Last Oregon food report! Finally! This took, what… three-plus months?

On our way home to California, we stopped in Reedsport, OR for lunch. It was a coastal town, and pretty charming. While using the iPhone to search for decent places to eat (what did we do before Internet phones? We just saw a place and stopped, is what), we found that the Harbor Light Family Restaurant was nearby and had received a few good reviews. In fact, we had just passed it mere minutes before. A quick turnaround and we came upon the small eatery.

It was the kind of place seniors would go to for a quiet bite to eat when hankering for some homecooked meals not actually cooked at home. In fact, late in our meal, a senior couple came in and, upon being seated, the husband started to read the menu to his wife because she couldn’t read it herself. It was so warming to see, I remember smiling.

But enough of the feelgoods, right? On to the food!

For an appetizer, I ordered a small bowl of clam chowder. So good was this chowder, my dominant memory of this fine soup is that t was better than Mo’s Annex. It was creamy, the potatoes were smooth, and was delightfully rich. I told the waitress that their chowder was much better than Mo’s, and instead of saying thanks, she said, “Oh, I know. I’ve been told that before.” I love it.

I ordered the clam fritters breakfast. I had never had clam fritters before, but c’mon… I had to try it. I was close to the coast, so seafood needed to be had. They were quite good. The clams were definitely present in a very obvious, flavorful way, and the fritter was moist. It was different, but good. They went well with the eggs, which I had ordered over-medium. I like over-easy, but was advised (by a Denny’s waitress, not that that lessens her credibility, but it was at Denny’s where the food ain’t that good) that in restaurants, over-easy has runny white, while over-medium is just runny yolks. When my plate came, the eggs were cooked hard all the way through. I mentioned this to the waitress and she replaced my eggs… AND let me keep the over-cooked eggs. In the end, I had my runny yolks to go with my clam fritters.

My wife at the BLT with onion rings. Everything was reportedly good (I didn’t get to sample the sandwich, but I did get to have an onion ring). My wife often has trouble remembering foods she likes, and from where, but the onion rings made a huge impression on her. The breading was light and fluffy, reminiscent of tempura without actually being tempura. They were slightly greasy, but not overly so. Overall, they were light in texture. My wife loved them.

I also got to try her chocolate milkshake. In the words of my wife, “Soooooooooooo good.” Unfortunately, my notes for the milkshake end with that. Just take my word for it.

The service was friendly. Very typical of a diner, where you feel welcome and the staff is friendly but in a casual way. It was a great way to top of our Oregon restaurant experiences. When in Reedsport, I will return.

That said, this review’s ratings guide is as follows:

	Drive out of your way to go here. Do it.
	When in Reedsport, eat here. Do it.
	If deciding between this and a few other places, lean towards here.
	Meh. Just… meh.
	Before eating here, replace your stomach with one of iron to protect you from the forces of evil.

I give the Harbor Light Family Restaurant 4 stars. We had a great time eating lunch in a casual setting with a friendly waitress, good food, excellent clam chowder, a great milkshake, and onion rings that made my wife smile.

Boy, I’m getting behind in this whole Oregon chronicle, aren’t I?

A quick qualifier for this review: when I opened the draft, lo and behold… no notes. I thought I’d written down notes for this review but there were none to be found. So, let’s see how my memory serves. If my memory can’t justify a criticism, I’ll be sure to leave it out.

Mo’s is a pretty popular food attraction in Oregon. So popular, in fact, they have two locations in Newport that are right across the street from each other in order to handle the volume of customers. There’s Mo’s, and there’s Mo’s Annex, which is the one we attended.

(There are six locations in Oregon, altogether)

It looks like your typical on-the-pier seafood joint. Because it is. And I assumed it was popular because of its food.

Most everyone in my party had the clam chowder in a bread bowl, the chowder being a Mo’s staple. I, on the other hand, had a cup of chowder to accompany my main dish: baked oysters.

The chowder was decent. Plenty of clams, potatoes, and veggies. The problem was, the potatoes were gritty. They weren’t smooth at all, and it very much distracted from the creaminess. Perhaps it was the variety of potato, or perhaps it was just how they were cooked, but in the end the overall chowder just had a grittiness to it that I didn’t like because of them ‘taters. It was tasty enough, but it wasn’t anything that stood out from the other clam chowders I’ve at other places (except for, you know, the gritty texture). I didn’t understand why it was so famous.

The baked oysters were plump and had a good flavor. Being baked – and thus, heated – the oysters weren’t bright or light in flavor, something I’m used to associating with the visual of naked, unseasoned oysters. Instead, the flavor was a little darker and less sweet (if memory serves). The accompanying melted butter made the oysters a little richer than they would have otherwise been, but at the same time the two didn’t seem to fit together. I have a feeling that the butter would have been a better accompaniment for naked, baked clams. Perhaps lemon would’ve been better suited for the baked oysters. In any case, they were fine without the butter.

(I’m keeping in mind that I prefer naked, unseasoned oysters to be raw and chilled, so I’m attempting to review what was in front of me, not to review my preferences)

The prices weren’t too bad. They’re pretty typical for what you’d expect from a seafood joint on the pier. In fact, considering the portions of food and that their seafood is most likely fresh (I know the oysters were), the prices are very, very good. Unfortunately, however, I didn’t think it was anything special. Perhaps if I’d just had the oysters, I would have rated this place a bit better, but the clam chowder did not live up to its fame.

The service was friendly. Our waitress accidentally brought food for my friend’s two-year-old that we didn’t order, and she let us keep it. How nice.

This review’s rating guide? Here it is:

	When in Newport, OR, stand in line first thing!
	Delish fish! (I had to rhyme)
	Average, but I’d come back to try more.
	Not worth standing in line, but if there’s no line…
	Tell everyone in line to eat somewhere else or go catch their own seafood.

I give Mo’s Annex 3 stars. I suppose it would’ve been 3.5 stars if I hadn’t had the clam chowder. The baked oysters were of good quality. The service was friendly enough for a busy place. Overall, the place didn’t excite me, but it didn’t disappoint me enough to prevent me from coming back.

The wife and I decided to splurge for our wedding anniversary dinner. We wanted to dress up. We wanted a nice, elegant evening with great food. We went to Ella and got exactly what we wanted.

First, the food. The FOOD. When I go to a restaurant, I want good food. Sure, I expect great service, but if the food is great, it just might overshadow poor service. I have said on numerous occasions to my wife that good food should make you cry.

A happy cry, of course.

Ella’s simple menu made it both difficult to choose and easy to choose: difficult because I wanted to try everything, and easy because the menu wasn’t pages and pages of various dishes. Our chosen meal?

• Pan-seared sea scallops with olive oil-cured tomatoes and tiny mizuna on top, all seated on creamy grits
• Wood oven meatballs with roasted tomato sauce and sheep’s milk ricotta
• Handkerchief pasta with braised porcini mushrooms, herbed formage blanc and parmesan cream

We shared the first two dishes, while we each had our own handkerchief pasta plate.

I had, with my meal, a glass of Pinot Noir from Regis Bouvier (Marsannay, Clos Du Roy; 2006), recommened by our wonderful server, Andrea. I knew we were going to have a variety of food types (seafood, red meat, and pasta), so the Pinot was recommended as a versatile wine that wouldn’t be overbearing with fruitiness. After my first sip, I smiled. The wine was quite good and fun to drink.

The scallops were very large and cooked just right. Tender and moist, it went very, very well with the tomato, mizuna, and grits, the latter being the heaviest part of the dish. My wife, not the biggest seafood lover, even liked the scallops (though she couldn’t finish it as the texture was starting to slightly overwhelm her palate).

The meatballs were small in size, about the size of a Swedish meatball. They were the richest meatballs I’ve ever had. They were moist and bursting with salty meat flavor (in a good way), a huge contrast to the scallops. I really liked them, while my wife absolutely loved them.

Then, our final dish: the handkerchief pasta. The smell was amazing. I wanted to leave the dish alone so I could enjoy the smell and also eat the thing at the same time. Two sheets of pasta – shaped like handkerchiefs, of course – blanketed a small bed of porcini mushrooms. My first bite was pasta only, wet with sauce. It was – I dare say this word – exquisite. Damn straight. It was a beautiful bite of food, buttery, with the faintest hint of garlic (if my palate was correct), with a tartness at the end from the flavor of the mushrooms that had melded with the rest of the light sauce. Eating the mushrooms themselves brought out the tartness and complimented the other components well. They weren’t overbearing and didn’t have a very strong, overwhelming “mushroom-flavor” that, I assume, many people associate with mushrooms… especially ones who don’t like them. My wife is someone that hates mushrooms, but she tried one, and after going through her usual “Do I Like This Weird Thing” face, she told me that it wasn’t bad… and then proceeded to eat all of her mushrooms! I couldn’t believe it. Thank you, Ella, for cooking and serving mushrooms that my wife would eat. I will need to buy porcini mushrooms and attempt to cook them in the same manner so that I can have mushrooms in the food at home again.

For dessert, I did not want anything too sweet. I was going to have a scotch and soda, but for some reason decided I would have another glass of wine, something fruitier this time. Andrea recommended a Copain “Tous Ensemble” Syrah (Mendocino, CA; 2007). My experience with Syrahs is that they are fruity and slightly spicy. Noticing that I was thinking about her recommendation, she offered to bring me a taste. Bonus. I ended up having a glass.

As the dessert menu came, along with my wine, I saw that they had artisan cheeses with traditional garnishes. Even though I did not want more to eat, I gave in to my gluttonous whims and had the cheese, while my wife ordered the hazelnut chocolate torte with coffee ice cream.

I can’t comment on the torte, other than my wife liked her dessert with the exception of what she thought were candied hazelnuts.

The cheeses, however, were excellent. All of them. Nicoli Farm goat cheese, which was bright, light, and tart; aged Vella Jack, which was hard, strong, had bite, was slightly nutty (again, if my palate is correct), and had a lot in common with the texture of Gruyere; Blu del Moncenisio, a strong, semi-soft blue cheese; a Montbriac, which was similar to brie, though not as strong. The Montbriac, I learned during this writing, is a French blue cheese. The cheeses were served with garnishes: nuts (I don’t know what kind), moist white gingered raisins, and small, cubed fruit paste. I forget the fruit, but the flavor was sweet and, for some reason, reminded me of tamarind. I sampled the fruit paste and raisins, but mostly concentrated on the cheeses, which I had with a few pieces of long, fry-bread herb crackers. A wonderful dessert. I got to take the cheese I was unable to finish home.

I literally smiled all throughout dinner.

All of the portions were small, as all dishes are done as small plates. I had no problem with this and, in fact, there was no need for bigger portions. The thing is, each dish was so good, when I finished with my portions I concluded that I had just eaten the right amount. There was no need for more scallops, more meatballs, or more pasta. I’m certainly accustomed to eating a whole lot more food, but in the case of Ella, I didn’t feel like the portions should’ve been bigger. I was completely satisfied with what I had, and I shared two of the dishes with my wife. Perhaps this is what is missing from everyday food: the feeling that what is being eaten is so good that just a little bit will do; the sensation that so much flavor is exploding in your mouth from one dish that more would be too much. Could sensory overload be the cure to overeating? Something to ponder.

As for the ambience, well… it was great. The ceiling is oddly decorated with wooden shutters. While the rest of the room has a very modern, clean look, the shutters were a nice touch, giving the atmosphere a down-to-earth feel. I was hoping for a quiet dining experience, but the room was alive with chatter. It wasn’t incredibly loud, and the noise level was probably accentuated by the acoustics of the room. It was a mix of high-end dining with a casual vibe. Eating at Ella was an enjoyable experience.

Service was excellent. I was nervous at first because my wife, who had a work lunch at Ella a few months earlier, told me that the wait staff comes by to fold your napkin if you leave the table. Now, I’m not big on having other people touch things that I apply to my mouth, but when I came back from the restroom, I found that my napkin, though refolded, was pretty much intact the way I left it. They changed out our serving and dining ware with every course so that the remnants from one dish did not affect the next dish. Everything was clean: the silverware, the glasses… everything. The bathrooms: clean. The dining area: clean.

My only disappointment – and this is extremely minor, mind you – was that, when I made the reservations by phone, the person asked if we were celebrating anything special. I told her that it was our wedding anniversary, and she said she would make a note of it. That, to me, implied that perhaps some mention of it would be made by our server or the hostess. No mention of it was made, so I was left wondering why the note was made in the first place. But as I said, this is an extremely minor point.

There are few restaurants that I make the declaration of “needing” to return to, and Ella is one of the few. I look forward to the day when I can afford to return. Speaking of afford, I have no problem revealing that we dropped quite a bit of money on this meal. When I pay for something, I want value. Just because there is a lot of something, doesn’t mean it’s good; just because something is good, doesn’t mean there’s enough. In the case of Ella, high quality food meets just the right amount, all in a comfortable, eye-pleasing setting with great service.

That said, what’s this review’s rating guide?

	Simply excellent. Worth every single penny.
	A wonderful visit, but…
	Overpriced for what we got, but some good eats.
	Way too much money for some meh food.
	You might as well throw $100 in the trash. It’s better than visiting this place.

I give Ella Dining Room and Bar 5 stars, which is rare for me. Excellent food that was worth the higher price, wonderful service, and a great atmosphere lent itself to a great anniversary outing. I shall return. Plus, a special thank you to Andrea, our server. I’d read several reviews that either described the service as “great” or “pretentious”. Andrea falls into the former category. She made the evening very pleasant, was super-friendly, and made us feel welcome and comfortable. She also wrote down the names of the wines and cheese for me for my future reference.

It was our wedding anniversary yesterday and the wife and I decided that Chicago Fire in Folsom, CA would be a great place to go. We ate there on our wedding night (after the wedding and reception, of course) and it’s close to the outlets where we’d be able to do some clothes shopping.

Unfortunately, Chicago Fire was closed for lunch.

We remembered an upstairs eatery along the same street and thought we’d check it out. It’s a quaint little place called Balcony Bistro that we had actually looked into for hosting our rehearsal dinner. The decor is pretty artsy in that wannabe French cafe sort of way, which makes sense since they promote themselves as “Folsom’s Finest California French Cuisine” on their website.

When we arrived, the only person working the floor was doing the bussing and the serving. He continually looked busy throughout our stay, though it wasn’t that crowded. There was a couple or two outside and two or three tables inside, besides ours. The music was pretty horrible: “pop adult contemporary theater music” is the only way I can describe it.

We were seated, and asked for water. Upon bringing us water, I asked if there was a drink menu for liquor, as I thought I might enjoy a glass of wine with my meal. Or even a beer. They only served Bud and Bud Light, so beer was out. I did get a wine list but decided to stick with water, which was a mistake. First, my wife’s glass had lip imprints on one side. While I’m sure the glass was washed, that’s pretty gross. I gave her my water and did not ask for another glass because I decided I didn’t want to drink anything during the meal. Then, she sipped the water, and made that face one makes when it’s obvious they’re drinking hose water.

I ordered a crab sandwich, which was to come on a French roll with lettuce, tomato, and melted Swiss cheese. My wife ordered the BLT. Lunch orders are supposed to come with a choice of home potatoes or a salad. We weren’t given a choice, but I had realized this after the server went to the kitchen. Though my wife wanted potatoes, we decided we didn’t care that much. At the same time we were wondering why the choice wasn’t given.

The food arrived. Mine came on toasted, buttered, white bread instead of a roll, which I didn’t realize until halfway through. It tasted great, but again: not according to the menu. The sandwich was delicious. The crab meat was slightly warmed and wasn’t too heavy, which meant that it wasn’t over-mixed with mayonnaise and other ingredients. The crab was able to take a front seat in the crab salad. The lettuce was crisp iceberg and red leaf. The contents went well with the toasted white bread. Each half of the sandwich had a sandwich pick upon which a strawberry was skewered, which was great to cleanse the palate. The salad was a mix of spring greens topped with tomatoes and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, dressed in a light, sweet vinaigrette. A great accompaniment to the sandwich.

My wife’s sandwich featured the same produce and salad as my dish, except, for some reason, no tomatoes on her salad. Odd. She really liked the sandwich at first, but after a while found that there was just too much bacon (which I find hard to believe) and lettuce. To each their own!

To eat my salad, I needed a fork. The first fork was wrapped within my cloth napkin. As I opened it, there was a clump of food stuck inside, so I considered the fork and napkin dirty and got another set. The new fork had dried food on it. One more try and I finally got a clean fork.

Overall, the food made for a nice, light lunch. Four stars for the food. Unfortunately, while the waiter was very nice, the overall service was only average. If the menu says one thing, the waiter and the food should reflect that. If there is supposed to be a choice of sides, one should be given. If a dish describes that it comes with a specific food item and it turns out to be different, the customer is then eating something unexpected and, with some people and some foods, this could ruin a meal. Imagine if a menu item described a 1 1/2-inch steak stuffed with blue cheese. Yum, right? But when the steak comes and, upon eating it, you find that it was instead stuffed with feta, the taste your tongue was expecting and the taste it received contradicts each other, which can be quite off-putting. Part of eating is anticipation, right? A pet peeve: I expect the menu to be correct.

Then there were the dirty dishes. Too many of them. While most people won’t even think to look at their glasses or silverware, I do. I expect clean dishes. No one wants to eat off something that has someone else’s lip imprints or a chunk of food stuck to it. Hey, I’ll eat in a dirty situation if I need to; if I go to Malaysia and eat in the market, I’m on their turf and I will eat in the manner my food is presented to me. But, dammit, this is America where restaurants have to pass health inspections. I don’t care if it’s fine dining, lunch at a pub, or fast food. No, I will not drink out of a glass with lip imprints.

The waiter, while not efficient, was nice enough to make me consider the overall service to be average. Three stars for service.

That said, what’s this review’s rating guide?

	It goes on the “Must Visit” list.
	Goooooooooooooooooood!!!
	A decent place to eat, but not first on the list.
	If nothing else is available…
	Garbage

I give Balcony Bistro 3 1/2 stars. The food was quite good, even though it was slightly different from what we were expecting. The waiter was nice enough, but the inefficient order-taking and the dirty water glass and silverware was not acceptable.

Though very late, I’m continuing with my food reviews from our trip summer trip to Oregon. I feel it’s important that I do so, because our next food outing was Pietro’s Pizza.

I first visited Pietro’s when my wife and I were in Salem, OR for my now brother-in-law’s wedding, about four years ago as of this writing. I had incredibly fond memories of this pizza: the chewy crust with the cornmeal on the bottom, the fresh taste of the toppings… my mouth watered at the very thought of this pizza, even during the four years away from this pizzeria.

The first time we went, we got it to go. There was no one in the place as we ordered and waited, but I remember the lively atmosphere. There were plenty of video games and decorations that seemed to say, “Family fun zone is right here.” I couldn’t remember what the decorations were, but now that I had a chance to come back, I was reminded.

Pirates.

The place was full of pirate stuff. And this time, it was crowded with kids aplenty. I was not to be deterred: I was going to get my pizza and love it. It had been four years, and no screaming child was going to get in my way.

We ordered two different pizzas: a pepperoni, to satisfy those that didn’t want to deal with certain toppings like mushrooms and olives (those people are sacrilegious), and, if I remember correctly, a Pietro’s Combo: pepperoni, salami, beef (sausage), olives, and mushrooms.

I gave a small, unnecessary speech before I took my first bite. I got odd looks from my friends and family members. I took that first bite and…

Not quite how I remembered. Time and high expectations will do that to you. The crust was very good and came the closest to my memories. It was crispy yet chewy, with a nice texture and mouth feel. The combo came with lots of toppings, so describing it as decadent, regardless if that word is overused, is accurate. It was a very good pizza, and they used good ingredients, but the abundance of toppings made it a rich, filling pie. If you want a simple pizza, this was not it; it was quite overloaded.

The pepperoni pizza was very much like a Round Table pizza except for the crust. The cheese was dominant, causing the crust to take a back seat. I’m not sure if it was the amount of cheese or just the brand/kind they used – it has been some time since the summer so I can’t recall. It was good cheese, and tasty, but it certainly overshadowed the crust.

Don’t get me wrong. The pizza was very good. And yes, I will go back the next time I’m in Salem. But it didn’t have quite the impact it did during my first partaking.

The prices are about what you’d expect for a popular pizza chain that specializes in high-end pizza. According to their current menu, a one-topping large (our pepperoni) is $18.30, while a large Pietro’s Combo is $24.00. Their pizza is worth the price. Sodas are refillable.

That said, here is this review’s rating scale:

	RUN, don’t walk, to this place and eat.
	A staple on my list of places to visit while in Salem.
	Pizza night? Consider Pietro’s.
	I want pizza and there are few other choices.
	Avoid like you would a moldy pizza.

I give Pietro’s Pizza 4 stars. If you’re looking for pizza that will make you feel self-indulgent when eating the toppings, Pietro’s is definitely a must. Beware, though, for their lovely crust takes a back seat to those toppings, which is a shame.