Stephanie Inn’s owners also own the Public Coast Farm, which you will pass if you drive in from Portland.  So much of the produce is from there and according to Chef Jeff what they send is the largest input into what’s on the menu.  You’ll find their produce at dinner and also in the complimentary breakfast that is included in your room rate.  Portions for the dinner menu are spot on and offered at two seatings each night (they go to one seating in winter) and reservations are required.  The dinner starts with drink orders being taken and delivery of the amuse bouche is about the same time as the housemade bread and butter coming out.  The bread is the same every night and the butter has a bit of course salt on top of it.  It’s a soft bread in that the crust isn’t crisp but the interior is soft and dense.   They came around each meal and offered more if you wanted.  When the first course is out one of the chef’s come out to describe the evening’s menu and then staff comes around to get your entrée choice.  Each meal finishes with a couple of Ranger Chocolate squares in different flavors.  It’s takes just over an hour and a half, depending on how many people are there.  Service is friendly and couldn’t be more helpful.  I really like this place, as you can tell since I keep going back, and hope you’ll get a chance to try it too.

Set-up

 

August 21, 2025 Food

The amuse bouche was a New York strip loin seared and topped with creamy horseradish and micro greens.  The beef was on the dry and well done side of things, so not to my liking but the horseradish cream was nicely spicy.

 

Bread and butter was the same soft dense bread of previous nights.

 

Blueberry and Chévre salad with organic greens, Public Coast Farm blueberries, herbed chévre cheese, pickled radish, candied almonds and a citrus honey vinaigrette.  The blueberries were both fresh and pickled  and the goat cheese was hidden below the greens.  It was a good mix and the candied roasted almonds were terrific and also added nice texture.  The blueberries had lots of flavor.

 

Manhattan Seafood Chowder was made with fresh local seafood and decorated with fennel pollen croutons.  The tomatoes were locally grown in this long cooked broth well seasoned with fennel and saffron.  The broth had a nice thickness to it but didn’t have the depth of flavor you’d expect from this dish.  Lots of fish bits were in it but I didn’t get what type and they were too well cooked to discern particular flavor or texture.

 

Fresh Dungeness Crab Cakes came with pesto sautéed julienne zucchini, charred tomatoes, sweet peas and roasted red pepper aioli.  The crab was from Astoria and mixed with a shrimp mousse to make a dense spongy kind of crab cake.  They were placed on a shredded zucchini mix. The cake’s texture is not what I’m used to but using shrimp mousse as the binder gives them a lot of flavor with no breading.  They were delicious.  I wan’t sure that I liked them any more with the aioli because you could taste the sweetness of the crab better without it.  The zucchini shreds were mixed with a couple of roasted cherry tomatoes for a good vegetable accompaniment.

 

Chocolate Almond Torte was made with Ranger dark chocolate and enhanced with candy striped figs and orange anglaise.  The very dense torte had a bit of whipped cream on the top in addition to the anglaise underneath.  The figs were nicely ripe but not overly sweet.  Lots of texture in this dessert and enough sweet flavor to satisfy.

 

August 22, 2025 Food

 

The amuse bouche was a cube of Canary melon topped with finger lime caviar.  A sweet and tart contrast that was quite good.

 

Honey roasted fig and Rogue River Blue Cheese salad also had organic greens, toasted pistachios, pickled breakfast radish and a balsamic vinaigrette.  Unlike last night these figs were nicely sweet and the blue cheese had equally strong flavor.  This was a very good, classic combination.

 

Furikake encrusted tuna was made with fresh Albacore tuna along with wakame seaweed salad, sweet soy reduction and wasabi aioli.  The Japanese seasonings went nicely with the tender tuna slices.  Good bits of wasabi flavor and the seaweed was very tasty.  Good.

 

Blackened wild Halibut Fillet was plated with grilled corn succotash, roasted zucchini, honey glazed Tokyo turnips and orange beurre blanc.  The halibut was cooked with lemon and white wine and kept mostly moist.  The roasted vegetables were nice.

 

Braised lamb osso buco used all natural Anderson Farm lamb which was on wild mushroom risotto with garlic green beans, bacon braised greens and minted gremolata.  The lamb was cooked 4.5 hours with onions and herbs.  It was a large piece but also had a large bone throughout.   No marrow was there.  The risotto had lobster, cremini and one other kind of mushrooms in it.   It turned out more like a pilaf than risotto,  but was tasty either way.   The green beans were good.

 

Revani was a semolina cake topped with Public Coast Farm honey and orange Chantilly alongside almond praline.  This was a very moist cake with mild fruit on the side.  The citrus and almond flavors blended nicely for a good end result.