Beachfront Bistro — Permanently Closed

16011 Boat Basin Road has housed several restaurants over the years. The most recent, Beachfront Bistro, is officially permanently closed. Confirmed October 18, via a message on the restaurant’s voicemail.

During my interview with Rodney Minnier about O’Holleran’s (in late September), he asked me if Beachfront Bistro was closed. I had no answer. He mentioned that there was signage on the front door of the restaurant sometime around lat August. Therefore, Beachfront Bistro probably closed around August, 2023. Because Hurry In Curry infrequently delivered for Beachfront Bistro, and since I was unable to contact the owner directly, it took a while before I confirmed the closure.

I’m always sad to see restaurants go. Local restaurants are the lifeblood of Hurry In Curry. Plus, I love variety. Also, Brookings/Harbor has limited breakfast locations when compared against lunch and dinner options, so it’s a bummer to lose one.

Beachfront Bistro had awesome breakfasts! I couldn’t get enough of their Southern Stack. Comprised of Chicken Fried Steak atop polenta and biscuits, covered in a delectable housemade sausage gravy. I salute you, Southern Stack. You will be missed!

Beachfront Bistro, owned and operated by George Rhodes, opened in the latter half of 2018. So it ran for the better part of 5 years. In addition to owning Beachfront Bistro, George operated Asana Grille in Harbor and Art Alley Grille in Brookings.

Since I was unable to reach George by phone or direct messages, I do not know the ‘open’ and ‘close’ dates for Asana Grille, nor when Art Alley Grille opened. Hurry In Curry did very few deliveries for either location. I was able to find a message on the old Art Alley Grille facebook page indicating that they decided to close in January, 2019, to focus on Beachfront Bistro.

16011 Boat Basin Road — Sebastian’s

Before I continue, a word of thanks. I interviewed Debbie Epperson via direct messages to gather much of the information presented in this blog post. Huge thanks to you, Debbie, for your patience, prompt & thorough replies, and willingness to share your story!

Ron and Debbie Epperson opened Sebastian’s Seafood Grill, Restaurant and Lounge, on February 1, 2010. Well, technically it was still called Smuggler’s Cove. They didn’t want to upset locals, so they kept that name for a while.

Speaking of Names…

How did Sebastian’s get its name? Debbie says they had a contest on facebook where Brookings residents got to suggest a name. A local threw out Sebastian’s. Ron liked the Disney crab and enjoyed eating crab, so they went with Sebastian’s.

The Epperson’s Story

Sebastian’s wasn’t the Epperson’s first business rodeo. They owned and operated several businesses before and since.

Originally the Epperson’s owned an electrician business back in Visalia, California. Ron was a journeyman electrician. Debbie kept the books. Together, they ran their business for 20 years.

Five years in, they built an all-ages BMX race track called Metro BMX, which they ran for 12 years. At the track, they had a snack bar featuring tri-tip and chicken (both cooked by Ron) along with typical concession stand snacks. They hosted 4 national events with thousands of people staying for 3 full days and nights.

Because Ron enjoyed cooking at the track, and since they both enjoyed crowds, they bought a bar and grill called The Lie n Den. So at one point, they were running all 3 businesses at the same time! Running three businesses in the California heat was exhausting.

Ron’s brothers lived in Roseburg and Ron saw an ad for a restaurant for lease in Brookings, so he jumped at the chance to get away from the heat and move closer to family. The Epperson’s moved to Brookings on January 15th, 2010 and took over the lease at 16011 Boat Basin Road on January 31st, 2010.

New Venture, New Town

The Epperson’s kept the majority of the menu and staff from Smuggler’s Cove intact, with few exceptions. And there were a lot of employees! The Epperson’s knew few people in Brookings, so the staff became their new family.

They hosted a staff-and-family Christmas party in December that first year, and every year thereafter. That’s the kind of people they are. Very kind!

Since Jessica worked at Sebastian’s, I had the honor of attending a couple of those parties and they were lovely. Great food and great people and a whole lot of fun.

The Epperson’s Continued

In January of 2018 the restaurant lease was set to expire. So in September 2017, Ron and Debbie purchased Driftwood RV from the Thompson family. They ran the restaurant and RV park concurrently between September, 2017 and January 31, 2018. When the restaurant lease expired, they ran the RV park full time, during which time they opened a giftshop and a small market on the property.

After 8 years running Sebastian’s, Ron and Debbie were ready to move on. Though they missed seeing the staff ever day, they were happy to be done with restaurants. The restaurant was closed for 7-8 months with no tenants before George Rhodes took over the lease and opened Beachfront Bistro.

The Epperson’s sold the Rv Park and later purchased 16372 Lower Harbor Road in 2021 and dubbed the building Boardwalk Plaza. Debbie opened a giftshop there called Hip-Nautic Gifts. Though they sold the gift shop early in 2023, it still operates today. Their current tenants at the Boardwalk Plaza include Cosmic Grind, La Playa, Billy’s Place, Hip-Nautic Gifts, and the forthcoming Legends Arcade.

Ron and Debbie left their mark on Harbor before deciding to go full circle. They bought a house back in Visalia, where they plan to move and enjoy their retirement together with family.

I enjoyed getting to know them over the years and I applaud their ability to seamlessly transition between businesses and investments. Here’s to their enjoyment of their retirement years. Safe travels and all the best to you, Ron and Debbie!

Smuggler’s Cove

Smuggler’s Cove was a classy establishment owned by Jerry Brown. I wanted to interview him. Sadly, he passed away in 2019. The Curry Coastal Pilot did a short writeup about Jerry on October 2, 2019.

“Gerald N. Brown, 85, passed away on Sept. 2, 2019, after a long battle with cancer.

Gerald (Jerry) was a long time resident of Brookings, along with his wife, Lorraine. Together they operated Smuggler’s Cove, a fine dining restaurant at the Port of Brookings, for 10 years. He loved working with people and gave many their first job. Jerry will be sorely missed.”

Though I never met Jerry, I knew loads of people who worked at Smuggler’s Cove. They all loved Jerry and his laid back, laissez-faire management style. He will indeed be missed by many.

Given the timelines suggested by the Epperson’s and the Pilot, Smuggler’s Cove opened around 1999, right around the time I moved away for college. I remember coming home to Brookings and eating out at Smuggler’s Cove. They had amazing Oysters Rockefeller. Best oysters I ever had, hands down. This was the original ending of my blogpost…

Pre-Smug’s Era

I was ready to press the “publish” button and call it a day. I was didappointed, because I wasn’t able to research my way back to the start. Luckily, Debbie rules and she gave me the phone number for Dave Snazuk (former co-owner of the Best Western and 16011 Boat Basin Road building). As a lark, I shot Dave one more ring and he answered, right at the buzzer. Victory! I just got off the phone with him and he helped me draw up a timeline that originates in 1992.

Dave and his brother Bob owned the Best Western (currently the Beachfront Inn) in ’92. In ’93 they built a restaurant and giftshop at 16011 Boat Basin Road so their hotel guests could walk across the street for a meal anytime.

Dave and Bob began leasing the restaurant in ’93. Their first tenants were a couple who owned restaurants in Boise and Medford. The Sandpiper only lasted a month or two before the Snazuk’s had to break the lease due to the restaurant losing a lot of money, rather than earning.

Next up was Starboard Tack, owned by Eileen and Bob Righetti. Dave says there may have been one restaurant after Starboard Tack, and before Smuggler’s Cove. Assuming there wasn’t, it seems that the Righetti’s ran their restaurant for about 5-6 years (’93-’99).

And with that, we’ve bridged the Beachfront Bistro with the Sandpiper, snug and tidy like a couple of bookends. The complete history of 16011 Boat Basin Rd. is complete.

Thanks for reading!!!

If you read the Hurry In Curry Blog, you rule! Thank you for helping to support our small business. Our delivery service remains strong after all this time because of people like you. We appreciate you!

Gabriel Chatman
Owner/Operator
Hurry In Curry Deliveries