Note: As it turns out, this post was meant to go up on the future anniversary of our wedding. So, instead of referring to her as “my companion” I will from here on out refer to her as “my fiancee”.
On to the post:
Every year, my fiancee and I spend at least four days vacationing on Oregon’s North Coast. In particular, in a heavenly little town called Manzanita.
As long as we’ve been going there, there hasn’t been a decent place for a steak in town, so we make more than one trip to Cannon Beach for dining. Since this isn’t a web site about seafood dining, I’ll just not even mention the place we dine most, which is called something like “The Manzanita Seafood Market and Chowder House.” (It’s fantastic.)
We certainly haven’t dined everywhere in Cannon Beach, because I hear it’s becoming somewhat of a hotspot for fancy cuisine. But, I can recommend, without reserve, that you try JP’s at Cannon Beach…. Where do I begin?
These guys don’t have a web site, so the curious are left to search the world wide unregulated internet to find out. I have been very conflicted to find that there is no easy consensus about JP’s. Instead, you find tons of ranting. People who have chosen to dine and then write on the internet about JP’s fall into two camps: they hated it, and they thought it was a good dining experience. To be frank, this year when we were there, two or three tables just up and left the restaurant for some reason; and the rest of us wouldn’t shut up about how great it was.
The head chef (JP, I think) is a marvel. Not once have I heard him speak, in the four years we’ve been there. He is supported by his family, and prepares all the entrees on the menu right in front of the house. It’s a dramatic house too: no shortage of flames and action.
No shortage of atmosphere too, according to NwCoast.com
“In Cannon Beach, JP’s Restaurant has also been noted as being one of the best places to kiss on the northwest coast. Classical music plays softly in the small dining room painted a deep plum.”
But what about the steak?
I had the filet with JP’s signature madeira sauce, and let me tell you, it was fantastic. The outside was perfectly seared and charred, with crispy brown and black edges everywhere to compliment the rich sweet butter of the filet. I’m guessing this was a good, happy, cow that gave up this filet. The meat was very tasty. And the preparation was dead on. Madeira sauce: a perfect sunny compliment to the dark smoky char of the meat. Overall my meal was a 9.1 out of 10, with the steak being the most important, and most satisfying; the saffron fingerling potatoes and veg were, well, interesting.
JP’s is almost flawless in my eyes. I think I’m probably in love with the place, because apparently there are some flaws that your mom or your bitchy best non-girlfriend girl friend would like to mention to you, but you’d probably ignore anyway. I mean, yes, our server was overly perky, kind of dumb about wine selections, and became irritatingly distant and lax towards the end. The dessert menu has really never changed in the three consecutive years we’ve dined at JP’s. And the kitchen totally hit the wall about an hour before the end of service.
But like anything you’re In Love With, if you get some good lovin’ off the bat, and if it’s really pretty and smells fantastic all the time, you cut some slack and enjoy the drama. It’s all good, right?
Apparently not for some people. Searching the food forums at PortlandFood.org was depressing, a little bit.
“But, NO!” I shouted, “JP’s has never been erratic or disheartening for us. I won’t believe it.” I really don’t know what’s going on there. Judging by the volume (they were full, even in the Vineyard, the back annex I never knew they had!) JP’s hasn’t done wrong by most diners. But there are always the vocal few who just maybe seem to have a bad time no matter where they dine? Truth be told there was one table that got up and left after receiving their entrees. Who knows. I’m going to just conclude that the bitchy non-girlfriend girl friend (i.e. “the vocal few”) is wrong.
My fiancee’s 1/2 Roast Duck with Whiskey Marionberry Barbecue Sauce was just as perfect as the name.
Dessert was the perfectly heavenly The Lemon Thing, with some tawny port or something: terrific.
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