Ecola Seafood Restaurant and Market

This is a continuation of my food log from a recent trip to the Oregon Coast. Come along and see what we ate!

 

First off, I just have to get this off my chest – that is a REALLY unfortunate name for an eating establishment that specializes in animals-for-eating. Ecola. Yes, really.

 

There. I feel better.

 

After getting multiple recommendations from a query on Serious Eats, we decided we had to head to Ecola Seafood for one of our meals while we were on the Oregon Coast.

It was cute. It was more friendly than I expected. (I accidentally ordered the wrong thing, and they quickly switched it in the kitchen and charged me the $2 difference. It probably would have been different had they been busier.) Oh, and it’s in Canon Beach, so of course it’s in a pretty part of town.

The food didn’t blow us away. I mean, it was GOOD, but it was a bit on the expensive side. Taking more than two people to lunch would have been painful. I had crab cakes and Lo Gung had a crab melt, with a side of clam chowder. Oh, and see that shrimp up there? It was piled on my side salad, nearly 8 oz. of shrimp! It’s Bay Shrimp, and we saw it in nearly every restaurant we went to that week! It’s a little sweet, a tiny bit fishy, and very smooth and tender. 

 

You know what was amazing, though? That I didn’t get a picture of? Their pickled herring. Honestly – AWESOME. I would go back for that.

PhotoOp: Seaside, Oregon

When in Gearhart, Oregon…

Stay here. Preferably in the off-season, to get the best rates. (We got off-season rates, half off again, through a LivingSocial deal. Love them!)(PS – if you use that link to sign up, you will receive $5 towards your first purchase. Just FYI.)

 

(Gearhart Cottage. We were in the left half. It has two bedrooms, one bath, and a kitchen. There is also a BBQ and a firepit in the backyard, plus kindling and firewood in the shed. We spent a blissful two nights here. This is the only brick building in town, right on Cottage Ave. It’s hard to miss in a one-stop-light town.)

Oh, and eat breakfast here. Just do it. She comes in at early-o’clock several days a week and bakes up to a dozen different varieties of scones, muffins and pastries. When they are gone, they are gone, so try to come first time! (Both mornings, I rolled out of bed, shoved on a hat, a pair of jeans and some flip flops, and shuffled down the block to get our breakfast. It was OH so worth it.)

(Berry Tart and Marionberry Scone from Pacific Way Bakery and Café)

As soon as you’ve unloaded your car when you arrive, head back up the street and ask to borrow one of the bikes at the affiliated inn up the street from your cottage. They have at least 6, in various sizes, locked in a small garage. They are there for guests to use.

 

Bike down cottage avenue and turn left, any left, until you hit the beach. You’ll drive up and down a few grassy knolls, and wonder WHEN you will hear the ocean, or get a peek. Suddenly, you crest the last knoll and the ocean is all you can hear…or see.

 

(Lo Gung went ahead while I snapped this picture.)

Breathe deep. You’ve made it.

 

Bike down the beach. If you’re lucky, you’ll start to hear clucking and calling…and you will come upon the largest flock of pelicans you have ever seen.

Pose your beach cruiser for a few artistic shots

Grin like a crazy person and pinch yourself. You aren’t dreaming.

“We come to the beach to breathe.” (taken from a sign in a gift shop)

When Traveling to the Oregon Coast…

Be sure and stop in Anacostia! We stopped at Baked Alaska, and really enjoyed the view! It’s just over the Washington/Oregon border, at the top of Highway 101.

(Aunt LoLo, the view from our table, and Lo Gung, looking handsome)

I had the Sea broiled sea scallops with fennel and black pepper linguini. I’ll admit, I like my scallops cooked, and caramelized on the outside…and these weren’t. They were rather limp, but the rest of the dish was tasty, and the pasta was house made. Hubs had the salmon sandwich, and it was really good! The flavors were right on, and very satisfying.

 

Dessert was the Half Baked Alaska, which is a large chocolate chip cookie, in an iron skillet, with a scoop of ice cream. What we DIDN’T realize was that it would could in a 1/4” of brandy. For these tee-totalers, that was kind of a buzz kill.

 

(It is a documented fact that I can NOT take a decent picture when looking into the sun. It’s never happened before, and it will never happen after. They all look like these. It is also interesting to note that I am a tad skinnier in these pictures, taken at the head end of my vacation, than I am now…several days home from said vacation. heh We ate well!)

 

All in all, I’m glad we went. The view was fantastic, there were seals and cormorants playing right outside our window, and we were flying high on our child-less state and the prospect of four child-less days ahead of us. If we go again, we’d stick to the sandwiches.

The Best Fish and Chips I Ever Ate

As the old song goes…this isn’t ACTUALLY the best fish and chips I ever ate. This is a blog post, with a PICTURE of the best fish and chips I ever ate.

 

Huge hunks of fresh halibut, in a really thin batter that let the fish shine through. Obviously, this restaurant isn’t big on veg, but…this fish was worth the carbo load. The rest of the plate was not as inspiring…but the shiny orb of “butter” in the little plastic cup did make me giggle.

 

We got a recommendation from a friend to visit this place while we were vacationing on the Oregon Coast, and I am ever so grateful! It was delicious. If you’re in the Cannon Beach/Gearhart/Seaside area, you must stop in here! At the junction of Hwy 26 and Hwy 101.

 

Sea Breeze Restaurant

84776 Highway 101

Seaside, OR 97138

LoLoCation: GWL, Trip’s Done!

The video kind of speaks for itself, and marks the end of my Great Wolf Lodge saga. It was taken somewhere between Olympia and Seattle on I-5 as we traveled home from our nearly-24-hour vacation. (Is that all it was?!) (Well, it’s more than 24 hours if you count the travel time. I…don’t. Heh.) 

 

It’s Wednesday night…but almost Thursday morning. I’m in my room, relaxing. I’m exhausted, but there always seems to be things to do. Or things to think. Or just…things on my mind. In 10 hours, I will open my doors and welcome guests into my home to celebrate a friend’s new baby. I have been baking and mixing and prepping and planning for the past nine hours. I have one apple cake, one cheese ball, one bowl of artichoke dip and 4 dozen sugar cookies to show for it.  It makes me tired, physically.

 

This past weekend, my church held our Semi-Annual General Conference. Maybe you heard about it? It’s a two-day event, with two sessions each day. There was a session just for the ladies a week prior, and a session just for the men on Saturday night. My friends, that is 10 hours of Listening, to prophets, apostles and leaders. It was lovely. And jarring. At the same time. It was lovely because I was at home, with my family, and listening. I was hearing lovely messages of hope. Peace. Strength. While I listen, I like to hop onto Twitter. It’s really the only time I am on Twitter for any length of time. Fellow church members use the hashtag #ldsconf and we all share snippets and quotes and things that struck us or questions (‘what’s this guy’s name again??’). And this year, a troll joined the party. And sent out mean things into the world, using our little hashtag, so we couldn’t avoid him. And then someone buoyed us up. “Come come ye saints…no trolls nor Twitter fear!” Silly? Yes. Effective? Yes. (And I’d like to think that the dozens of people who re-tweeted those mean comments had no idea that they were broadcasting them to a captive audience of people…who would be hurt.)

 

And there was one talk that seems to have lit up the world. It’s funny, because I remember listening to the talk and what I got from the talk has nothing at all to do with what’s got people so riled up. And now that talk is making  me think more than everything else combined. Because I know what I believe. And I know how limited my life-experience is. And I know how the World thinks I Ought to Be, and what I Ought to Think. And, listening to all these fabulous people share their thoughts and words and bits of scripture…I suddenly realized that first, I believed what the man was saying, and I had forgotten that. (Isn’t that sad?) And second…if it ever comes up in a conversation, I have no idea what I will say. Most likely, it will be the wrong thing. Which is why I still sit here. Thinking. It makes me tired, mentally.

 

So, I will set this to post in the morning. If you have a spare moment, think some Martha Stewart/Betty Crocker thoughts for me as I try to be a good hostess to a dozen of my friends, and their various younger-than-school-age children. And please, think some Clear Headed thoughts for me. And hope that the conversation doesn’t come up before I’m ready for it.

LoLoCation: Great Wolf Lodge, Story Time

 

At precisely 8 o’clock every night at the Great Wolf Lodge, the trees sing, and wiggle their hips (??!). Raccoons and squirrels pop in and out of holes. One scared little Swedish boy pops out of a stump. And a Native American woman throws open the doors of the cabin and comes sweeping out, belting “Do not be afraid of the forest!”

 

This doesn’t totally do the story time justice…but you’ll get the idea.  (The show repeats at 9 pm and 10 am as well. The 10 am show was just perfect for us the next morning – the kids and I ducked out to the lobby to watch while Lo Gung finished his omelet in (relative) peace. See? Compromise!) (PS – In Hong Kong, omelets are called “Ngum Leet” which just makes me giggle. Go on. Try it. I’ll wait. And now? Watch this video.)

(You’re welcome.)

 

Really, it’s something you’ve got to see in person at least once in your life. You’ll never be the same!

(Here’s another video I found that gives you a better idea of the true Catchiness that is Robotic Wildlife asking WHY. Enjoy!)

LoLoCation: Great Wolf Lodge (and traveling with Littles)

(This? Is a very long post about a great hotel we stayed in. If you’re interested in some day staying in this hotel, read on. If you’re not interested in staying in this hotel….this post will hold very little to excite you. But I love you anyways, and I have some videos I’ll post in the next few days that should make you smile. Now, carry on!)
A few months ago, my fabulous sister Myrnie let me know about a deal at our local Great Wolf Lodge. A group of homeschoolers had secured a group discount, and were looking for other families to join them, to make sure they had enough rooms booked. Well, since we were assured that homeschooling your preschooler totally counted, we went ahead and booked a room! (And the fact that the booking just happened to fall right on our Ming Wai’s birthday? Well, it was fate, y’all!)
We packed up our bags (a few swimsuits…yup. that’s about it!) and headed out. You can show up, and use the water park, as early as 1 pm on the day you’re scheduled to check in, but your rooms are not guaranteed until 4 pm. There are lovely clean locker rooms to use, and lockers available to rent. We were lucky, though – since we scheduled our trip for the end of September, the hotel was mostly empty, and our rooms were ready when we arrived at 2:30 pm.
From the moment you walk in the door, the place is for the kids. Not in a HI! WE’RE CRAZY AND FLASHY AND IN YOUR FACE AND I HOPE YOU BROUGHT YOUR MOTRIN ‘CAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO NEED IT! kind of way…but in a wonderful, magical home-y kind of way. Just inside the front door is a fifteen-foot tall wooden bear, with a seat carved out of the bottom. Just perfect for the Under Four car-weary travelers to rest their tired tootsies. Further inside is a two-story clock tower, surrounded by animatronics trees and animals (that come to life three times a day to tell stories and sing songs). And beyond that? A two-story glass wall, giving you a (broad) peek into the huge indoor water park.
Check in is quick and easy, and leaves you with wristbands for nearly every family member. (This was my only quibble with the entire experience. I would love to see wristbands on EVERY mobile member of the family, with your room number written on it. It would have given me that much more peace of mind, knowing that if Siu Jeun took off, someone could figure out who he belonged to. He didn’t have a wristband, though.) The wristbands are color coded. Gold for the Littles, and Pink for the adults.
The pink bracelets were one of the highlights for me. Not that they were particularly fashionable (they look like hot-pink hospital bracelets), but each bracelet has a computer chip in it that makes the bracelet into both your room key and an in-hotel charge card. That means that when you leave the room, you don’t have to bring anything with you! (As a friend pointed out, this makes the lodge into a land-bound cruise. The food wasn’t quite as tasty, though. *grin*)
The Lodge really does try to be a “home away from home.” Each suite is equipped with a coffee maker, a refrigerator and a microwave. Now, I don’t know about you, but the Alton Brown in me is thinking that that is quite enough tool-power to make at the very least plenty of snacks….not to mention any other meal of the day. During our 24 hour stay, I saw no fewer than 12 men walk into the Lodge at some point or another, carrying coolers, bags, boxes and cartons of food.
There are activities for all ages. The Cub Club for the small kids (not a drop off babysitting service, but a place for parents and children to go and get creative), the Gr8 Club for the teenagers (with video games and internet connections) and the arcade for the children in all of us. The arcade was actually very popular with Ming Wai (3) and Siu Jeun (1). We bought $5 in tokens, and spent them over two days. Siu Jeun was perfectly happy to roll a single skeet ball up and down the skeet ball ramp. Ming Wai was only slightly more successful in getting the balls over the bump and into the cubbies.
Another thing I adored about the Lodge was that there were kids. Everywhere. That means that when my super rambunctious one year old needs to burn off some energy…I had absolutely! no! qualms! about holding relay races in the hallway outside our room. Nope. Not a one.
Now, the water park. Oh. My. Goodness. The water park. First off, let me say – if you would like to visit an indoor water park, may I recommend that you do it in September? When it’s still warm enough outside that most people would just go to the park or the beach if they want some recreation? But late enough in the year that 99% of all children between the ages of 5 and 18 are safely locked inside of schools? Because, my friends, there were no lines. Anywhere. For anything. That meant that Lo Gung and I could take turns chilling with the kidlets in the kiddie pool (which was really cool!) while the other ducked over to the four Big Slides (and bummed their way into a group, because you can’t ride solo on two of the slides). And the one ducking away? Was only gone for 15 minutes, after riding all four Big Slides. Awesome sauce, y’all.

Finally, a few tips:
1. Look for deals. We got our rooms for $80 off the normal price. It made the whole experience a lot more…manageable.
2. If you are going to do the breakfast buffet, it closes at 11 sharp, so arrive before 10:30. Kids 3 and under eat free, and if you buy the Breakfast Package when you make your online reservations, you get a really great deal. (Approximately half off the normal buffet price.) You’ll pay the full four-person cost, and they will refund you the difference for any Freebie kids you have with you when you check in.
3. Pack food. Any food you want. Your fridge will have a tiny freezer compartment, so TV dinners are also an option!
4. You don’t need to bring much. A few swimsuits, a cover-up for going from room to park, a duffel for toting sundries between room and park (an extra diaper and a few wipes?) and a few clean shirts. Oh, and cute PJs for the kids! They will want to look their best for the nightly story-time. *grin*
5. If at ALL possible, go during an “off season.” Our trip wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if Lo Gung and I had spent hours waiting in lines to ride the Big Slides while the other spouse played with the kids in the kiddie pool.
6. Pack your sense of humor. It’s a water park. And a hotel. There are LOADS of kids. The kiddie pool was closed when we first arrived, for an hour, because a guest had had an “accident.” At story time that night, a little girl stood up behind me while I sat on the floor, and her fresh piece of pizza tipped off her plate, bounced off Lo Gung’s shirt, and onto mine. Things happen. Just smile. It’s vacation!

Edited to add: 
Thank you to Buckeroo Mama for reminding me about Safety Tats! If you are worried at all about children wandering away in such a huge water park, you might want to try a Safety Tat! They are temporary "tattoos" that are waterproof, wear-proof and pull off as soon as you want them to, and last up to five days. You can write any contact info you like on the tattoo. Go here for more information. I'm totally kicking myself, because I WON two Safety Tats from Buckeroo Mama earlier this year, and this would have been the PERFECT way to test them out! Argh.  Thanks, Buckeroo Mama!

LoLoCation: GWL – Dancing Superstar!

This week, we took a quick one-night jaunt to the Great Wolf Lodge, in Grand Mound, Washington. We found a great deal, and we had a great time!

Among the other delights at the Great Wolf Lodge, there was an arcade. We loved it for the kiddos, because Siu Jeun doesn’t really care about actually putting money in the machines. He just likes the bright lights!
At one point, Siu Jeun and I got separated from Ming Wai and Lo Gung. As I wandered through the various beeping and blinking machines, following Siu Jeun, his attention was suddenly drawn to a great big DDR machine. (DDR = Dance Dance Revolution, a game where you dance on a big metal mat, following directions on the screen.) “Ooooh…..!”

Up he got, and away he danced! Carefully stepping on the arrows, and then back to center to groove. At one point, he looked around, pointed to the screen and yelled, “Daddy!!” I assume he wanted to show his Dad his new discovery.

As soon as I could round up Lo Gung (and the Flip camera!) we stuck the kids back on and sat back to enjoy the show.

And, because I love you, and because it’s cute, and because I want to…here ya go. Enjoy! Happy Friday, y’all. (Debbie, make sure you turn your speakers on!)
(Oh, and I know it looks like we fed Siu Jeun the radioactive jelly beans...but we didn't. The arcade is full of black lights. Just so you know. Carry on.)