Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RV campers who want to lock in a spot at a park with amenities may want to head across the Hood River Bridge, where on the Washington side
there lies a very convenient spot named the
Bridge RV Park and Campground
(652714 SR 14, 509/493-1111,
www.bridgerv.com
)
.
Food
CAFÉS AND BAKERIES
A reimagining of the classic diner, coffee-shop-style,
Ground Espresso Bar and Cafe
(12 Oak St., 541/386-4442,
http://groundhoodriver.com
,
6 A.M.-4 P.M. daily) is bedecked in decor featuring midcentury touches like plastic bucket seats, hula girl wall hangings, and an orange and
brown motif. In addition to the lattes and cappuccinos, you can get yourself a beer or wine and the food presents a tasty mix of fresh pastries and
breakfast sandwiches, paninis, salads, and smoothies.
PUB GRUB
It's a raucous scene inside
Brian's Pourhouse's
(606 Oak St., 541/387-4344,
www.brianspourhouse.com
, 5 A.M.-11 P.M. daily, main courses
$15-22) little white clapboard house, fitting for one of Hood River's few late-night dining establishments. Its seasonal menu is built around bold
flavors, with a handful of salads and small plates complementing stick-to-your-rib entrées like hanger steak and grilled lamb sirloin. Brian's also
offers several pub favorites like burgers, pizza, and its house-specialty fish tacos.
With a similarly effervescent atmosphere,
Double Mountain Brewery Taproom
(8 4th St., 541/387-0042, 4-11 P.M. Tues.-Thurs., 11:30
A.M.-11 P.M. Fri.-Mon.) lays out a varied menu but the real attraction is its brick-oven pizza. Baked up fast in a super-hot oven, this is East
Coast-style pizza with nice bits of char on the crust and plenty of gooey cheese. Pizza snobs, I dare you to turn your nose up at this pick—it's
good enough to compete with arguably the best microbrew selection created in the Hood.
Hands-down, though,
Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub
(506 Columbia St., 541/386-2247, 11:30 A.M.-10 P.M. daily) offers the best overall
menu and the nicest atmosphere for families—particularly during the lunch hours. Try the special Full Sail Burger with smoked gouda and cara-
melized onions or go with a healthier but quite delicious turkey and brie. And don't forget dessert—several unique sweets feature Full Sail beer
as ingredients, including the unique Session Black Float with ice cream dolloped into a glass of black lager.
CONTEMPORARY NORTHWEST
A high-class restaurant that could easily compete with the best Seattle or Portland has to offer,
Celilo Restaurant and Bar
(16 Oak St., 541/
386-5710,
www.celilorestaurant.com
,
11:30 A.M.-3 P.M. and 5-9 P.M. Mon.-Sat., 9 A.M.-3 P.M. and 5-9 P.M. Sun., $14-24) creates a warm
and classy atmosphere with a dining room done up in honey-colored maplewood and earth-tone fabrics, low lighting, and an attentive staff at your
call to serve amid it all. The food is the real show-stopper. A daring mix of seasonal fare creatively presented, Celilo's rotating menu fixates on
the fruit and veggies grown in Hood Valley, paired with the chef's delicate sauces and seasonings. Menu picks featuring the hanger steak are a
dependable choice here.
Nibblers will delight at the small plate selection at
Nora's Table
(110 5th St., 541/387-4000,
www.norastable.com
,
5-9 P.M. Tues.-Thurs,
5-10 P.M. Fri.-Sat.), a laid-back but gourmand café that speaks the language of local—ingredients are freshly plucked from the proverbial back
door. Just about everything is house-made, even the pickles, the ketchup, and the beer crackers. If the scallops are on the menu, drop all competing
plans and order them. Plump and crispy on the outside with the melt-in-your-mouth middles, these are the shellfish of your daydreams.
You'll have quite a decision to make at
The Sixth Street Bistro and Loft
(6th St. and Cascade Ave., 541/386-5737, 11:30 A.M.-9:30 P.M.
Sun.-Thurs., 11:30 A.M.-10 P.M. Fri.-Sat., $8-16), which plates up plenty of epicurean choices but also grills up the best burger in town. Wheth-
er you choose the Damn Good Cheeseburger or a colorful salad, you'll be able to enjoy it on the nicest patio on town, which sits on a quiet
downtown side street and is strung with pretty white lights that twinkle in the evening hours.
DESSERT
Pinched into an adorable postage-stamp-sized green cottage,
Mike's Ice Cream
(504 Oak St., 541/386-6260) scoops out luscious house-made
cones and cups. In-season huckleberry shakes are enough to make you moan and the chocolate-chunked Galaxy really is out of this world. Enjoy
it in the yard next to the cottage or scurry across the street to the hillside library lawn to watch downtown passersby and get some peek-a-boo
glimpses of the Gorge.
MARKETS
If you're planning on picking up treats along the Fruit Loop drive, wait to completely stock up before you've had a chance to try some samples at
Packer Orchards and Bakery
(3900 SR 35, 541/234-4481,
http://packerorchardsandbakery.com
, 10 A.M.-6 P.M. daily). There are no gimmicky
sights here, just the best darned jams, fruit butters, and pastries in the entire valley. Outside the shop you'll also be able to pick from bins over-
flowing with a wide selection of fresh fruits and veggies.
Don't just stop at the
Gorge White House
for the wine—a little out-building beside the house also delights with a unique smattering of fruits
and prettily bottled house-made sauces. The coffee-merlot chocolate sauce tastes great with those apples you picked up on the Fruit Loop and the
pear walnut sauce tosses well in any fruit or spinach salad.
