Coos Bay is the home of the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute. Every Friday, OCCI opens its doors to the public for lunch and dinner through the externship program, The Chef’s Table. When Katherine heard that Ryan and I had both taken Friday off to make the drive up to Coos Bay, she made reservations for us!
The culinary school is located on the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus, which is nearly a straight shot from the hotel up. It’s very easy to get to and easy to find, even in the dark.
Trio of Stuffed Phyllo Triangles – our favorite of the three was the one on the left – caramelized onions! Three seemed to be heavy for an appetizer, especially since Ryan and I each had our own plates.
Vegetable Beef Barley – I was pretty full after the soup course! The portions were quite generous, and I don’t think my stomach was prepared for it. The beef barley was hearty, perfectly seasoned to my taste.
Roasted Cornish Game Hen – more meat than I can eat in one sitting… It came with a rice pilaf and veggies, which I went right for. The game hen was very tender – the meat came right off the bones.
Raspberry Pear Galette, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Raspberry Coulis – I ate the insides with the ice cream and took just a few bites of the crust. By this time, I really had no more room for more, but it looked too delectable to resist. Yum!
Honestly, if Ryan and I had shared all of the courses, it would have been the perfect serving size. There was just so much food!
Our meal was comped, but lunch and dinner are normally $15-$25 per person. Reservations for The Chef’s Table are currently limited to 30 people, so if you know you’ll be in the area on a Friday, call ahead to reserve a space! It’s a pretty relaxed/casual setting. Most of the other guests the night we dined there were family/friends of the students.
