Eating and a view in Oregon
April 21, 2010 11:19 AM   Subscribe

what are some places to go in Oregon on a Sunday night to eat and catch the views up to an hour and a half drive from Portland?

My wife is hiring a car this weekend for work and we would like to take the opportunity to get out of Portland. I'm looking for suggestions for somewhere we can go for the evening. We would like somewhere reasonably affordable to eat, that has seafood and veggie options. Cannon Beach looks like an option but we are not wedded to the coast, just the chance to get out of the city, for once, and take in some scenery as well as eat (nothing too strenuous as I'm getting over an illness).
posted by tallus to Food & Drink (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
How about a winery? We went to King Estates - they have a restaurant (didn't eat there, so no opinion of the food) with some outdoor seating and they also have a tour of the winery and cellars. Very nice scenery overall.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:28 AM on April 21, 2010


King Estates would be about 2.5 hours from Portland, but maybe some place like the Dundee area would be nice.
posted by Danf at 11:33 AM on April 21, 2010


Astoria. It's an easier drive than anywhere else on the coast because you follow the Columbia rather than climbing over the Coast Range.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:34 AM on April 21, 2010


Theres a restaurant at the Multnomah Falls Lodge, which is a short trip out of Portland. There are great views of the Columbia Gorge on the way (at the Crown Point Vista House, for instance) and the Falls themselves are pretty impressive. I've only had breakfast at the restaurant there, but it was fine, as far as the food goes.

Indeed, there are a ton of wineries within 2.5 hours of Portland, including King Estates. Also check out Sweet Cheeks Winery, which sports a great pastoral vista outside of Eugene, but only has cold food unless you catch them on a special night. I'd make an afternoon of it and taste at several different vineyards, in any case. Especially if "hiring a car" includes a driver!
posted by maniactown at 12:13 PM on April 21, 2010


There is a really lovely scenic drive called the Historic Columbia River Highway. It has forest and waterfalls and a beautiful historic lookout tower and great views. You could do an easy drive up to Hood River and I'm sure there are some nice restaurants there. (A great bike trip, by the way.)

On preview: maniactown beat me to it!
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:19 PM on April 21, 2010


Timberline Lodge is a nice place if mountains rather than coast is acceptable. It was used for some of the external shots in The Shining, for added appeal to certain segments of the population.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 12:19 PM on April 21, 2010


Seconding Timberline lodge. Had a wonderful dinner there (weekday off-season) a while back, complete with after dinner drinks and cards in the balcony area overlooking the fireplace in the main area. It's a beautiful place.

Hope you have some oysters if you get to the coast.
posted by nnk at 12:57 PM on April 21, 2010


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