Stephanie's Cabin in Astoria, Oregon: Great for Meals with Friends or Casual Dates

I took my family to eat at Stephanie's Cabin, a restaurant located at 12 Marine Drive in Astoria, Oregon. I rarely take my kids out to eat, as they tend to be a handful, so I chose Stephanie's Cabin because they advertise themselves as a "family restaurant."

Stephanie's Cabin is located on the waterfront of the Columbia River, with a great view of the river on a nice day, which isn't often in Astoria. It's rainy and dismal three quarters of the year, but we lucked out this time. The kids even got to see the Astoria Trolley, which runs on tracks along the edge of the river right behind the restaurant. My son was fascinated, as he had never seen a train up close.

The best thing I liked about Stephanie's Cabin was the wait staff. They were really very friendly and attentive. The first thing I look for in a restaurant is a pleasant atmosphere that makes me feel comfortable, and the attitudes of the wait staff can really make a difference to me. I would rather eat mediocre food if the staff is nice to me that have the best food in the world and a rude waiter.

The restaurant was decorated very nicely, with nice art and a few really beautiful murals of Northwest scenes painted directly on the walls. It was also very clean, which is certainly a plus.

The food was O. K., but nothing special or spectacular. Burgers, hot and cold sandwiches, local seafood, steaks. I had a grilled turkey, ham and bacon sandwich., and fries. It was all average, which is O.K. for me and what I had expected. There were plenty of kid's choices, which is good, since my kids are usually picky eaters. Both of the little ones had chicken strips, which they both ate at least half of, which is highly unusual for my kids.

One thing I didn't like about Stephanie's cabin was that they advertised themselves as a family restaurant, but it didn't seem too kid friendly at all. There were too many sculptures and pieces of breakable art within the reach of small children, along the backs of the booths, and around the restaurant. They also gave coloring pages, but didn't give out any crayons, and there weren't any to be seen. Same with high chairs or booster seats. I had a toddler, and neither the waitress nor the host offered a booster seat, and I didn't see any.

Another thing I didn't care for was that there was no wine or drink list. I don't drink much, but I like to have one or two when I go out to dinner. I figured they didn't serve alcohol, so I drank Pepsi instead. But when I looked at the advertisement in the phone book when I was fact checking for my article, they claimed to sell Northwest wines and microbrews.

Neither of these things, however, took away from my overall experience with this restaurant, and I will certainly go again. But I would suggest Stephanie's Cabin as a place to go with friends, or maybe a place to go for a casual date, not for kids.