Aweigh Cool: The Historic Anchor Inn
The Historic Anchor Inn • Lincoln City
[Website] • 541-996-3810
Story & photos by Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY
Two kinds of pasta and four types of sauce, baked lasagna and the special of the day. At the Historic Anchor Inn Restaurant in Lincoln City, the menu is simple.
The décor? Quite the opposite. Every corner of this restored motor lodge is filled with interesting stuff, an arrangement of curiosities that are old, beautiful, unusual or just plain strange. Here’s just a glimpse, an incomplete list of the things within my line of vision, in one corner of the main dining room.
A plastered fireplace embellished with copper tiles with Art Deco designs, a row of copper pots and a border of polished agates. Four clocks, none operational. A naïve artist’s depiction of sperm whale anatomy, painted on linen. Three wooden oars, four wooden floats, six model ships, two small planes, a lifeboat, a propeller and a canoe. Two mounted fish, two plaster dogs, two wooden penguins, a 2-foot high carved wooden frog and a stuffed bear’s head. And objets d’shell art: vases, birdhouses, table lamps, a crucifix and various undersea vignettes. A driftwood scale model of the Agate Beach Clubhouse, its roof tiled in sea shells. Two Japanese floats. A whale’s rib.
They’re all part of the vast and particular holdings of Kip Ward, who has been collecting coastal memorabilia since he first moved to Lincoln City, in 1976. Ward jokes that he could be featured on three TV reality shows — “Hoarders,” “Pickers” and “Intervention,” all at the same time. Some of his prizes are just for fun, of course. But others are remnants of coastal history, and the old Lincoln City that by the 1980s was fading fast.
[Website] • 541-996-3810
Story & photos by Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY
Two kinds of pasta and four types of sauce, baked lasagna and the special of the day. At the Historic Anchor Inn Restaurant in Lincoln City, the menu is simple.
The décor? Quite the opposite. Every corner of this restored motor lodge is filled with interesting stuff, an arrangement of curiosities that are old, beautiful, unusual or just plain strange. Here’s just a glimpse, an incomplete list of the things within my line of vision, in one corner of the main dining room.
A plastered fireplace embellished with copper tiles with Art Deco designs, a row of copper pots and a border of polished agates. Four clocks, none operational. A naïve artist’s depiction of sperm whale anatomy, painted on linen. Three wooden oars, four wooden floats, six model ships, two small planes, a lifeboat, a propeller and a canoe. Two mounted fish, two plaster dogs, two wooden penguins, a 2-foot high carved wooden frog and a stuffed bear’s head. And objets d’shell art: vases, birdhouses, table lamps, a crucifix and various undersea vignettes. A driftwood scale model of the Agate Beach Clubhouse, its roof tiled in sea shells. Two Japanese floats. A whale’s rib.
They’re all part of the vast and particular holdings of Kip Ward, who has been collecting coastal memorabilia since he first moved to Lincoln City, in 1976. Ward jokes that he could be featured on three TV reality shows — “Hoarders,” “Pickers” and “Intervention,” all at the same time. Some of his prizes are just for fun, of course. But others are remnants of coastal history, and the old Lincoln City that by the 1980s was fading fast.
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"People were going broke, going out of business, and looking to sell things that were important parts of Lincoln City history. People would bring in stuff, for a $20 credit at the restaurant,” Ward said. “This stuff is part of the fabric of Lincoln City, and I thought it was worth keeping.” Back then, “the restaurant,” meant Kip’s Wine and Cheese Shop, on the north end of town near Safeway. When times were tight, he started offering spaghetti dinners one night a week. Those dinners were just 75 cents, if you bought a $1.50 glass of wine, but they helped to keep his shop afloat. The dining side of the business grew exponentially, to become Kip’s Restaurant and, eventually, The Noodle. Ward owned and operated The Noodle, which was one of Lincoln City’s busiest establishments, until 1995. He left the restaurant business for awhile, but he didn’t stop collecting. By the time Ward and his wife, Katrica “Kandi” Hansen, bought the Anchor Inn, the stash took up three large storage units. They originally purchased the derelict hotel with the intention of tearing it down, to create more parking for their adjacent business, CICS Employment Services. But, like the outboard motors, yellowing maps and peeling wooden signs in Ward’s collection, the Anchor seemed to call out for preservation.
The story of the renovation, which transformed the Anchor into a vision of wood and odd antiques, is too complicated to tell here. Suffice to say that the old hotel came with a kitchen, and as it came to life Ward decided to come out of food service retirement. “I swore I would rather go to prison than go back into the restaurant business. I don’t know why we did it. Just because it was there, I guess,” he said. “But when we opened for dinners, in 2006, I found that I really loved it. I could sit down and have a cup of coffee and talk to people I knew 35 years ago, and hear about their lives.” Pasta, pronto In the past five years, the couple has tried several different restaurant models. The goal, Ward said, is to keep business steady but not overwhelming, so that they can always enjoy themselves, and their customers. Two months ago, they introduced a pasta menu that is fresh, easy to make and simple to serve, offered Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. All the dinners come with a Caesar salad, grilled French bread and a small dessert, like a scoop of ice cream and a cookie. The Classic Pasta Dinners come with your choice of spaghetti or penne pasta, with vegetarian red sauce ($10) or original meat sauce (with homemade pork sausage and herbs, $11). In the Deluxe Pasta Dinners, the pasta is topped with your choice of Pecorino Romano, Myztheria or feta cheese, or a white clam sauce (your choice, $12). If all the sauces sound good, you can try two — the “Bi-Sensual Special” — for $13. Traditional Meat Lasagna, with red sauce, sausage and cheese, is $13. Ward sometimes offers specials, like macaroni and cheese, in the same price range. “I’ve never worried about being a good cook. I believe in good ingredients, putting two good things together. Like Pecorino-Romano cheese, fresh off the wheel. It’s wonderful cheese, and it makes everything taste delicious. And we get really good quality meat, and the rest takes care of itself,” Ward said. “Taking credit for good ingredients is like taking credit for a good glass of milk.” The wine list also gets right to the point: red or white. They accept checks and cash, but no plastic bank cards. It’s all about keeping things simple, so they (and their customers) can enjoy the view – that could mean anything from the captain’s seat on the Tradewinds to an old phone booth. “Our menu reduces both labor and food costs, so that we don’t have to compromise. Everything here is real, and I think people expect to find something genuine,” Ward said. “I’m happy to keep things small and steady, three nights a week. That way, I can enjoy myself and visit with my friends.” Editor’s note: While writing this story, I realized that my first count was incorrect. There are actually seven model ships in this corner. The Historic Anchor Inn Restaurant, 4417 SW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City, is open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. To learn more, or to make a room reservation, call 541-996-3810. The TideTables dining feature is sponsored by our advertising partners, and features some of the coast’s best-loved restaurants. To find out if your restaurant can be featured here, email Charles Helbig. |
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