Dining
BEST WESTERN PLUS Hood River Inn
1108 Marina Way, Hood River, OR.
541.386.2200
The BEST WESTERN PLUS Hood River Inn’s unique Columbia River shoreline location is convenient to many nearby attractions and recreational opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood area. Complete with waterfront access and a private beach, the Hood River Inn is an easy one-hour drive from Portland along scenic Interstate-84. Rich with culture, natural splendor and recreation, the area presents something for everyone. Discover what’s special about the Hood River Inn and its surroundings.
Tags: columbia gorge, Dining, gorge, Hood River, hood river bridge, hood river nightlife, Lodging, lounge, ski tickets, Skiing
Clock Tower Ales
311 Union Street, The Dalles, OR.
541.705.3590
Clock Tower Ales specializes in the sale of craft beers, wine and non alcoholic craft soda. We are located in the second historic Wasco County Court House in The Dalles Oregon. With a relaxed and community focused atmosphere we provide beverages and light food to our patrons.
Tags: Bars & Breweries, Dining, gorge, The Dalles
Columbia River Gorge Visitor’s Association
404 W. 2nd Street, The Dalles, OR.
800.98.GORGE
In the Columbia River Gorge we have it all!
Welcome to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a year-round recreational area offering the best of outdoor activities including camping, hiking, biking, golf, whitewater rafting and kayaking, windsurfing and kiteboarding, boating, bird watching, photography, downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing – the list is endless. Indoor options are also readily available with world-class museums, wine tasting, superb dining opportunities, shopping and spa services. There is truly something for everyone in the Columbia River Gorge.
Just taking a drive through the Columbia River Gorge is an experience in itself as you will be in awe of this spectacular geological wonder. The Columbia River is the second largest river in North America, starting in northern Idaho and southeastern British Columbia, and traveling over 1,200 miles to the ocean. Through millenniums of geologic events, waterfalls have found their home in the Columbia River Gorge. A visit to the area is not complete without a visit to the breathtaking waterfalls.
The Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association is a non-profit organization representing various businesses and organizations that provide services and information to visitors throughout the Gorge.
Tags: boating, Camping, cross country skiing, Dining, downhill skiing, Golf, hiking, Kayak, Kiteboarding, Lodging, Museums, Photographers, photography, Shopping, Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, spa, weddings, Wellness, Whitewater, whitewater rafting, Windsurfing, wine tasting
Columbia River Gorge Visitor’s Association
404 W. 2nd Street, The Dalles, OR.
800.98.GORGE
Welcome to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a year-round recreational area offering the best of outdoor activities including camping, hiking, biking, golf, whitewater rafting and kayaking, windsurfing and kiteboarding, boating, bird watching, photography, downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing – the list is endless. Indoor options are also readily available with world-class museums, wine tasting, superb dining opportunities, shopping and spa services. There is truly something for everyone in the Columbia River Gorge.
Just taking a drive through the Columbia River Gorge is an experience in itself as you will be in awe of this spectacular geological wonder. The Columbia River is the second largest river in North America, starting in northern Idaho and southeastern British Columbia, and traveling over 1,200 miles to the ocean. Through millenniums of geologic events, waterfalls have found their home in the Columbia River Gorge. A visit to the area is not complete without a visit to the breathtaking waterfalls.
The Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association is a non-profit organization representing various businesses and organizations that provide services and information to visitors throughout the Gorge.
Tags: biking, Camping, columbia river, columbia river gorge, Dining, Golf, gorge camping, hiking, Kayak, kayak columbia, Museums, Shopping, snowboarding, spa, Wellness, Whitewater, whitewater rafting, wine, wine tasting
Doing it All Again, For the First Time
matt werbach
It’s beginning to look a lot like summer. It didn’t happen overnight this time. The winter, though mild, had its claws in deep, and while spring is finally blooming all around the Columbia Gorge, the Cascade Mountain passes are still getting more than their fair share of snow. For a few long weeks, it seemed as though spring might not make it, and then all at once, the fruit trees bloomed just in time for the annual Blossom Festival, and the green shoots of this year’s leaves are starting to dot the branches of our deciduous neighbors. For some, it couldn’t have happened a second too soon, and for others, there’s an apprehension that comes with spring and summer in this area.
Our local business owners need that influx of spring, summer and early fall tourism more than usual this year. It’s become incredibly repetitive and redundant to say it, but there has been a world-wide economic recession, and when your local economy is so dependent on the presence of visitors from out-of-state or even other countries, it’s no wonder many Columbia Gorge small business owners are anxious and excited for the boon in business that follows the return of abundant sunshine throughout the region. From fishing guides, to winery tasting rooms, to restaurants and our local groceries, there can be no doubt of the imperative role our swelling summer population plays in the continued economic success of the communities that surround the Columbia River.
There’s already a noticeable increase in people, though at this point, many of them are residents who’ve simply come out of hibernation or returned home from warmer winter climates. As I walk the streets, it’s easy to see that there are more smiles, more waves, and with that, hopefully more optimism. They, the visitors, the tourists, the curious, and the adventure seeking, they will come. But May is that precious month that serves as a bridge between the somewhat peaceful and idyllic calm that so many residents embrace, and the adventurous, boisterous summer season that follows.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the last time I tried something new—something “touristy” or “vacationy.” I, like so many of you, live in a place that allows for an endless stream of new adventures, new sports, new restaurants and new art displays. I update the columbiagorge.com events calendar just about every day, and it’s filled with things I have either never tried or have written off as one-time experiences. What better month than May, while the streets and trails are just a bit less crowded, to venture out into the ever increasing sunshine and to explore the Columbia Gorge, my home, as if I’d never been here before.
So you’ve lived here for years, maybe even your whole life, but have you done everything you can to experience the natural playground you have in your own backyard? You’re a windsurfer, kiteboarder and maybe even a stand-up paddler, but have you sailed the river? Maybe you fish, but when was the last time you gave a fly rod a try? Or perhaps you’re a hiker, but have you ever strapped on a pair of trail running shoes with a few days’ supplies and fast-packed your way through the area’s wilderness? I’m sure many of you are nodding your heads, yes, you’ve done all of these things, but I know there’s something out there you haven’t tried, and that very something is what a vacationing guy or gal is going to come here to do. Can you really get bested—get out adventured—in your own backyard?
We’re not all athletes or adventure seekers either, I certainly know that. Maybe you’re a self-proclaimed foodie, a wine aficionado or an art connoisseur. Well, then the Columbia Gorge is your playground too. Have you tried the new varietals at Maryhill or Pheasant Valley? When was the last time you rounded up the family, or perhaps better yet, took your significant other, and headed downtown to your local First Friday Art Walk? And for you foodies, much like the adventure seekers, simply because a few months have passed, I can guarantee that new menu items are featured at a place you haven’t visited in years. I don’t know where, yet, but there’s some new renegade chef who’s taking your old favorite and spinning it in a direction you never thought it would go, and as soon as you or I can find him or her, we’ve got to try it out.
This very spirit—this kind of pioneering attitude—is a huge part of what has made the Columbia Gorge such a success and such a fresh new place, no matter how long you’ve lived or visited here. This May, as temperatures climb and spirits lift, let’s take a few days, a few weekends, and head out into the great-known, to find what we haven’t yet discovered in our neighborhood. Thankfully, we’ll soon be sharing our restaurants and trails with those who play such a huge role in the economic and social livelihood of the Columbia Gorge, but for just a few more weeks, the numbers of residents will far outnumber the visitors. For the next month, I’m going to be a visitor. I’m going to see and experience everything this playground we call the Columbia Gorge has to offer. And when someone approaches me on the street in June or July and asks where to rent the right equipment for this, or to find a guide for that, I’ll know, because I’ll have tried it first hand. Come this summer, I may give a different answer when someone asks me where there’s a good place to grab a bite, or what gallery they’ve got to see before they leave. Let’s all take a little vacation in our own backyards.
Tags: art, columbia gorge events, Dining, Gorge Events, Shopping, wine, Wineries
Kaze Japanese Restaurant
212 4th Street, Hood River, OR.
541.387.0434
Enjoy views of the Columbia River Gorge and downtown Hood River from the dining room or the outdoor deck seating.
Bring your entire family to dine with us and experience the relaxed culture of KAZE!
Tags: Dining, hood river dining, Japanese, restaurant, sake, Sushi
The Man Behind The Magic
by jamie hartford
When Ben Stenn, chef and managing partner at Celilo Restaurant and Bar in Hood River, gets hold of local figs, he’s very careful with them. A prime example of food best eaten where it’s grown, fresh figs are extremely delicate and don’t travel well, he shares. Even refrigerating or moving them too much can affect the fruit’s exterior. So when they arrive at his restaurant during a small two to three week window in midsummer, they lay on a cloth in the kitchen, practically untouched until they are served with just a mild soft-cheese, a salty cured-meat and a bit of oil and balsamic vinegar.
“A fresh fig is soft and supple, sweet and fragrant,” Stenn explains. “It’s a texture experience that has no equivalent. What can you do with that? You slice it and put it on a plate.”
Despite being lauded in The Oregonian in 2008 as “easily the most sophisticated restaurant in town,” Celilo, in Stenn’s mind at least, is built on a philosophy as simple as that fresh fig appetizer.
“We take the best of what comes from this region and just deliver it,” he says…
Tags: best of the gorge, celilo restaurant, chef ben stenn, columbia gorge, Dining, food growers, fresh produce, gorge grown, Hood River, local farmers, organic
