The McLaughlin Family: Pacific City Birthday Weekend

For Matt's Birthday weekend, and just because, we went over to the coast for a long weekend. I had Monday and Tuesday off so we decided to stay Saturday and Sunday night. We knew we loved staying at Inn at Cape Kiwanda but they were super pricey for Saturday night so we looked for an alternative. Beth and Jacob had given us a gift certificate for the bed and breakfast that they have stayed at several times, however, they were all booked up for this weekend. But this gave us the idea of looking for a bed and breakfast to stay at and that's how we found The Craftsman Bed and Breakfast, also in Pacific City.

The nice thing about the B&B was they had some great recommendations for dinner. One of them was the little place across the street called the The Delicate Palate Bistro. I highly recommend this place if you make it through Pacific City. It is one of those little places that you would normally drive right on by. It had 8 tables and 2 servers as well as the wine steward, Jeff. We got from our conversation with Jeff that he, along with his wife the chef, owned the place. Mike and Laura, the owners of the Craftsman, told us if we were interested in wine at all to ask for Jeff. They were so right. Jeff is one of those guys who knows all sorts of great things about wine and beer. Matt found a great new beer as well, Blind Pig, from Russian River brewery. Jeff brought Matt out a taster of another beer he thought he would like after talking to him a while. Jeff brought out another treat during dinner for me, a 1927 sherry, that I don't remember the name of but was sooooo goooood.

Bistro Menu

Appetizers

Braised Baby Back Ribs Oregon blackberry barbeque sauce 9.95
Dungeness Crab Cakes mixed greens, cherry tomatoes lemon-caper aioli 11.95	Coconut Shrimp Lollipops apricot-ginger sauce 9.95
Sesame Seared Kare Ahi Tuna wonton crackers, asian slaw, wasabi soy ginger vinaigrette 13.95	Crispy Mix calamari, rock shrimp, artichoke hearts, Walla Walla sweet onions, spicy remoulade 11.95

Soup & Salad

Tomato Soup in Puff Pastry baked in the oven to finish, sooooo good! 6.95	House Made Soup of the Day at the whim of the Chef 5.95
Bistro Caesar Salad house made dressing (with anchovy & garlic), shredded parmesan cheese, focaccia croutons 7.95	Roasted Beet Salad organic baby lettuces, mandarin oranges, goat cheese fritters, citrus vinaigrette 8.95
Heirloom Tomato Salad organic baby lettuces, basil, fresh mozzarella, tocaccia toast, balsamic vinaigrette 9.95	Fuji Apple & Gorganzola Salad organic baby lettuces, chopped romaine, candied walnuts, red onions, champagne vinaigrette 8.95

Main Courses

House Made Gnocchi tomato basil cream sauce, shredded Parmesan cheese 16.95
Fresh Parpardelle Pasta braised beef short ribs, shitake mushrooms, savoy spinach, veal reduction sauce, shaved parmesan 17.95
Herb Crusted Halibut basil potato puree, asparagus, sautéed shrimp, red wine butter sauce 20.95
Wild Chinook Grilled Salmon artichoke heart, kalamata olive & tomato relish, roasted fingerling potatoes, pesto 19.95
Asian Seafood Bouillabaisse coconut-curry broth with prawns, Manilla clams, sea scallops, salmon, halibut, Dungeness crab and soba noodles 23.95
Pepper Crusted Rack of Pork Gruyere cheese potato gratin, apricot pearl onion compote 18.95
Cabernet Braised Oregon Lamb Shank creamy parmesan risotto, crispy pancetta bits, red wine reduction 23.95
Grilled 12 oz Harris Ranch "Natural" New York Steak buttermilk-scallion whipped potatoes, Italian squash fritters 24.95

Side Dishes

Very Adult Mac & Cheese Tillamook four cheese blend, crispy pancetta 6.95	Herbed Pomme Frites garlic aioli 3.50

All Desserts are House Made - and Fabulous!!! *Menu items are seasonal and subject to change due to availability 20% gratuity added to all parties of 8 or more

Our second night we stayed at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda, this is where Matt proposed and is right by Pelican brewery so it is definitely one of our favorite places! The nice thing about this place is that every room has a view of the ocean, and it is right across the street from the brewery, need I say more?!