The Oyster Burger Chronicles, IV
Newport Cafe, Newport, Oregon
I have long nurtured a soft spot in my heart for Newport, Oregon. Situated at the top of Yaquina Bay, this popular town is a perfect mix of port and sand. West of Highway 101, long sand beaches face the battering waves of the Pacific Ocean; east, and down the hill, is a perfect harbor for a commercial fishing fleet, a well-developed waterfront that mixes boats, canneries, and tourist traps like Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and the Newport Aquarium. Sea lions patrol the harbor waters, or pull themselves out to lay in the sun at the end of the commercial dock.
Newport is Steinbeck country, where visitors and fishermen in tall rubber boots jostle each other in the streets of Cannery Row.
For all of its indisputable charms, Newport has always fallen short on one count: I have never managed to eat an oyster burger in the town. I knew this was more a failure of research than a fault of the town. Newport’s Yaquina Bay is home to a thriving oyster population; surely at least one restaurant would exploit the chance to serve my favorite sandwich.
The Newport Cafe, located on Highway 101 is just that place. This classic small diner (10 tables and a lunch counter), is a throwback to the great beach cafes of the past. Its large plate-glass windows overlook the busy highway…
