Buffalo chicken is one of two salad options at Beckie’s Cafe in Prospect. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
The melt pasta at Beckie’s Cafe is one of several sandwich options. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
Chicken soup features handmade noodles at Beckie’s Cafe in Prospect. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
Boysenberry pie is one of a half-dozen fruit recipes at Beckie Cafe in Prospect. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
The coconut is one of several cream pies at Beckie’s Cafe in Prospect. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
The pie melt at Beckie’s Cafe comes with fries. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
Buffalo chicken is one of two salad options at Beckie’s Cafe in Prospect. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
Onion rings are beer battered at Beckie’s Cafe in Prospect. [Sarah Lemon / Mail Tribune]
A nostalgic setting, the honest cuisine stands firm under new corporate owners
Beckie’s Cafe’s nostalgic aesthetic and honest menu belie its ownership by an institutional foodservice conglomerate.
Not much has changed at the quaint roadside restaurant since it came under Aramark control last fall. The new managers, it seems, are getting assurances to stay the course at the 96-year-old establishment that operates under the Union Creek Resort umbrella. Aramark Destinations is also the master concessionaire for nearby Crater Lake National Park, as well as the Chateau at Oregon Caves.
Always a useful stop for national park visitors, Beckie’s also appeals to travelers heading to Central Oregon or points beyond, not to mention Jackson County residents planning day trips for more than ‘a dozen types of homemade cake.
Embarking later in the day than planned for a recent trip to Redmond, my family’s vehicle pulled up to Union Creek around noon. I packed a picnic on the off chance that Beckie’s, the only restaurant for miles in any direction, was full. At previous ventures, we had waited about 30 minutes for a table inside Beckie’s and also waited our time there for takeout during the COVID restrictions on restaurants.
The midday forces had this time lined up. We were immediately shown to a table and then watched as the parties behind us filled the rest of the restaurant, culminating in a waiting list in the space of 15 minutes.
We didn’t think too much about what to order. Dismissing the kids’ menu, my 9-year-old son predictably ordered a cake melt with fries ($15) and his 7-year-old brother declared he’d have chicken wings ($14) and a coleslaw. the house ($7). We managed to convince him of the two-in-one appeal of the Buffalo Chicken Salad: the same dressing as the wings but without the bones. And for $15, it knocked a portion off our total bill.
He agreed to split the salad with my partner, who along with me wanted onion rings ($12). Beckie’s are battered in house beer and served with ranch for dipping. We also wanted to try Beckie’s homemade soup. From peas with bacon or chicken with homemade noodles, I chose the latter, but my partner and I probably could have polished off a bowl ($9) of each.
We purposely ordered on the light side to save space for the cake. Of Beckie’s mainstays, there were half a dozen fruit pies: “very berry,” blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry, cherry, and apple, along with pecan, coconut cream, and peanut butter.
Historically, Beckie’s Famous Blueberry Pie isn’t baked until Labor Day. But restaurant staff, according to one server, have reason under their new owners to speculate about the origin of their blueberries.
The key ingredient of this regional and hyper-seasonal delicacy has traditionally been provided by the locals who collect the berries from the native bushes that grow wild in the area’s forest. It is now unclear whether the corporation known for its global supply chain will buy from small independent suppliers. To find out, we might go back this fall, although the price of $9 per cranberry slice ($50 for a whole pie) coupled with the cost of gas makes it an expensive outing.
For now, we made do with a slice of boysenberry (more tart and less common in Oregon than the blackberry) and coconut cream, packaged to go. The latter was a higher end and impressive for the $7 price tag.
Also adequately, if not generously portioned, our lunches were hot, fresh and satisfying after our hour on the road. The mixed greens salad topped with pre-soaked chicken in a light dressing came with blue cheese crumbles on the side, as requested, and no red onion.
Beckie’s other salad is “Cecil’s Chef,” a classic version for $14. The dish remembers the widow of Beckie’s founder Ed Becklehymer. After his death, Cecil continued to run the business until the late 1960s.
As a synthesis of ancient cuisine, the chicken soup was filled with thick, chewy, handmade noodles. Paired with generous chunks of chicken, the bowl was more like some versions of chicken and dumplings. “Now that’s what I call good,” my youngest son proclaimed, taking a bite.
Also an excellent example of its genre, the pasta de melt married the perfectly grilled rye bread and the well-melted swiss that amalgamated the beef pasta and grilled onions. Commenting that the onions were more numerous than he wanted, my son otherwise enjoyed the juicy and meaty pile.
Beckie’s other sandwiches include Grilled Ham and Swiss, Crater Lake Club and Fried Chicken. Featuring a half-pound of beef or a Beyond Meat patty, burgers range from $15 for the basic “Wood Chuck” to $18 for the “Abbott Creek” with blue cheese crumbles, bacon and Swiss or “Fire on the Mountain” featuring onion rings, pepper. jack, jalapeños and smoked chipotle mayo.
After trying Beckie’s beer-battered onion rings, next time I’d like the fries ($16), also beer-battered. Speaking of beer, Beckie’s taps pour Ashland’s Caldera Amber, Bend’s Boneyard IPA and Eugene’s Ninkasi Pilsner, priced at $7 a pint. Other Oregon beers, cider and seltzer are available by the can ($7 each).
Beckie’s also serves a small four-item breakfast menu, including eggs, potatoes, pancakes, breakfast meat and biscuits and gravy, from $11 to $14.
Located at 56484 Highway 62, Prospect, Beckie’s Cafe is open 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday. Breakfast is served until 11 am. See unioncreekoregon.com/dining/beckies-cafe/
Contact Features Editor Sarah Lemon at 541-776-4494 or slemon@rosebudmedia.com
