Our main goal for the trip to Coos Bay: Eating, drinking, and experiencing Coos Bay and all the area has to offer. When I say “Coos Bay,” I really do mean the entire Bay Area – Coos Bay, North Bend, Charleston, the State Parks, etc.
First dining spot – lunch at High Tide Cafe in Charleston [website - it worked earlier in the day, but not when I typed this up]. We grabbed a table by the window, so we could take in this view:
They have a lovely back patio where you can actually putt around [golf/croquet], but it had been wet during the day, so we stayed inside. I ordered one of the specials of the day – prawns and scallops! The dish had a really nice kick to it and left my nose running from the spiciness. It was probably only medium spicy, but I’m pretty weak sauce when it comes to spice.
Ryan ordered the oysters sauteed in wine, so we’d have a wide variety of shellfish in our dishes. Tasty, but a little rich. The oysters were small and full of flavor. It’s almost like they took an oyster of a larger size and packed in all the flavor into the small one. Yum!
To fulfill my duties as Chowder Bounty correspondent, I ordered a bowl of clam chowder to share with Ryan. Well-seasoned [a little on the peppery side, but delicious], creamy, and had lots of clams! What distinguishes Oregon’s clam chowder from New England or Manhattan chowder is the use of local gaper clams or razor clams. They have their own flavor!
Ryan and I were tempted to try digging up our own razor clams during the weekend. There was a minus tide on Saturday evening, which would have been the perfect conditions, but we didn’t feel like splurging on a clam shovel or clam gun this time around. Perhaps in the future!
We didn’t make room for dessert, so after stuffing our faces, we walked off the food by exploring the nearby South Jetty. More to follow! I am hoping that by spreading out the posts, they will take less time to load.
