Expert Eats: An insider's guide to Oregon food routes
Written by Kerry Newberry / Published by Edible Portland
Wondering how best to savor your Oregon summer? We asked experts across the state—from the salt-kissed city of Astoria to the snow-capped peaks near Joseph—to share the best food and farm experiences in their city. What better way to discover a region than from the perspective of a local? Here are the top picks from our experts to help travelers get a taste of place this summer.Astoria
Collaborators since 2008, Kristin Albrecht and Teresa Retzlaff were the inspiration for the North Coast Food Web, a coalition of people and organizations working to build a connected North Pacific Coast food landscape. The duo hosts Food Talk, a radio show on KMUN – Coast Community Radio.
Catch a sunrise (and maybe a steelhead) at Coffee Girl, perched on the Columbia River in the West’s oldest cannery building on Pier 39. “At Coffee Girl you can have coffee, take your fishing pole and set up right there on the dock for the day,” says Albrecht. The storied coffee shop once fueled the tuna processing workers of the Bumble Bee Tuna factory when they were on break. Today, you can spot a “coffee girl” carrying out a cup o’ Joe and a fresh-baked cherry-almond scone to fishers pulling a boat up to the pier before they head out to sea.
Stock your picnic basket with a fresh-baked baguette from Blue Scorcher Bakery & Cafe, a worker collective set on the site of the original Fort of Astoria. “They have great artisan breads and pastries, and go out of their way to buy produce from local farmers,” says Retzlaff. Don’t miss the mixed fruit custard tartlets or the mini lemon-rosemary bundt cakes. Get the rest of your picnic items one block west at the Astoria Co-op, and then head to Fort Astoria Park, tucked just behind the building.