Though Cannon Beach on Oregon’s northern coast is a small town, it offers some wonderful, sustainable food.
The Sleepy Monk sells organic coffee roasted right on site in Cannon Beach.
To start the day, you can find terrific organic coffee at The Sleepy Monk, a coffee shop that’s open, alas, only on weekends. Fortunately, The Sleepy Monk supplies many of the local restaurants with their locally roasted beans, so you can drink a conscious cup any day of the week. I love the quirky ambiance and the Italian pottery.
Coastal Dining with Class
One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time was dinner at Cannon Beach’s oceanfront Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge. This excellent restaurant, which overlooks Haystack Rock and the beach, specializes in Pacific Northwest coastal cuisine. Executive Chef Will Leroux emphasizes organic, locally harvested fruits and veggies and serves wild fish, most of it regionally caught.
Leroux is reportedly an avid fisherman, clam digger, and forager of wild berries and mushrooms, so he “gets” the connection between nature and the food he presents.
In late June, some of the Wayfarer’s enticing entrees included Northwest Razor Clams, Oregon-Forest Morel Mushroom Chicken (natural), and Cedar-Planked Wild Salmon. For starters, there was an organic arugula salad and local bay-shrimp cocktail. Oregon wines round out the menu.
The Wayfarer serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with ocean views. For breakfast, local berries accompany a wild mushroom omelette.
Did I mention the sourdough bread served at dinners was to die for? Ours was served piping hot and I literally could not stop eating it! (The bread served as toast at breakfast was equally as wonderful.)
Pub Grub with Pizzazz
For casual dining, The Lumberyard Rotisserie and Grill is a fine choice. Its pub atmosphere is laid-back and it stocks an extensive selection of regional microbrews to complement your organic chicken, wild salmon, or all-natural pork and beef entrees. While we waited for our Halibut Burgers to arrive, my husband and I enjoyed looking at the photos of Cannon Beach in the 1910s that decorate the walls. When the burgers came to our table, we were far too absorbed in their flaky-fish goodness to pay attention to anything else.
For more information on Oregon’s coastal treasures, visit Travel Oregon.
P.S. What have been your most memorable meals when traveling?
—Laurel Kallenbach, writer and editor
