Café Stephanie • Newport's Nye Beach District
The Locals' Locale
Café Stephanie loves its regulars, and brings tourists along for the ride
Editor’s Note: As a service to readers and participating restaurants, the TODAY keeps archived dining features 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.
When you’re in a strange town, it pays to ask a local where to eat. That’s how Terry and Bob Vise, visiting Newport from Colorado Springs, Colo., found themselves at Café Stephanie one sunny June day.
“We asked at the hotel, and in the shops in the neighborhood,” Bob said. “And they said Café Stephanie, so here we are. I ordered the salmon chowder and the French dip.”
As lunchtime rolled into this 990-square foot eatery, these tourists were easy to spot: they were the only ones that co-owner Scott Doll didn’t know by name. It’s just the kind of place that Scott and his wife, Stephanie Doll, imagined when they decided to leave Seattle six years ago. These veterans of the culinary world — she was a chef for Lisa’s Catering, he opened large corporate restaurants — were looking for a smaller town, where they could raise their two children and open their own restaurant. Once they settled on Newport, the Dolls found the perfect place for their business: 411 Coast Street, in the historic oceanfront neighborhood called Nye Beach.
When they opened in 2003, it was mostly lunch and it was just the Dolls, Stephanie in the kitchen and Scott serving the floor. After they began to offer a few breakfast items, which Scott would list on a board or pitch to the customers, they quickly saw an a.m. opportunity. It wasn’t long before Stephanie’s creations, like vanilla-cinnamon French toast, homemade granola and blackberry crepes, had a following, too. The café has grown steadily ever since, adding espresso drinks and local delivery. Now, they’re open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Morning favorites include their Breakfast Burrito, with your choice of Italian sausage or roasted vegetables, wrapped in a warm tortilla with caramelized onions and cheese, with homemade salsa and sour cream ($6.95). Or, try eggs any style with Stephanie’s Potato Tornado, a mound of roasted red potatoes, red peppers and grilled onions, covered with melted cheese ($7.95). Both come with a side of fresh fruit and a house-baked scone.
Café Stephanie loves its regulars, and brings tourists along for the ride
Editor’s Note: As a service to readers and participating restaurants, the TODAY keeps archived dining features 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.
When you’re in a strange town, it pays to ask a local where to eat. That’s how Terry and Bob Vise, visiting Newport from Colorado Springs, Colo., found themselves at Café Stephanie one sunny June day.
“We asked at the hotel, and in the shops in the neighborhood,” Bob said. “And they said Café Stephanie, so here we are. I ordered the salmon chowder and the French dip.”
As lunchtime rolled into this 990-square foot eatery, these tourists were easy to spot: they were the only ones that co-owner Scott Doll didn’t know by name. It’s just the kind of place that Scott and his wife, Stephanie Doll, imagined when they decided to leave Seattle six years ago. These veterans of the culinary world — she was a chef for Lisa’s Catering, he opened large corporate restaurants — were looking for a smaller town, where they could raise their two children and open their own restaurant. Once they settled on Newport, the Dolls found the perfect place for their business: 411 Coast Street, in the historic oceanfront neighborhood called Nye Beach.
When they opened in 2003, it was mostly lunch and it was just the Dolls, Stephanie in the kitchen and Scott serving the floor. After they began to offer a few breakfast items, which Scott would list on a board or pitch to the customers, they quickly saw an a.m. opportunity. It wasn’t long before Stephanie’s creations, like vanilla-cinnamon French toast, homemade granola and blackberry crepes, had a following, too. The café has grown steadily ever since, adding espresso drinks and local delivery. Now, they’re open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Morning favorites include their Breakfast Burrito, with your choice of Italian sausage or roasted vegetables, wrapped in a warm tortilla with caramelized onions and cheese, with homemade salsa and sour cream ($6.95). Or, try eggs any style with Stephanie’s Potato Tornado, a mound of roasted red potatoes, red peppers and grilled onions, covered with melted cheese ($7.95). Both come with a side of fresh fruit and a house-baked scone.
The lunch menu has signature items like the fish tacos, an aromatic assemblage of blackened fish (fresh salmon or yellow fin tuna), spicy slaw and mango-papaya salsa that’s made fresh several times a day ($8.50 for two). The hot sandwich selection ranges from classics like their Reuben or French dip, to regional specialties like grilled salmon with basil pesto mayonnaise. They make cold sandwiches, too, with tasty takes on roast beef, ham and turkey served on your choice of breads. Sandwiches are served whole or half, with chips or salad, or with a side of their own smoked salmon chowder or the soup of the day. Full sandwiches start at $6.95.
A bright yellow beacon in the midst of tourist-friendly Nye Beach, Café Stephanie welcomes its share of out-of-town visitors. The secret to keeping the local business, Scott believes, is their dedication to “service with a heart.”
“This is really a locals-driven place. We have some people who eat here, literally, every day of the week, either breakfast or lunch,” he said.
When we dropped by, the picnic tables and bistro-style two-tops on the sidewalk were occupied by small families with children, strollers parked alongside, and older couples, with leashed dogs lying next to the café’s canine water bowl. There were lunching ladies, too, like sisters-in-law Sharon and Pam Yeck.
Sharon ordered the special sandwich, chicken curry salad, with a green salad and an iced tea. Pam had Stephanie’s soup du jour, potato leek. Both women, longtime residents of Newport, could remember the historic Nye Beach district 15 years ago, before urban redevelopment projects and businesses turned it into a chic destination.
“We used to live near here, and nobody would come to Nye Beach. Now it’s a great place to be,” Sharon said. “Whenever it’s sunny and I want to be outside, I come here. My favorite thing here is either the fish tacos or the quiche. It’s a toss up.”
Inside, there were mothers, writing postcards while their babies slept, groups of high school students on vacation, the Nye Beach literati having coffee and people standing in line, waiting for their food to go. Children scribbled at a small table just off the main dining room, and Stephanie walked in and out, carrying trays of baked goods from the prep kitchen.
Servers, all chosen for their ability to smile, were busy taking orders. In between making sandwiches, assembling salads and ladling soup, the jovial Scott looked up whenever he heard the front door open. His voice punctuated the conversational hum inside Café Stephanie: “Hey, Shawn! Ready for some quiche today?”
Shawn was. A regular who is gluten intolerant, Shawn Brateng often chooses a slice of chef Stephanie Doll’s crustless quiche and a side of fresh fruit. There’s one standard flavor — crustless sausage, sun-dried tomato and spinach — and sometimes a special of the day; all quiche plates are $6.95.
“They have a great recipe, and I know I can trust it. It’s safe. I sometimes order the soup, which is always fine for me, and tastes great,” Shawn said. “And they always know what’s in everything, so I feel good eating here.”
Khloella Brateng, Shawn’s wife, said there’s nothing on the menu she doesn’t recommend. When they drop by for lunch, she said, she usually orders the soup of the day.
“What I like is the variety. They have unusual kinds of soup, and they always have such balanced flavors,” she said. “And the atmosphere is always so pleasant and casual. It’s like an upscale restaurant in a quaint package.”
There’s one thing that Café Stephanie doesn’t try to be: a lingering salon where people read or chat for hours. Business is brisk, even in the wintertime, and any stragglers are bound to get “the eye” from people waiting for a table.
“One of our regular customers told me once that I should put cushions on the bench seats,” Scott said. “I said, ‘If I did that, you’d never leave.’”
Café Stephanie, 411 Coast St. in Newport, is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. They offer food on site, to go or delivered. For details, call 541-265-8082.
Editor’s Note: As a service to readers and participating restaurants, the TODAY keeps archived dining features 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.
A bright yellow beacon in the midst of tourist-friendly Nye Beach, Café Stephanie welcomes its share of out-of-town visitors. The secret to keeping the local business, Scott believes, is their dedication to “service with a heart.”
“This is really a locals-driven place. We have some people who eat here, literally, every day of the week, either breakfast or lunch,” he said.
When we dropped by, the picnic tables and bistro-style two-tops on the sidewalk were occupied by small families with children, strollers parked alongside, and older couples, with leashed dogs lying next to the café’s canine water bowl. There were lunching ladies, too, like sisters-in-law Sharon and Pam Yeck.
Sharon ordered the special sandwich, chicken curry salad, with a green salad and an iced tea. Pam had Stephanie’s soup du jour, potato leek. Both women, longtime residents of Newport, could remember the historic Nye Beach district 15 years ago, before urban redevelopment projects and businesses turned it into a chic destination.
“We used to live near here, and nobody would come to Nye Beach. Now it’s a great place to be,” Sharon said. “Whenever it’s sunny and I want to be outside, I come here. My favorite thing here is either the fish tacos or the quiche. It’s a toss up.”
Inside, there were mothers, writing postcards while their babies slept, groups of high school students on vacation, the Nye Beach literati having coffee and people standing in line, waiting for their food to go. Children scribbled at a small table just off the main dining room, and Stephanie walked in and out, carrying trays of baked goods from the prep kitchen.
Servers, all chosen for their ability to smile, were busy taking orders. In between making sandwiches, assembling salads and ladling soup, the jovial Scott looked up whenever he heard the front door open. His voice punctuated the conversational hum inside Café Stephanie: “Hey, Shawn! Ready for some quiche today?”
Shawn was. A regular who is gluten intolerant, Shawn Brateng often chooses a slice of chef Stephanie Doll’s crustless quiche and a side of fresh fruit. There’s one standard flavor — crustless sausage, sun-dried tomato and spinach — and sometimes a special of the day; all quiche plates are $6.95.
“They have a great recipe, and I know I can trust it. It’s safe. I sometimes order the soup, which is always fine for me, and tastes great,” Shawn said. “And they always know what’s in everything, so I feel good eating here.”
Khloella Brateng, Shawn’s wife, said there’s nothing on the menu she doesn’t recommend. When they drop by for lunch, she said, she usually orders the soup of the day.
“What I like is the variety. They have unusual kinds of soup, and they always have such balanced flavors,” she said. “And the atmosphere is always so pleasant and casual. It’s like an upscale restaurant in a quaint package.”
There’s one thing that Café Stephanie doesn’t try to be: a lingering salon where people read or chat for hours. Business is brisk, even in the wintertime, and any stragglers are bound to get “the eye” from people waiting for a table.
“One of our regular customers told me once that I should put cushions on the bench seats,” Scott said. “I said, ‘If I did that, you’d never leave.’”
Café Stephanie, 411 Coast St. in Newport, is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. They offer food on site, to go or delivered. For details, call 541-265-8082.
Editor’s Note: As a service to readers and participating restaurants, the TODAY keeps archived dining features 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.
