This past weekend was "work weekend" at Otter Crest. Chad, Doug, Eric and I spent the weekend doing some maintence and repairs on our beach place. Eric replaced an ugly baseboard heater with a new one, while the rest of us touched up paint, washed windows, cleaned closets, etc. Chad is a taskmaster (in a good way). He came prepared with a list of things to get accomplished, gave everyone their assignments, and kept us on track, so we finished up about 3:00 pm on Saturday, with still enough weekend time to have a little fun.
A couple weekends ago, Eric and I stopped and had lunch at the Bay House in Lincoln City. We fell in love with the white tableclothed tables, each with a perfect red rose in a vase on top. The view of Siletz Bay was serene with gulls and other shore birds wading through the shallow water. The decor is modern, yet cozy at the same time, and the food, well, the food was divine. The place was stunning...even the bathroom was impressive.
The women's restroom...a fireplace, oriental rug, garden courtyard and the scent of fresh flowers! All public restrooms should be like this.
While having lunch we met the owner, Steve. Steve is proud of his beautiful restaurant, his extensive wine list, the newly built oh-so-elegant lounge, and his new limo. He picked it up for a song, and now uses it to pick up and drop of guests dining for dinner. So, Eric knowing we were coming back with Chad and Doug in a few weeks, made a dinner reservation for us and reserved the limo.
When it was time to go to dinner, the four of us walked down the steep hill from our condo towards the parking lot. When we got to the bottom of the hill I told the guys we needed to go to the lobby because we had a ride picking us up. Expecting a cab to show up, Chad and Doug were surprised with the limo...what fun!
Our limo arrives at Bay House.
We rode the 12 miles or so, having fun in the limo, playing with the gadgets and me teasing Chad and Doug for their Michael Jackson inspired white socks. We arrived at the restaurant a little before sunset. Our window seat affording an excellent view of the bay. When we entered the restaurant, Steve greeted us, remembering our names and welcoming us back to Bay House (I was impressed!).
Whose feet are these? Chad O'Lynn or Michael Jackson? Hmmmm?
First up, Eric ordered a bottle of wine. Bay House has a serious wine list...20 pages of chardonay alone. We finally gave in and asked the waiter to make a recommendation. He came back with a nice bottle of chardonay for less than $50. The guys all ordered salads, which arrived fresh and tasty with unique ingredients like pine nuts, strawberries, and goat cheese. Next up, were Chad's and my pork loin chops, tender and juicy with a smokey grilled flavor. Eric and Doug ordered seafood...swordfish and halibut...both works of art for the eye and the palate (I sound like a food critic, don't I?).
A wine list of biblical proportions.
Doug's halibut work of art!
We took our time with dinner, enjoying our food, the view, and each other's company. At one point Chad and Doug had me laughing so hard at their middle school mishaps that I was actually crying with laughter and slapping the table with my hand (um, I think we were the loudest table in the place, but we were having fun). After dinner we had dessert...chocolate cake for me (what else), Chad had the berry cobbler, and Doug opted for the creme brule. When it arrived Chad joked saying Doug couldn't eat it because the carmelization on top looked like Jesus...Doug said it looked more like Ernest Borgnine and quickly stabbed his spoon into it to get his first delicious bite.
Tell me, do you see Ernest Borgnine or Jesus is in this creme brule?
We lingered with after dinner cocktails in the lounge listening to the "Sons of the Beaches" playing jazz. They were sort of bluesy, sort of jazzy, sort of rockabilly, sort of Jimmy Buffet...sounds weird, but it worked. After about 4 hours after arriving, we piled back in the limo, which we shared this time with the cutest couple heading to their prom.
It was one of my best dining experiences ever...and I've eaten at some awesome restaurants. The Bay House experience doesn't come without a hefty price tag, but sometimes you've just got to treat yourself to something spectacular, and Bay House fits the bill quite nicely.
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