Green Salmon

2210 Highway 101 N, Yachats, OR - (541) 547-3077

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Posted By Michael Stern on 7/31/2008 8:23:00 AM

The Pacific Northwest offers countless opportunities to ingest caffeine, from drive-in espresso stands with funny names (The Human Bean) to the august coffee houses of Seattle (Caffe Umbria) and Portland (Ristretto Roasters). One of the best I've come across is the Green Salmon of Yachats, Oregon, where organic, fair-trade coffee and espresso are only the beginnings of the story.

How about a Cafe Oregonian with hazelnut milk, a Cafe Mexico with pepper, brown sugar, and cocoa, or a Kopi Jahe, which is a double-strength brew infused with the sparkle of ginger and sweetness of cane sugar?

Enticing as the coffees are, it's the eats that won my allegiance. I came by mid-summer, the height of berry season, when the menu offered a stunningly beautiful breakfast called triple berry toast: crunch-textured whole wheat spread with creamy Italian mascarpone, topped with freshly picked blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, each at the peak of their natural, sunny fruitiness, and finally drizzled with honey and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Unbelievably delicious … although it became a tumbling tower of red and blue berries as soon as a slice was hefted off the plate. Also pretty wonderful was the croissant frosted with a thick glaze of maple; and among the items I did not get to taste but yearn to are the fresh blueberry crisp and the marion berry bear claw.

Crowded and sociable, the Green Salmon is festooned with signs demonstrating a bright green social conscience. Rainwater is collected from the roof to wash floors and water flowers; paper products are recycled; 9 watt light bulbs are used in the seating areas. And service definitely is not instantaneous. Partly, this is because everything is made to order; but also it is because the place is infused with the life-savoring rhythms of the slow food movement … despite all the caffeine consumed on premises.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Fresh Oregon berries crown whole wheat toast spread with creamy mascarpone. The berries' sweet-tart goodness is amplified by a small amount of honey dripped on top and a sprinkle of powdered sugar."
Michael Stern

"Hot milk prevents seeing the dark intensity in this cup of Kopi Jahe, which is double-strength, drip-brewed coffee flavored with zesty ginger and cane sugar."
Michael Stern

"Deb's organic oats are combined with cranberries, coconuts and maple sugar, creating an uber-Granola that the Green Salmon serves in a bowl with foamy steamed milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon."
Michael Stern

"A good croissant becomes a delirious sweet pastry with a thick crown of sweet maple frosting. What a fine, fine companion for strong coffee."
Michael Stern

"A friendly, virtuous, and delicious stop along Oregon's Pacific Coast Highway"
Michael Stern

"The name Green Salmon is strange enough. But Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe? I did not inquire, but assume that used to be Ye Olde Whatever before it became the place it is today."
Michael Stern