try that award-winning clam chowder at Norma's Ocean Diner in Seaside that I've been reading about in Coastal Living & Oregon Coast magazine. :D ***kim*** ((#))

happytrailstoyou Mar 12th, 2005 03:23 PM

While we were in CB during that warm spell in late February, we were surprised by a good lunch at Morris' Fireside. The quality of the food and the presentation were a couple notches above what we anticipated.

The problem with the Wayfarer seems to be the consistency of the kitchen--sometimes very good...sometimes mediocre. I have often enjoyed the snapper while sitting on terrace.


kimamom Mar 15th, 2005 07:18 AM

Yes, I've noticed Morris Fireside many times, but we haven't been there. I'll skip the Wayfarer and try Morris for lunch when we're in Cannon Beach. ***kim*** ((#))

kimamom Mar 24th, 2005 08:31 AM

Well, we couldn't get in to the Stephanie Inn and the Bistro was closed, so we ended up at the Wayfarer a couple of nights ago.

I would highly recommend this place. We had a gorgeous view of Haystack from one of the back booths. I had the sea scallops that were fresh and perfectly prepared and a very fresh green salad came with the entree. The English Garlic dressing was very, very good. Bacon-wrapped asparagus and Himalayan brown rice were served with the sea scallops.

DH had the salmon that he said was very, very good and I tasted the clam chowder that put Mo's and Norma's down on the list. Service was very friendly and attentive, dessert was wonderful also. The "heaven" chocolate dessert which was a chocolate cake with a layer of light milk chocolate mousse and homemade toffee candy topped with whipped cream. I give the Wayfarer high marks for dining in Cannon Beach! ***kim*** ((#))

Babalu Apr 1st, 2005 08:01 AM

We've returned from our short Portland & Seaside trip and had a great time despite the off and on again rain.

On our way down we briefly stopped off in Tacoma to check out the Chihuly glass installations and Multnomah Falls. It would have been nice to visit longer but we were getting tired and wanted to check into the hotel after such a long drive and over 1 hr wait at the US/Canada border.

The Vintage Plaza was very nice. The rooms were spacious but the bathroom seemed a bit spare (due to it's size) and could have used better lighting. Instead of paying the $23 valet parking we just parked on a street lot for $5/day for Fri & Sat and parked for free on the street on Sun - and no more than 1 block away from the hotel. The wine reception (from 5-6pm) was fine but they wouldn't start till 5pm sharp and I missed it the following day when I made it down to the lobby a few minutes passed 6pm.

Loved Powells and the Saturday market. The kids loved the OMSI. We also enjoyed our dinner at Typhoon. We even checked out Burgerville for a fast food meal, which we don't have in BC, which we enjoyed.

For Seaside, I highly recommend the Inn of the Four Winds for the price. We paid $89 to be right on the promenade with oceanview in nicely decorated large suite. I would recommend to book the 2nd floor instead of the ground floor for a better oceanview though. My kids really enjoyed the warm cookies that we received after checking in.

Overall, I did find the cost of food to be more expensive to what I'm used to getting, but maybe I'm spoiled due to living in Vancouver. But I can't complain too much, because we had a great time.


CaptCanuck Apr 1st, 2005 09:02 AM

We just got back from staying in Stephanie Inn. What a great place to stay!!! Wow.
cheers,
CC

kimamom Apr 1st, 2005 09:23 AM

Did you dine at the Stephanie Inn, CC? We were called our last night in the area and they said they had an opening but we had already made plans to meet our son for dinner at Fulio's in Astoria. :)

We had a great time and then went to the Vintner's Room @ the Hotel Elliott for a flight of Pinot Noir tasting from Sineann. We'll have to wait until June now to try Stephanie Inn for dinner. Cheers! ***kim*** ((f))

beachbum Apr 1st, 2005 09:28 AM

I remember you were also high on trying the Nehalem River Inn for dinner, kim. Did you make it there? How was the clamming last week?

CaptCanuck Apr 1st, 2005 10:11 AM

No, didn't hit the Inn for dinner due to a reservation mix up on their part. The breakfasts there were wonderful though. We ate at JP's, Bistro, and ordered pizza one night from Pizza e fetta. Dinner at the Bistro was our favourite.
cheers,
CC

kimamom Apr 1st, 2005 10:26 AM

We tried to get into the Bistro on Mon. night but they were closed. I also heard the owner of the Wine Shop on 10th in Astoria recommenidng the Driftwood Inn to a family visiting the area. :)

No clamming, but we really enjoyed setting our crab trap at the bridge on 12th in Seaside. We had to throw them all back, only females but it was still fun setting the trap and checking it every few hours. ***kim*** ((#))


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