Gold Beach, Oregon 19 August 2015

Caspar — Gold Beach, Oregon

Uneventful passage through redwoods, haze and smoke from the fires inland. Brief glimpses of blue sky and sun. Lovely big salad at Nooners in Eureka Old Town.

We're staying in a 1950s cottage on the ocean side of the highway with a fireplace and a huge ocean view. My kind of place; check out the size of the tree beside the house, a massive Douglas Fir, the Oregon State Tree.

Severe Disappointment

Dinner at Mangia Buff. We tried last year, suckered by the offer of Italian food and good reviews on TripAdvisor. Suckered again! Terrible. Kitchy place, tacky menu (with ads for local businesses!) offering 'Insulates & Zuppa' and sorely limited mains. Wine sold by the varietal, not the winery; only two kinds of beer. Maybe the crab was fresh, but the 'wine' sauce was gluey, and the 'presentation' augmented with that nasty pseudo-balsamic glaze. Skewered it on Trip Advisor. Probably the chef/owner cares and tries, but he seriously needs to learn to cook Italian. 

It's really hard to run a decent restaurant in a town a zillion miles from the nearest nowhere ... like Fort Bragg or Gold Beach. Don't even try unless you're talented and a masochist.

Last year's dinner at Spinners was better. Next year we'll try Anna's. After a walk on the beach and a pair of heart rocks, we're back in our cozy cabin, a crackling fire in the fireplace, and I know: better food awaits tomorrow!