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When you're prowling the "Oregon Outback, east of the Cascade Mountain Range, you'll see more cowboy hats than you'll see in the entire state of Texas, as this is open-range, hard-core cattle country. It's also home to what I call "Oregon Roadhouses," which usually combine a general store, motel, restaurant, gas pumps, and sometimes a post office; a combo to serve as a all-in-one center for a small community. The small community of Fields as such a gem, which includes a general store, gas, as small motel, and a gem-of-a-restaurant, the Fields Station Café.
Photo: Fields Station is your typical Eastern Oregon "roadhouse," as the "station" combines a general store, gas pumps, restaurant and motel together, and is the only establishment of this kind in the small community of Fields, and for many miles. I was impressed by the gas prices, although on the pricey side, you're not gouged, which is awesome, considering the remote location of Fields Station.
Photo: To enter the restaurant, you walk through the general store. Note the sign, "Café" over the entrance to the restaurant. After enjoying your meal, you pay at the register. Fields Station Café is open every day from 0800 until 1600, and the store, and gas pumps, are open until 1800.
Photo: Here's a view of the restaurant, as you enter from the store. It's mostly counter, with a couple of tables in the background.
Photo: The lunch and dinner menu is simple, and limited, in keeping with the rustic atmosphere of Fields Station.
Photo: Tuesday, June 23, 2015, I stayed at the Fields Station Motel, and enjoyed dinner at the café. My friendly chef and server was Jess, who is at the range, and her charming daughter, Emily, seated next to me, at the counter. Mom and daughter worked together as a team, and Emily actually helped her mom with the restaurant chores. Note the open kitchen, which I love, as when I sit at the counter, I can watch the staff in action and actually make conversation.
Photo: This "counter" is placed on the wall of the restaurant, to give you an idea of what's going on in Fields, Oregon. I suppose after my visit they had to update the burger counter by one. Originally, I'd planned on enjoying one of their "world famous" milkshakes, but after a warm, dusty day on the trail, a beer sounded better.
Photo: My friendly chef/server, Jess, presents my order of a cheeseburger and fries, with a beautiful smile. Such a charming lady, and such a great photo! Although she was busy running the restaurant, Jess took the time to chit-chat with me, and make me feel at home. I love small-town Oregon restaurants!
Photo: Thanks, Jess, for taking my photo, as I pose with my cheeseburger, on top of a mountain of fries. As an aside, as I was waiting for my order, I asked Jess if it would be OK to grab a beer from my motel room, rather than purchasing one from the store, and she said it would be fine, as long as she opened it for me, as per Oregon State law. Such a gracious hostess!
Photo: I ordered a cheeseburger for dinner tonight. You have your choice of potato chips or fries, for me, fries was an easy choice, as I've never met a fry that I didn't love! I ordered my burger medium, and it arrived, cooked to perfection. Note the buttered and toasted bun. Perhaps the cheese could have been a bit "meltier," but who's to complain when you're in southeastern Oregon, and Fields Station Café is the only restaurant for, literally, a hundred miles or so? I love the burger served open-faced, on top of a small mountain of delicious fries. Such a delicious burger!
Photo: Fields Station has a small motel located next to the restaurant, which has a total of THREE rooms, which would make this the smallest motel that I've every stayed in. I stayed in room #1, and spent the evening sitting outside, enjoying atmosphere, the scenery, and the Steens Mountain range in the distance. A few cold beers also helped refresh the evening.
Photo: My motel room was actually two rooms, but since I was by myself, I was only charged $65.00 for the night, as I didn't use the adjoing room, which held two extra beds. Fields Station Motel is as "old school" as it gets; note the 1970's paneling and furniture. No problem for me, as the motel is clean and comfortable, and is definitely a must-stay-at place when you're visiting Fields, Oregon. You're in the "Oregon Outback," so the motel DOES NOT have television, WiFi or telephone, but who cares? When you're enjoying an evening in Fields, who wants to watch television? I was able to get Internet access from the parking lot on my cell phone, albeit it very weak, but not from the motel room. Oh yes, the air conditioner works great. Ditto for the coffee pot. At Fields Station, everybody does everything, so it was interesting to note the next morning, when I checked out, at the general store, one of the store personnel brought cleaning gear to clean my motel.
Photo: Wednesday, June 24, 2015, I checked out of my motel room - gave my keys to little Emily, who was taking care of the register in the general store - and ordered breakfast at the restaurant. The restaurant opens promptly at 0800, and the place was busy, so I didn't request my chef, Jane, for any photos. Hey, I took photos the night before!
Photo: I ordered eggs, toast and hash brown potatoes for breakfast, so Jane grabbed a gigantic slab of hash browns and placed them on the griddle. The breakfast sandwich, and meat, are cooking for other patrons. I arrived shortly after the restaurant opened, and it was packed, on this Wednesday morning, in late June.
Photo: Jane chit-chats from a family who was visiting from Portland, Oregon's largest city, and very far removed from Fields, not only by a 8+ hour drive, but miles of culture. Eastern Oregon is cowboy country, and Portland embraces nearly the same culture as San Francisco, so Portland and Fields are many miles apart.
Photo: My breakfast of two eggs, over easy, hash brown potatoes, sourdough toast, and coffee. The eggs were actually a little on the "hard" side, but no worries, as they were served over a mountain of hash brown potatoes. I believe this has the be the biggest portion of hash browns that I have ever been served, and they were cooked perfectly, and I pigged-out, and ate every one of them! Great breakfast! Fields Station is quite an enjoyable experience, as I enjoyed two delicious meals, filled up my tank at the gas pumps, and enjoyed a relaxing night at the motel. The food was great, the motel was comfortable, and the staff was very friendly, and the view was spectacular. You can't go wrong shopping, pumping gas, relaxing, or enjoying delicious food at Fields Station. Fields Station Copyright(c) 2015 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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