As soon as my eyes feasted on Cranky Sue's, I said to M, "We should come here to eat lunch while we're in Cannon Beach". Cranky Sue's is the first enticing restaurant you encounter entering Cannon Beach from the north exit off the highway.
The perfectly sunny warm weather and the appeal of its thatch umbrellas shading intimate tables scattered across the lawn was just the sight I needed after a long road trip. Leaning further out the window as M drove on, I could already see our little summer tête-à-tête under the thatch umbrella.
Breakfasts and dinners were catered by the conference centre but we were on our own for lunches. So come Monday, needing just a light lunch to tide us over, I suggested Cranky Sue's. We walked the two blocks to lunch. I let out a contented sigh as we sat at our outdoor table and read the menu. One of the delights of being married is that we share our meals, unless of course we order the same thing, which often happens. But today, two different appetizers should do - the crab cakes and the clams.
The prices were a little steep but we were already seated and I'm not one for just walking out of a restaurant, even if I am already outside. Besides which, we're on holiday, it's a treat and Cannon Beach is probably not the most affordable place to have a light lunch.
The quality of our lunch was superb. Obviously, we were paying for the hand-crafted expertise. The crab cakes, of which there were eight, were the width of a dime (very small indeed). I was intrigued that anyone would even bother to make crab cakes this small. Was it really worth their time? Well at $11 (USD I might add) for the plate, I guess it was. M and I made sure we ate all the greens that came with those miniature darlings.
The clams, of which there were fifteen (M got the extra one), were a bit of work as we pried them from their shells. Just as well, otherwise we would've eaten it all far too quickly. The herbed broth in which they were served was very tasty and great for dipping the fresh slices of bread. This option was slightly better value for money. But, after dropping $24 for our lunch of two starters, we felt less than satisfied and just a touch cranky.
Come Tuesday, we needed an alternative to expensive lunches. As we strolled the sidewalks of this quaint town I suggested the ultimate cheap travellers lunch to M. We popped into the grocery store for pre-sliced sourdough bread, sea-salted potato chips and apples. Our beach picnic of potato chips crunched between a folded-in-half piece of sourdough bread was a taste of heaven. I first experienced this cheap lunch trick in the mountains of Lesotho with my brother's university friends. Now it was coming into its own again on a beach in Oregon.
I enjoyed it more than our lunch at Cranky Sue's. I enjoyed it more, because of our lunch at Cranky Sue's. After our cheap picnic lunch we stretched out on the blanket, covered our faces with our hats and dozed off in the sun. Some of life's pleasures don't have to be expensive.
