Just before Christmas, Meg and I went out to the Oregon coast to celebrate our first five glamorous years of marriage. Famished upon arrival, the B&B where we stayed recommended the restaurant Local Ocean. We stuffed ourselves on the best seafood I’ve ever had. You may think this is an exaggeration. Before you believe that, ask yourself how many blog posts I’ve done on restaurants (insert your own joke about how many blog posts I’ve done at all in the past 3 months).
It was so good we went back the next day. Luckily, on day two I thought to take some iPhone pictures to share. So, I’ll let them do the talking, with minimal interruption from here:
The restaurant features a pretty casual layout with an industrial feel. It sits right on the bay (evidence provided below). They own two fishing boats and, as you can see from the crab photo, they catch their own local seafood daily.
Between the two nights, we ate several unbelievable appetizers: the crab soup, fish tacos, pan-fried oyster spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, frizzled onions, and crab cakes were all delicious. We had the soup and the cakes on both visits. As we ate, I envisioned a life where I lived only a few blocks away (toward the ocean of course), and rode my bike over there for a simple lunch of fish tacos and crab cakes, soaking up the sea breeze as I rambled on two wheels back to my typewriter. This is undoubtedly the ideal circumstance for me to write my opus (before directing it)—a strict diet of crab soup being a necessity, along with chunky sweaters, boat shoes without socks, and a golden doodle.
If I was forced to eat only one appetizer, I think I would choose the crab cakes. But if you go, don’t skip either the soup or the tacos. Unforgivable.
As for the entrées, we had the crab po’ boy sandwich and fish ‘n chips (it was an apostrophe extravaganza) the first night, and large coconut prawns and pan fried oysters the second night. Recommendations: crab po’ boy and pan fried oysters. Everything is delicious, but decisions must be made.
And dessert—a fresh fruit and lemon shortbread trifle:
Walking back out into the fresh night air stuffed to the gills, you might be tempted to abandon life as you know it and sign up to be a fisherman. You could live the hard life on the fishing boats, burning plenty of calories to eat like this daily. Like Benjamin Button, but without the good looks, perfect wardrobe or aging conundrum.
The view as you walk out the door won’t be what stops you from knocking on a boat and asking for a job.
Tags: destination, food
I think this handily beats our seafood experience in Boston. Glad you guys hand such a nice time.