One of the great benefits of living in Portland, is being just a over an hour from the beautiful Oregon Coast. One of the benefits of my line of work is that I get to work with great clients like Tolovana Inn south of Cannon Beach, Oregon. We left Portland early to beat the traffic and made it to the coast in time to unpack and head to dinner. We were open to trying a new restaurant, rather than rely on the old standby: Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse. We stopped by the The Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill and were initially impressed by the menu and atmosphere. Unfortunately, we decided to leave before ordering, which we would later regret.
Naturally, we knew the best way to save the evening was to stop by Bill’s Tavern for the world-class clam chowder, fish & chips and hand crafted ales. Unlike The Lumberyard, the servers were friendly and responsive. The food was delivered quickly and was spot on delicious. The Porter was a perfect compliment to the seafood dinners and we were in a fantastic mood. Unfortunately, that was ruined by a 60 second conversation with the owner. You can read my review of Bill’s Tavern on Yelp. Suffice to say, it will be difficult to go back after our treatment by the owner, which is a crime, as everything else about the Bill’s Tavern is ideal.
Update: I tried the Lumberyard last night with my family, and was wonderfully impressed, as was my family. I’m disappointed I haven’t heard from Bill’s Taven since posting this 2 years ago. The owner is still clueless.