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.

Harbor Light Family Restaurant
980 Highway 101 S
Reedsport, OR 97467
(541) 271-3848