The Stephanie Inn was a 3 story hotel on the Oregon coast owned by Ryan and Stephanie Snyder.   We visited two years ago and enjoyed it enough that we decided to come back and stay here 4 nights.  Rather than making five posts I’ll group two of the dinners in separate posts and do some comments on the breakfast in another post.  The first change you noticed was that the place had been painted blue.  According to one of the bellmen the place closed for 4 months for an extensive re-do of the facility.  On one side of the hotel are beautiful flowers, people’s homes and views of the mountains and on the other side is the beach and rolling ocean.  Guests and townpeople alike can also enjoy their 4-course tasting menu at dinner.  Chef Aaron Bedard showcases the flavors of Oregon with a daily changing menu.  They also highlight many items from their own 40-acre Public Coast Farm, which we saw midway to Portland.  Three of the courses are set but there was a choice on the entree course.  Wine pairings were available but there was a good list of bottles and wines by the glass to choose from as well as a bar that made good cocktails.  In the summer there are 2 seatings, 5:30 and 8:00 but in winter they only offer 5:30.  Those staying at the hotel have priority for reservations and there’s plenty of free parking around the hotel.  Chef Bedard left his most capable Executive Sous Chef Jeff Slemaker in charge of our first 3 meals.  This is a definite recommendation for dinner if you are in the area or have the opportunity to plan a trip here.

Set-Up

August 13

 

The amuse bouche was a piece of parmesan polenta topped with lobster mushroom.  It was a tasty bite,

 

Bread service was the same each night with soft house made white bread and softened butter topped with sea salt.  It’s served room temperature and is tasty but has little crustiness.

 

Furikake (Japanese condiment) encrusted first-of-the-season local Albacore tuna was plated with wasabi aioli and shaved cucumber salad with sweet soy reduction.  It was a nice portion of the lovely tuna that was well seasoned and further accented by the aioli.  A bit of seaweed salad was underneath which was lovely with the sesame flavor.  It was all excellent.

 

Grilled asparagus salad was made with organic mixed greens, oregano vinaigrette, grilled local asparagus, shaved Manchego cheese, toasted pine nuts and pickled asparagus tips.  The fresh tender greens were wonderful and well mixed with the vinaigrette.  The thinly sliced cheese provided a texture as did the small tasty pine nuts.   A great blending.

 

Fresh wild halibut was dill encrusted on a wheat berry risotto with grilled patty pan squash, charred tomato and dill butter sauce.  The amazing halibut was thick and perfectly cooked to keep its moisture and texture.  The sauce was excellent with it as was the textural risotto.  The patty pan were perfectly caramelized for another excellent plate.

 

Blueberry Swedish cream contained orange custard, Public Coast Farm blueberry compote and toasted almonds.  The cultured blueberries were large and flavorful and mixed great with the toasted almond slices.  The custard below was sweet and smooth for a good dessert.

 

August 14

 

The amuse bouche was a truffled cheese topped with bacon jam.  Nice textures here with good contrasts in flavor.  Not a strong truffle flavor, more one of bacon.  I liked it.

 

Sweet vermouth roasted Mission figs were with organic Kingfisher farm baby arugula, parmesan cheese (menu printed wrong with Manchego), candied walnuts, and pickled watermelon radish with a balsamic vinaigrette.  The soft tender figs were a star but so was the young, flavorful arugula.  Add toasted candied walnuts and slice sliced parmesan cheese and you have a winner.

 

House alder smoked King Salmon was in corn chowder with chive oil.  The chowder was thickened by vegetable matter, rather than a roux.  Lots of corn, potatoes, carrots and celery were mixed with the smoked salmon pieces.  The salmon did not have a heavy smoke flavor but was good and the thickening method gave it a different texture that I wouldn’t call silky but it was pleasant.  Overall it had great flavor and that’s what counts most.

 

Dungeness Crab Cakes used fresh crab mixed with Meyer lemon and were plated with sautéed julienne sugar snap peas, grilled cabernet sweet onions, sautéed Romano beans and saffron aioli.  The two cakes used shrimp to adhere the crab meat together and had no other filler.  It was an interesting technique that almost made them chewy.  They had been sautéed to have a wonderful crisp edge and were nicely accented with the aioli.  The Romano beans and the onion could have both been cooked more for me, to bring out the flavor and tenderize them.

 

Oregon Berry Crisp was made with local berries, oat streusel and topped with house-churned ice cream.  They used strawberries, blueberries and blackberries for the bottom which was a nice combination.  The ice cream was made with duck eggs which made it softer but yummy.  The streusel was crisp and sweet and was a perfect addition to this not-too-sweet dessert.  It was just the right ending for a fine meal.