A Café “From the Heartland” Right Here in Port Orchard

There’s a corner café in Port Orchard, at the south end of Kitsap County, that could be comfortably at home in most mid-America towns. It’s Myhre’s Café, pictured above.

My wife’s number was drawn for jury duty this week, and so our dog Buddy and I decided we’d chauffeur her the first day to get the lay of the land. We dropped her off at the hilltop County Campus just before 1pm, and so I decided to drive down the hill and find a spot to have some lunch.

At the bottom of the incline, I coincidentally came across Myhre's Café, on the corner of Sydney and Bay Sts, a block south of the foot-ferry terminal.

After making Buddy comfortable in the car, I walked over to the restaurant. The menu in the window looked good, and the sign said they served breakfast lunch or dinner all the time. My kind of place (I like breakfast food at lunch time).

Plus, I saw that they had “Joe’s Special” (a favorite sauté of mine from Original Joe’s in San Francisco) on the menu, and that sealed it.

Inside, it looked like any café from the heartland. A dark mahogany-stained counter with attached stools was surrounded by tall wooden booths of the same hue. Of course there was a pie-filled pastry case along with ever-moving waitresses who seemed to know everyone by name.

I wondered if my California bud Ed Wall had ever eaten here, as he lived in Port Orchard as a youth and teenager. I’d almost bet on it, as, from his travels, he knows every great eatery in most west coast towns.

The café was founded in 1927, but in 1963 a horrible fire gutted the place. If you look closely at the lousy pic at right (that I took in the dark cafe hallway with my cell phone cam) you might be able to make out the smoke billowing from the building. It was obviously rebuilt soon after and has been in continuous service ever since.

I didn’t know what to expect from a small northwest café with regard to the famous “Joe’s Special,” a hot-pan fried mix of ground beef, onion, scrambled egg and whatever.

Turns out it was delicious, just not quite as “Italian” tasting as down in the Bay Area. But definitely worth a return visit.

While Kay Lynne endured the jury selection process (she didn’t get picked today but must go back tomorrow), Buddy and I drove some seven miles down Beach St and around the point to Manchester State Park.

What a fabulous and beautiful place! The dog had a ball romping along the beach at water’s edge and enjoying every fragrance along the way as I tried to keep up.

Buddy mistook the salt water of Rich Passage for fresh lake water and quickly learned a lesson about life. His tail would be still wagging except that he’s exhausted and is sound asleep on my chair with a smile on his face. Such is a dog’s life.