Gracie’s Sea Hag Restaurant
Gracie’s Sea Hag Restaurant
Today we drove through a coastal town called Depoe Bay, Oregon. Of course the entire coast of Oregon exhales beauty with every turn. Whether looking toward sea or into forested hills, it is breathtaking.
We found a restaurant called Gracie’s Sea Hag. Our waitress, Chrissy, dropped off water and said Gracie will be in shortly to play the bottles. Jim and I appropriately chuckled thinking this was a cute joke that they told the tourists. I ordered, on Chrissy’s reference, the Prawn Cocktail and a cup of Clam Chowder. On both counts, they were the best I’ve had. First of all, the shrimp was freshly cooked because they were still a tad warm when they arrived curled atop a bed of lettuce in their tall cocktail glass. I don’t know the seasoning used, but they were delicately delicious. Then, the chowder too forced me to leave not one drop in the bowl.
Then it happened. A bundle of energetic history of small stature and short hair whirled in behind the bar and grabbed the attention of all the patrons by telling us a little about her past, having owned this restaurant, and then of course ending with a joke: One martini is just great. Two, at the very most. Three, I’m under the table. Four, I’m under the Host!
The whooping of the servers indicated it was time. The music from the speakers began and Gracie played. She danced from one group of bottles to another using xylophone sticks to make the bottles sing to the rhythm of the music. She also had several other items to tap, like a child’s handle drum, the brass propeller over the bar, and a bead shaker. She bowed at the conclusion while we all cheered her performance. Without any delay she grabbed a book from a pile behind the bar telling us that the money raised from it’s sales went to a fundraiser that had just helped bring a dialysis machine to her town. Her husband, who had been receiving dialysis from an hour away, now walked only five minutes to receive his treatment. She sold eleven books in that half hour, chatting and signing each. I know because I bought one. I then told her of our fundraiser for breast cancer, Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink (gunnisontetwp.com/sponsor.php) that has now raised enough money to help bring a digital mammography platform to our local hospital for our community. It’s great no matter where you are to witness people helping people.
We decided the fare and entertainment were so good that we’d dine there for dinner as well. We were not disappointed. Chrissy was still there and served us again, giving her suggestions for an entrée choice. We even saved room for the Marion Berry Tart "http://www.oregon-berries.com" .
While dining, Michael Dane sang and played keyboards and guitar. This was another unexpected treat. The entertainment never seems to quit at the Sea Hag. We even had the opportunity to meet the current owner. I guess that’s what happens when you spend the entire day eating! He told us about meeting his wife while she was waitressing at the Sea Hag. Through the work of fate, they married and eventually bought Gracie’s Sea Hag. Now all the servers are bottle players and entertain the customers when Gracie is not around.
If you’re in Oregon, don’t miss the chance to enjoy Gracie’s Sea Hag Restaurant and Bar. It ranked as one of our favorite attractions on our trip through Oregon and Washington.
R
elated bottle playing at the Sea Hag
A more formal video of bottle playing
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