A Weekend in Port Orford, Oregon

By: Julie Blakley | July 04 2010
Posted in Portland - Find It - Portland

Home to one of the most scenic vistas on the southern Oregon Coast—and quite arguably the entire Oregon coast—Port Orford has long been one of my favorite spots in the state.

Photo: Flickr

Situated south of Cape Blanco, a land feature which often directs fog and clouds north, Port Orford is located in what I was told is called the “Banana Belt” and typically has a few more sunny days than other parts of the coast.

The town hasn’t changed a whole lot since I first visited in 2005, and from what I’ve heard, it hasn’t changed much for quite a few decades before that. I’m lucky enough to know some long-time residents who live on this part of the coast, which has provided me with many opportunities to visit, explore the area with locals and always eat very, very well.

Catch the full slideshow of Julie's weekend in Port Orford

Friday Evening

When my friend and hostess Lena Hawthorne told me that on Friday evenings, the newly hired chef for her family’s soon-to-open Redfish Restaurant (and accompanying Hawthorne Art Gallery -- both open July 29) cooks for the family, I knew I had to make the five-hour trek from Portland in time for dinner.

I was not sorry I made the drive. Chef Patrick Zulick, who originally hails from Pittsburg, but mostly recently arrived in Port Orford from Thomas Keller’s kitchen at Le Bouchon in Las Vegas, prepared a delicious meal from top to bottom.

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The meal started with soup made from a black cod fume and vegetables. Zulick then served up panko coated and fried smoked pork belly balls (they were as indulgent and tasty as they sound), and a spinach salad with fresh peaches, bacon and feta.

The star dish of the evening, however, was definitely the black cod. I couldn’t stop talking about it, even after it was gone.

Zulick had gotten the fish fresh off the boat that afternoon (in fact, he complained the fish was a little too fresh, as it was still too stiff to easily work with). It was served with new potatoes and leaks covered in a delicious brown butter sauce (which really sent this dish out of the ballpark).

The fish was perfectly crispy on the outside, buttery, flaky and moist on the inside.

Dessert consisted of a chocolate mousse cake with a raspberry topping from Sweet Life Bakery in Eugene, Oregon.

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While Zulick cleaned up after dinner, I asked him what he envisioned for the local and seasonally focused menu at Redfish Restaurant (named after the Redfish rocks seen from the inside the restaurant).

“Great product and great execution makes great food. That’s what I was taught,” he said. No shortage of those factors around here, in this writer's opinion.

Saturday Morning

Lena cooked up breakfast burritos with eggs, zucchini, red onion, fresh basil, beans and her awesome homemade roasted jalapeño salsa.

Saturday Daytime

After breakfast, we decided to head six miles south of Port Orford to hike Humbug Mountain, located in Humbug State Park. Humbug's claim to fame is that it's one of the highest mountains in Oregon to drop directly into the Pacific.

Humbug’s slopes feature an old-growth temperate rainforest and two trails run from the state park campground to the mountain's summit, one a mile and a half long, the other two miles long (both are part of the much longer Oregon Coast Trail).

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Post-hike, and before heading to the Sixes River for a quick dip, Lena whipped up a salad with fresh greens, nuts, feta, garbanzo beans and carrots with a homemade vinaigrette with fresh chopped basil from the plant in front of the kitchen window.

Saturday Night

We stopped at the Hard Rain Café on 101 in Port Orford and got a large, reasonably priced combination pizza, which was piled high with veggies and sausage. The pizza was made from fresh dough and had a thick, not-too-doughy crust.

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After dinner, we headed north to Langlois, where there was a community barn dance happening that night. This also did not disappoint.

There was a barn. There was food (including fresh, local crabs). There was beer. A guitarist and fiddler/harmonica player belted out country/folk tunes on the bandstand, people danced, fireworks cracked in the background, and later everyone gathered around the warmth of the fire pit.

Sunday Morning

The boys headed to the Paradise Café, the local greasy spoon offering huge portions of traditional breakfast and lunch favorites. I’m still amazed at the immensity of my friend Jeff’s half order of biscuits and gravy served with eggs and bacon.

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We parted ways after a cup of coffee, and Lena and I went to Sunday brunch at her friend’s house on the Sixes River just north of town. Sunday brunch has been a longtime tradition at this household, where guests are always welcome to drop by, bring a dish and eat.

On the menu this Sunday: Lena’s spinach, feta, sausage, herb frittata; fresh carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting; moist meatloaf topped with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce; fresh, crusty breads (one olive, one a rye nut); homemade cranberry scones*; and delicious mochas.

*This part of the Oregon coast is a major cranberry growing area, and nearby Bandon, Oregon hosts the Cranberry Festival, this year from September 10-12.

Sunday afternoon

After a delightful weekend on the coast, my belly full of scones, cake and frittata, I made the drive home to Portland, still thinking about the black cod I ate on Friday night.

How to Get to Port Orford from Portland:

Head south on I-5 south of Eugene and take Exit 162 towards Ocean Beaches / Drain. Follow signs for Highway 38. Arriving in Reedsport, drive another 77 miles south on 101 until you arrive in Port Orford. The drive should take about 5 hours.