18 Flavors, perfect for all four seasons
Rattle and roll your winter, with a shake - at the 60s Cafe in Lincoln City
By Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY
[Posted Dec. 14, 2011]
It makes no sense to crave a cold, frosty milkshake when it’s cold and frosty right outside the diner door. Still, I do, even though I know that halfway through the shake I will start to shiver, growing ever colder as the sweet, creamy icy crystals flow through the straw and down the hatch. When I’m finished sucking that cold milkshake down, I may have to go outside just to warm up.
But I want it all the same. Such is the power of the 60s Café milkshake, which comes in 18 official flavors, from malt and cherry to hazelnut and Almond Roca. Each one is made by hand, and if I sit at the counter or up near the juke box, I can even watch my server do it. She’ll scoop the Cascade Glacier Ice Cream into the tin, add the Torani syrups, cookies and candies, and mix it up with the old-fashioned milkshake machine. That machine makes a special noise, a mechanical whir that has the awesome power to make my mouth water.
When it arrives at the table, the shake has been poured in a tall glass and topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. It even comes with a promise, because the server brings you the leftover shake in the mixing tin. It’s yet another frosted container of shivery sunshine.
For me, it’s about more than just the ice cream. I enjoy the whole milkshake ritual, from the whole “I shouldn’t” interior monologue to watching the tin move up and down at the machine, to the moment when I switch from teaspoon to straw. It’s about the whole experience.
That’s something that the proprietors of the 60s Café — Rob and Pattie Long, and before that, Henry Quandt — really understand. The café is filled retro and vintage eye candy: gleaming old hubcaps, model cars and airplanes, Marilyn Monroe posters, baseball jerseys, a soap box derby car, a signed photo of the Inkspots. I’ve been coming here for years, and there are few pieces I still can’t figure out, like the old statue that looks like Donald Duck with a Vegas-style bouffant. My favorite is the poster for a Helen Reddy/Pointer Sisters concert. My second favorite is the giant Elvis portrait that has been lovingly mounted on a piece of stained and beveled wood. That King, 70s homage style, hangs in the ladies’ bathroom.
It’s one of the few places in Lincoln City where you can still play pinball (and on a Rocky & Bullwinkle-themed machine, too). I realized just how novel this is at a recent lunch, when my daughter talked me out of a few quarters at the 60s Café last week. She flipped the buttons for a while, and then stopped to say, “I don’t really understand pinball. I mean, what are you supposed to do?” She knows how the hula hoops work, fortunately, but as far as she knows, the juke box is just piece of art.
[Posted Dec. 14, 2011]
It makes no sense to crave a cold, frosty milkshake when it’s cold and frosty right outside the diner door. Still, I do, even though I know that halfway through the shake I will start to shiver, growing ever colder as the sweet, creamy icy crystals flow through the straw and down the hatch. When I’m finished sucking that cold milkshake down, I may have to go outside just to warm up.
But I want it all the same. Such is the power of the 60s Café milkshake, which comes in 18 official flavors, from malt and cherry to hazelnut and Almond Roca. Each one is made by hand, and if I sit at the counter or up near the juke box, I can even watch my server do it. She’ll scoop the Cascade Glacier Ice Cream into the tin, add the Torani syrups, cookies and candies, and mix it up with the old-fashioned milkshake machine. That machine makes a special noise, a mechanical whir that has the awesome power to make my mouth water.
When it arrives at the table, the shake has been poured in a tall glass and topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. It even comes with a promise, because the server brings you the leftover shake in the mixing tin. It’s yet another frosted container of shivery sunshine.
For me, it’s about more than just the ice cream. I enjoy the whole milkshake ritual, from the whole “I shouldn’t” interior monologue to watching the tin move up and down at the machine, to the moment when I switch from teaspoon to straw. It’s about the whole experience.
That’s something that the proprietors of the 60s Café — Rob and Pattie Long, and before that, Henry Quandt — really understand. The café is filled retro and vintage eye candy: gleaming old hubcaps, model cars and airplanes, Marilyn Monroe posters, baseball jerseys, a soap box derby car, a signed photo of the Inkspots. I’ve been coming here for years, and there are few pieces I still can’t figure out, like the old statue that looks like Donald Duck with a Vegas-style bouffant. My favorite is the poster for a Helen Reddy/Pointer Sisters concert. My second favorite is the giant Elvis portrait that has been lovingly mounted on a piece of stained and beveled wood. That King, 70s homage style, hangs in the ladies’ bathroom.
It’s one of the few places in Lincoln City where you can still play pinball (and on a Rocky & Bullwinkle-themed machine, too). I realized just how novel this is at a recent lunch, when my daughter talked me out of a few quarters at the 60s Café last week. She flipped the buttons for a while, and then stopped to say, “I don’t really understand pinball. I mean, what are you supposed to do?” She knows how the hula hoops work, fortunately, but as far as she knows, the juke box is just piece of art.
Sometimes, I focus on the retrospective DVD playing on the television, like the “I Love Lucy” tribute or the Andy Griffith marathon. The stereo is always playing something from the 60s, like poor lovesick Peggy Lee or the blissed-out Beach Boys. From time to time, I look at the painting behind the juke box and try to figure out who the people are. It was custom-painted in the 1990s, when Quandt first opened the 60s Café, and some of the characters are supposed to be real portraits.
Twenty years ago, extravagantly and expertly “themed” restaurants were so much in vogue that they spawned a whole industry: instant memorabilia. For a certain, no-doubt princely, sum a restaurant consultant could outfit your bar with your chosen kind of history. Within a week, a brand new sports bar would be filled with old jerseys, signed balls and trophies, and peeling old scoreboards that looked like they had been rescued from the junk pile. But they were all so strangely clean and mounted at such regular angles. I was always a bit suspicious of those places, with their just-right collectibles in every corner.
The 60s Café has none of that artfully casual “Cheers” set attitude. Not everything is from the 1960s — some bits are 50s, others are 90s, and there’s a bold-pastel Beatles poster that was clearly stolen from my dorm room in the 1980s — but everything has a real, 60s Café story. You can wonder what it is, while you listen to the pinball whacks and wait for your hamburger, Coney dog, fish & chips or crab melt.
Most people choose the wooden booths with the stained glass tops, which in case you were wondering started off in San Diego before spending 10 years at the late, great Quimby’s Restaurant in Newport, and then to Lincoln City in 2010. But I like to sit in the small, elevated area next to the juke box and the old rusty gas pump, where the floor has a black-and-white checkered linoleum. From there, I can watch my milkshake being made and look for things I’ve never noticed before. Today, while writing this story, I saw a doll version of Laurel (as in Laurel & Hardy) sitting next to the giant celebrity rendering of Hoppers’s “The Nighthawks.”
The shake arrived. I can’t think of a nicer way to get very, very cold.
The 60s Café is located in the Lighthouse Center, 4157 NW Hwy. 101 and across Logan Road from the Safeway in Lincoln City. It’s open for lunch and dinner seven days a week starting at 11 a.m. To learn more, call 541-996-6898.
Oregon Coast Dining
60's Cafe: A place where you can relax
The 60’s Café serves up milkshakes, burgers, Coney Island dogs – and good times
When I asked Rob and Pattie Long what they liked best about their restaurant, the 60s Café, they said something about “fun” and “casual.” We’ll never know what they answered, exactly, because the ladies at the table next door wouldn’t stop laughing. The five friends, who live in different towns to the north and east, had met at the beach – and stopped for a nostalgic lunch at the 60’s Café.
Ginger Ellwood, Sharon Reghitto, Loretta Fairbrother, JoAnn Gordon and Jill Arroyo came to the Lincoln City diner for burgers, fries and cokes (see photo; scroll below). Like the others who drifted in that Thursday, they found a haven of 50s and 60s cultural memorabilia and other colorful eye candy. The smiling Heidi Kisor, the Longs’ niece, was there to take their orders, deliver the baskets and make the frosty milkshakes.
In short, said Rob Long, everything was going according to plan.
“It’s a café, not a fancy restaurant. It’s a little more laid back, a place where a person can come in and have fun. It’s not formal,” he said. “The kids can run around, and their parents don’t have to be nervous. You can be a little loud. You can enjoy yourself here.”
In August, the Longs celebrated their fourth year as owners of the 60s Café, which Henry Quandt opened in the Lighthouse Square center in the mid-1990s. Since taking over, they have installed new flooring, tables and chairs, and given it all a bright new look. The Longs kept most of the original décor, like the original 60s Café painting and the juke box, and added their own favorites. The collection continues to grow, from the custom-made aircraft reproductions to the Daffy Duck with the Elvis hairdo, so that people always have something new to look at.
The 60’s Café is known for its burgers, from the Surfer (onions, mushrooms, avocado and Swiss) to the Hawaiian (Teriyaki, pineapple and Swiss cheese) and the Whoops (with ham, cheese and a fried egg) to your standard bacon and cheese. All are prepared with 1/3 pound of lean ground chuck and come with fries, coleslaw or thin-sliced housemade chips, starting at about $9.50.
The café has always been the “Home of the Betcha Burger.” Quandt’s creation has two 1/3-pound patties and double everything else: cheese, tomato, onion, pickles, lettuce and house sauce, plus double the fries or chips, for $12.95. Now, there’s something bigger: Bob’s Belly Buster Burger.
“We’ve had a few people eat the Betcha Burger, so we had to make a bigger one. Bob’s Belly Buster Burger is twice the size of the Betcha. We haven’t had anybody eat it all, not yet,” said Rob. “If we do, we’ll have a t-shirt made and put their picture up on the wall.”
Another eye-popper is the Coney Dog, an all-beef foot-long hot dog that comes smothered in homemade chili and topped with cheese and onions, and served with a side of fries or homemade potato chips. It’s one of the most popular items on the menu, said Pattie.
“One time, right after we put it on the menu, three ladies in their 70s came in. Each one ordered a Coney Dog and a milkshake,” she said. “When the order came, and they saw the sizes we serve, they started laughing and they didn’t stop for half an hour.”
That brings us to one of the most delightful items on the menu at the 60’s Café: the hand-dipped milkshakes. They make the old-fashioned kind, served in the tall glass with the extra still in the tin cup, in 15 flavors: chocolate, vanilla, malt, strawberry, cherry, butterscotch, caramel, coffee, root beer, blackberry, peanut butter, Oreo cookie and more.
“People are always talking about our milkshakes. They’re hand-dipped, they’re big. They are real treats,” Rob said. “People come a long way just to get one.”
If you’re not in the mood for burgers or shakes, the 60’s Café menu presents a variety of meals both large and small. They offer baskets with fish and chips or clam strips, as well as an Albacore Tuna Melt (on sourdough, with melted cheddar, $7.95), the Sixties Shrimp Melt (Oregon bay shrimp with cheddar and Swiss, $9.95), steamed clams, crab cakes and seafood cocktails. There are sandwiches, including a Pattie Melt and the 60’s Reuben, freshly-made dinner salads, and bowls of homemade chili and clam chowder.
“We always strive for good food in a friendly atmosphere, with great servers who are always on top of things,” Pattie said.
“We serve the food that we like, in a place that we would like to go,” Rob said, over the din of the ladies’ reunion. “A place where you can relax!”
The 60’s Café is located at 4157 NW Hwy. 101, at the west end of Lighthouse Square near Blockbuster Video. They’re open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 541-996-6898.
Editor’s Note: As a service to participating restaurants, the TODAY keeps archived dining features like this one posted for an extended period of time. Please note that, especially in seasonal markets like the Oregon Coast, hours, menus, and days of operation frequently change, and may no longer match those in place at the time features like this one were first published. We encourage you to phone ahead, or visit these restaurants’ websites, before finalizing your plans.
The 60’s Café serves up milkshakes, burgers, Coney Island dogs – and good times
When I asked Rob and Pattie Long what they liked best about their restaurant, the 60s Café, they said something about “fun” and “casual.” We’ll never know what they answered, exactly, because the ladies at the table next door wouldn’t stop laughing. The five friends, who live in different towns to the north and east, had met at the beach – and stopped for a nostalgic lunch at the 60’s Café.
Ginger Ellwood, Sharon Reghitto, Loretta Fairbrother, JoAnn Gordon and Jill Arroyo came to the Lincoln City diner for burgers, fries and cokes (see photo; scroll below). Like the others who drifted in that Thursday, they found a haven of 50s and 60s cultural memorabilia and other colorful eye candy. The smiling Heidi Kisor, the Longs’ niece, was there to take their orders, deliver the baskets and make the frosty milkshakes.
In short, said Rob Long, everything was going according to plan.
“It’s a café, not a fancy restaurant. It’s a little more laid back, a place where a person can come in and have fun. It’s not formal,” he said. “The kids can run around, and their parents don’t have to be nervous. You can be a little loud. You can enjoy yourself here.”
In August, the Longs celebrated their fourth year as owners of the 60s Café, which Henry Quandt opened in the Lighthouse Square center in the mid-1990s. Since taking over, they have installed new flooring, tables and chairs, and given it all a bright new look. The Longs kept most of the original décor, like the original 60s Café painting and the juke box, and added their own favorites. The collection continues to grow, from the custom-made aircraft reproductions to the Daffy Duck with the Elvis hairdo, so that people always have something new to look at.
The 60’s Café is known for its burgers, from the Surfer (onions, mushrooms, avocado and Swiss) to the Hawaiian (Teriyaki, pineapple and Swiss cheese) and the Whoops (with ham, cheese and a fried egg) to your standard bacon and cheese. All are prepared with 1/3 pound of lean ground chuck and come with fries, coleslaw or thin-sliced housemade chips, starting at about $9.50.
The café has always been the “Home of the Betcha Burger.” Quandt’s creation has two 1/3-pound patties and double everything else: cheese, tomato, onion, pickles, lettuce and house sauce, plus double the fries or chips, for $12.95. Now, there’s something bigger: Bob’s Belly Buster Burger.
“We’ve had a few people eat the Betcha Burger, so we had to make a bigger one. Bob’s Belly Buster Burger is twice the size of the Betcha. We haven’t had anybody eat it all, not yet,” said Rob. “If we do, we’ll have a t-shirt made and put their picture up on the wall.”
Another eye-popper is the Coney Dog, an all-beef foot-long hot dog that comes smothered in homemade chili and topped with cheese and onions, and served with a side of fries or homemade potato chips. It’s one of the most popular items on the menu, said Pattie.
“One time, right after we put it on the menu, three ladies in their 70s came in. Each one ordered a Coney Dog and a milkshake,” she said. “When the order came, and they saw the sizes we serve, they started laughing and they didn’t stop for half an hour.”
That brings us to one of the most delightful items on the menu at the 60’s Café: the hand-dipped milkshakes. They make the old-fashioned kind, served in the tall glass with the extra still in the tin cup, in 15 flavors: chocolate, vanilla, malt, strawberry, cherry, butterscotch, caramel, coffee, root beer, blackberry, peanut butter, Oreo cookie and more.
“People are always talking about our milkshakes. They’re hand-dipped, they’re big. They are real treats,” Rob said. “People come a long way just to get one.”
If you’re not in the mood for burgers or shakes, the 60’s Café menu presents a variety of meals both large and small. They offer baskets with fish and chips or clam strips, as well as an Albacore Tuna Melt (on sourdough, with melted cheddar, $7.95), the Sixties Shrimp Melt (Oregon bay shrimp with cheddar and Swiss, $9.95), steamed clams, crab cakes and seafood cocktails. There are sandwiches, including a Pattie Melt and the 60’s Reuben, freshly-made dinner salads, and bowls of homemade chili and clam chowder.
“We always strive for good food in a friendly atmosphere, with great servers who are always on top of things,” Pattie said.
“We serve the food that we like, in a place that we would like to go,” Rob said, over the din of the ladies’ reunion. “A place where you can relax!”
The 60’s Café is located at 4157 NW Hwy. 101, at the west end of Lighthouse Square near Blockbuster Video. They’re open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 541-996-6898.
Editor’s Note: As a service to participating restaurants, the TODAY keeps archived dining features like this one posted for an extended period of time. Please note that, especially in seasonal markets like the Oregon Coast, hours, menus, and days of operation frequently change, and may no longer match those in place at the time features like this one were first published. We encourage you to phone ahead, or visit these restaurants’ websites, before finalizing your plans.
