Posted by ayersian
, July 14, 2009 13:10
Before leaving our homebase this morning, we walked down the street with Amy's cousin Becky to E. Moreland Market & Kitchen for coffee and doughnuts—specifically, Voodoo Doughnuts. This market is one of a few stores that carry a limited variety of Voodoo fare. We picked a traditional chocolate-covered raised and buttermilk bar, and the cinnamon-sugar-dusted raised cruller easily cinched the top prize. Our next stops on the way out of town were 500 Things to Eat picks: Random Order Coffeehouse & Bakery for a slice of brandied peach pie, and Ristretto Roasters for iced coffee and a pound of their Cowboy Blend beans. Being ardent fans of The Simpsons, we wanted to visit the famed Evergreen Terrace (the TV street where Homer's clan lives) before leaving Portland. Our trusty GPS got us there, but only after 4 miles of curvy, nausea-inducing roads that resembled driving through the Hollywood Hills.
On our way to the coast, we crossed another U.S. capitol off of our list—stopping in Salem to pose in front of the gilded lumberjack atop the state house. A little over an hour later we were chilling our feet in the icy Pacific Ocean and celebrating our coastal arrival with some seafood specialties. On our way into Lincoln City we made a quick stop at the Crabpot to pick up an aromatic hunk of their smoked salmon. Walking to the car with a plastic bag full of fish and two napkins, Chris asked, “How are we going to eat this?” Accustomed to eating smoked salmon in the form of bagels and lox, we decided to stop by the local IGA and picked up a bag of bagel chips and a tub of Nancy's organic cream cheese (made in nearby Eugene). The mini-bagel sandwiches were delightful and Chris proclaimed Crabpot's smoked salmon that by which all others will be judged. After polishing off our appetizer, we enjoyed a light beachfront dinner at Mo's, a small chain (6 locations) up and down the Oregon coast. We had to try their clam chowder, given that it is their signature item, and its clammy creaminess did not disappoint (particularly when paired with thick slices of their homemade garlic cheese bread). Although we had also hoped to enjoy a plate of raw oysters, we were quickly informed that we “just missed that season” and could order steamed oysters instead. These three-bite bivalves arrived in a large casserole dish with a full cup of drawn butter, and we were amazed to find ourselves full after consuming a mere four oysters apiece. After dinner we took a short stroll along the beach and then returned to our campsite at Devil’s Lake State Park to get some shuteye and prepare for a day of fantastic coastal sightseeing.
