Cannon Beach

Stephanie Inn (update), Cannon Beach, OR., 8/21 & 22/25

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exterior – 2740 Pacific Ave, Cannon Beach, OR 97110-3164

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. Continue reading →

Stephanie Inn (update), Cannon Beach, OR., August 19 & 20, 2025

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exterior – 2740 Pacific Ave, Cannon Beach, OR 97110-3164

We returned to the Stephanie Inn for another 4 nights like last year.  You can read last year’s posts by clicking here and here or searching for Stephanie Inn.  The building is pretty much the same as are some of the staff and that’s just fine by me.  Really friendly folks work in the dining room and hotel.  This year we had an ocean view the whole time and I highly recommend that as there’s lots to watch for relaxing entertainment but all the rooms offer easy access to the beach and water.  The tasting menu in the dining room is 5 courses with an amuse bouche and the only choice being the main course.  I did see some substitutions for dietary restrictions,  Wine pairings are offered on two levels and there is a good menu of by the bottle or glass wines.  Cocktails are available but there is no bar to go to.   The view with dinner is of the mountains and nearby homes but one night we also were treated to some elk that wandered through.  White tableclothes and muted music are the set up for this lovely dining experience.  Executive Chef Jeff Slemaker was on hand most nights but we did not see Executive Chef Aaron Bedard.  The food is fresh, much coming from their own farm (Public Coast Farm), and the seafood is mostly local.  The menu changes plenty from night to night so we did not mind coming again and again.  It’s a great vacation spot that I highly recommend you try.  I’ve already made reservations to go again next year.  Hope to see yo there! Continue reading →

The Stephanie Inn breakfast, Cannon Beach, OR., 8/14-17/24

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dining room – 2740 Pacific Ave, Cannon Beach, OR 97110

When you stay at the Stephanie Inn breakfast is included.  It alone is worth staying there for.  It’s in the same room as dinner and on the kitchen side they set up the hot buffet with a variation on eggs, potatoes, meats and hot cereal.  In front of that they have fruits, granola, Greek yogurt and sauces.  On the other side of the room they have muffins, bagels, toast, scones along with butter and jams.  After you’re seated they take your drink order and then you serve yourself as you choose.  A menu in your napkin details what is on the buffet and also items you can have cooked to order.   Their fruits were all fabulous, being well ripened and full of flavor.  The scone flavor changed daily and they were all very good with a nice crisp exterior.  The muffins also varied daily and some I liked better than others but all were fine.  The toast was the same bread they serve at night.  We also tried several of their order options as well as crafting our own order one morning.  The coffee was French press and they offered fresh juices but I never tried any of them.   The menu also  offered alcoholic drinks but I didn’t try those either.  It was all wonderful and gave a fantastic start to the day.  Plus they serve from 8 – 10:30, so it works whatever time zone you’re coming from. Continue reading →

The Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, OR., 8/15 & 16/24

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back of the inn – 2740 Pacific Ave, Cannon Beach, OR 97110

The Stephanie Inn’s dining room holds about 17 cloth-covered tables in the second-floor round room on the mountain side of the hotel.  A wooden domed ceiling is over the front half of the room and a lower flat ceiling is over the back darker portion of the room.  With the tablecloths, padded chairs, table spacing and carpet on the floor the noise level was wonderful.  You could easily hold a private conversation but with light music in the background, you could still enjoy the hum of the other people.  Children under 12 are not permitted in the dining room.  Service was excellent all the nights we were there with good attention to detail, particularly special requests.  They start each evening by offering to get you a cocktail from the bar and take your other beverage requests.  An amuse bouche is served and then some bread before the first course hits your table.  At this point, Chef Jeff Slemaker took the floor to discuss the upcoming meal.  He was to the point and invited all to continue eating as he talked.  He was a delightful host and came around to talk with the guests.  For our last meal, Chef Johanna led the kitchen team.  Portioning at the tastings was wonderful – there was plenty to taste but not too much to make you feel stuffed.  They brought additional bread if you needed filler.  Each meal was fairly different so it was fine to eat there multiple nights.  The staff were all fabulous, friendly and helpful.  I can’t wait to go back and hope to see you there too! Continue reading →

The Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, OR., 8/13 & 14/24

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exterior – 2740 Pacific Ave, Cannon Beach, OR 97110

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. Continue reading →

The Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, OR., 7/30/22

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hotel exterior, restaurant on second floor – 2740 S. Pacific, Cannon Beach, OR., 97110

The Stephanie Inn Dining Room is of course in the oceanfront Stephanie Inn.  Chef Aaron Bedard creates a 5-course prix fixe tasting menu that changes often and in which you have a choice of entrée.  They have a full bar but also offer wine pairings for the meal.  Built in 1993 the inn is a luxury coastal retreat in Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast.  They do 2 seatings in the evening at 5:30 and 8:00 in the second-story room overlooking the mountains and nearby homes.  The large tables are set with cream-colored cloths and brown napkins in a room with a vaulted wooden ceiling.  The room faces east so the glaring sun is not a problem for diners.  Music is in the background and there’s plenty of parking out front. Some tables are on the outside veranda but they didn’t seem to get used for the dinner service.  They didn’t open early, in fact they were a bit late, and so a number of the diners lined up at the door.  The problem with that is many people wanted a cocktail and the servers were trying to get out an amuse bouche and take dinner drink orders – and basically, it felt clunky and ill-planned for a fine dining experience (we waited 25 minutes to place a drink order).  It is hard when the diners are all served at the same time so the place can accommodate more people, but there must be a way to make it flow more smoothly.  That said, the service was friendly and finely caught up with demands to provide a lovely evening with pretty good food too. After the salad was served the chef came out to talk about the evening’s menu and the 2 choices for entrées. Continue reading →