Love is in the air, in Gleneden Beach
By Niki Price
OREGON COAST TODAY
In her 10 years at the Side Door Café, chef and owner Brooke Manca has been involved in a few spectacular acts of romance. Lush and blushing weddings, candlelit engagements and nostalgic anniversary parties are just the beginning. She still does all the baking for the restaurant, and custom orders are her favorites.
“Just recently, I made an amazing chocolate cake and buried a gorgeous diamond necklace in it, so that a man could present it to his wife,” Manca said. “There’s another couple who got married on Valentine’s Day, and they always spend their anniversary here with us. He calls up and says, ‘Hey, Brooke, it’s Todd.’ And I say, ‘OK. Chocolate, no berries, right?’ And I love to surprise them.”
Of course, not every lover loves the grand gesture. Manca hopes that whether your Valentine’s Day celebration is small or large, public or intimate, you’ll spend a little time at the Side Door, in Gleneden Beach. The menu, which will be offered at dinner from Thursday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 16, will offer prime rib, a crab cocktail, a seafood entrée, Manca’s famous desserts and champagne by the glass. Patrons are free to order off the Side Door’s regular menu as well.
If you prefer to start the evening with a cocktail, choose from house specialties like the Side Door Marion-tini, made with a marionberry reduction and Absolute Vanilla, served up and cold with a sugared rim. A little too sweet? Try a mixture of Beefeater Gin and dry vermouth, with a splash of caper juice and caper berries, that they call the Cape Foulweather Martini. The Bahama Mama, with Absolute Mandarin and Midori Melon, and the Key Lime Martini, bring a touch of the tropics to your table.
Manca also suggests a glass of champagne, and not just to warm you up. They have other selections, but her vintage of choice is a Cray Brut Montlouis 2002.
“Champagne is a palate cleanser. It opens up your mouth and your taste buds, and makes your food more enjoyable. You can have it before your meal, or between courses if you prefer. I’ve started offering it by the glass in big weekends, and it’s really popular,” she said.
The Side Door is well known for its seafood dishes, including the Honey Mustard and Herb Rubbed Chinook Salmon, roasted on an alder plank and drizzled with an Oregon marionberry glaze ($25) and the Parmesan Encrusted Fresh Halibut, on a bed of cappellini pasta and crowned with an artichoke tomato balsamic vinaigrette ($24). During President’s Day weekend, they’ll add a Crab Cocktail (with avocado, fresh tomato, cilantro and lime, served in a martini glass) and a Prawn Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce, served on skewers that stand in a ring of grilled fresh pineapple.
But that doesn’t mean that they don’t enjoy serving a fine prime rib. It’s an all-natural Painted Hills cut, rubbed with fresh herbs and kosher salt, that is slow-roasted to perfection, for $31.
Servers will be suggesting the classic accompaniment, an Oregon or Washington Pinot Noir. For those who are a bit more adventurous (or who just trust Manca with all things culinary), they’ll offer an Elyse 2004 Korte Ranch Zinfandel, from the Napa Valley.
“I personally would go for a zinfandel, but I’m a zinfandel kind of girl. It’s very jammy, berry and yet spicy. It’s a really floral red wine that pairs really well with red meat. Zinfandel stands right up to it,” she said.
Another of Manca’s recent Oregon wine finds, which has been a great accompaniment to salmon and other fish, is the NV Cuvee Prestige from Chateau Lorane. It’s 60 percent Viognier, 40 percent Sauvignon Blanc, and makes a terrific, moderately priced white table wine, Manca said.
“It’s an unusual blend. Sauvignon tends to be citrus, grassy, and Viognier tends to be on the sweeter side, almost like a chardonnay but a buttery one.
“I was totally impressed
by this wine. It has tartness, and creaminess, and I recommend it for the salmon.”
Dinner, wine and jewelry aside, Valentine’s Day is about getting a little sugar. Manca will be making — just to name a few — Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, Marionberry Crisp a la Mode and Coconut Cream Pie.
The chocolate selections contain both old favorites, like the Chocolate Truffle Torte with Raspberry Sauce (an award-winner at the Chocolate Classics) and Black Bottom Chocolate Cream Pie, and new creations, like Kentucky Bourbon Banana Cream Pie with an Oreo Cookie Crust.
Couples often fall for her strawberry dipping plate, which is an arrangement of fresh strawberries around a rich chocolate ganache. Manca gets a kick out of decorating plates (for the strawberries or any other dessert) with words hearts, X’s, O’s and “Love.” She’ll even make a special dessert to go, in case you’d rather dine at home. Or, in case you forget to make plans until the last minute.
Manca and her staff enjoy helping valentines (mostly men, she’s found) make the day special. They give out a rose to every woman who dines at the restaurant, decorate the tables, turn down the lights and light up the fireplace.
“This is a romantic room anyway, because the décor fits the whole Valentine’s Day color scheme. The ambience is gorgeous,” she said. “This time of year, love is really in the air. Reservations are recommended.”
The Side Door Café, 6675 Gleneden Beach Loop, is four miles south of Lincoln City. Brooke and the crew serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., every day except Tuesday. For reservations or further information, call 541-764-3825.
TideTables is an advertiser-sponsored feature of the Oregon Coast Today. To include your restaurant in an upcoming edition, call 541-921-2306.
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