Well, I have to say the trip from the Portland area to Seaside takes about two and a half hours. Our trip took us seven. Why? Because we ate and drank our way across the city and countryside winding our way through the mountain pass and down to the seashore.
We left at a reasonable time in the morning. First stop: coffee before hitting the road. We were shoulder to shoulder with morning commuters getting their “fix” for the road too. We smiled to ourselves thinking they have to go to work, we get to drive to the coast and have fun in the sun.
An hour or so later we stopped for breakfast at Cafe Murrayhill. It was tough choosing breakfast, everything on the menu looked delicious. Each of us murmured that our selection was the best so we were virtually all winners on our breakfast choices.
Sitting outside with a view of the manmade Murrayhill lake was relaxing and created a tranquil atmosphere to plan our next stop.
There had to be at least one winery on the way to the seashore. Yep, there were many to pick from. Montinore Estate Winery was the one we chose to visit. They had a 180-degree picturesque view of vineyards. We sat outside on comfortable cushy couches which may be one of the reasons we sat there for two and something hours. Somewhat reluctantly we knew had to move along so we ended our tasting with port and chocolate. Oh yeah!
Back on the road, we headed for the coast. Conversation in the car dulled after that hardy breakfast and a prolonged wine tasting. But we forged on and finally arrived at the seashore in Seaside seven hours after we started.
We checked into the rental office, picked up the keys for the beach house, and decided we needed to find a place to eat – after all, it had been at least two hours since we ate or drank anything.
Dinner was at Nonni’s Italian Bistro located on one of the main streets of Seaside (Oregon). What an unexpected delight! Our cute waitress Kelsey assisted us while we dined, adding to our experience of a fantastic meal and drinks.
Of course we started with drinks. Dick and the rest of the table chose Sangiovese. Except me.
I chose a limoncello martini. Not as good as the martinis I make, but a close second.
Cheese bread appetizer accompanied by homemade marinara sauce. Their sauce had pine nuts and carrots in it. Very original and tasty.
My dinner was white bean and sausage soup with spinach. Oh sooo good.
Dick had lasagna. The photo didn’t do the dish justice. The taste was out of this world! (I had to taste test of course!)
Traveling partner MaryLou had spaghetti carbonara with homemade pasta. Another dinner winner. Mike’s spaghetti and meatballs were a hit too. The meatballs were the size of baseballs and made with veal, pork, and beef. Oh yeah!
Dinner was topped off with dessert, tiramisu. Shared by all, this was a delightful way to end the meal. But wait!
We were treated to after dinner digestifs on the house. Several of us had Amaretto and others had sambuca with coffee beans. The beans signified health, happiness, and prosperity. To read more about this tradition, check out this article.
Mike’s working on the happiness part of the tradition.
Time to head to the beach house to settle in. It’s a very cute place, with an artistic beachy decor, as one might expect. I can tell our stay here will be very pleasant.
After dinner, we had a walk along the beach promenade.
A great day was had by all. The setting sun signaled it was time to say good night.
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