Samoa Cookhouse

Jill's Journal: We don’t go out to eat very often these days – it’s awfully expensive as a family of five and the kids eat better at home anyway. For us to go out lately, it has to be a special occasion or a special place. The Samoa Cookhouse, circa 1893, was the latter, best described by a placard at the entrance:

“This is the last lumber camp-style cookhouse in operation in North America. This cookhouse was originally opened as part of Samoa, one of the last company-owned towns in the United States, established by the Vance Lumber Company… Meals have been served here continuously for over (115) years. Only employees were served here until the late 1960s when it was opened to the public…”

What a treat – we had no idea what we were in for, but it was an experience we are going to look back on fondly. Here’s the soup and salad course (the barley soup was amazing). You don’t get to order at the Cookhouse. There are no menus. You simply get whatever they’re serving that night, family style. The tables are long and shared with other diners. After the bread, soup, and salad came roast beef, pork loin, baked potatoes, and green peas, a “typical” lumberjack meal. All you can eat. Come and get it.

Samoa, by the way, is a miniscule town on the barrier island of sorts across the bay from Eureka (located between the bay and the ocean). Surrounded by sand dunes and scrub brush, it’s eerily deserted and feels like the absolute furthest edges of earth (much like the tip of Cape Cod in Massachusetts – it’s so interesting how completely opposite ends of the country can have so many similarities).

Dessert came with the meal too – bread pudding. We didn’t think the girls would like it, but to our surprise, our younger two ate every single bite. Here’s my sweet baby telling me, “It was so yummy that I had to eat it all. I didn’t want to waste it.” (Apparently she didn’t feel that way about anything else on her plate!)

To borrow an expression from our Kentucky days, we left the Samoa Cookhouse full as a tick. I’ve never been a big fan of American comfort food, but this was wonderful and the great, historic ambiance and logging memorabilia didn’t hurt either. It is an absolute must-visit for anyone passing through Eureka. We’ve appreciated our time in the magnificent redwoods so much, but this really brought the history and charm of the area alive for us.