Columbia River Gorge Road Trip
Chloe and the PDX-TV crew
visit the Columbia River Gorge.
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Travel Log for Columbia River Gorge Road Trip
Beautiful scenery, countless recreation opportunities, and fantastic food. All of this can be found in the Columbia River Gorge. We recently took a road trip with Do it NW.com to discover some amazing dining destinations.
First stop, breakfast…we found one of the best spots in the Gorge in Hood River. Bette’s Place opened in 1975, and has been serving happy customers ever since. Bette, the original owner, passed her recipes and her restaurant to Gay, her daughter, who now runs Bette’s. Known for plate-sized cinnamon rolls, and home-made pies and pastries, Bette’s also serves up a well-loved Benedict, and the staff goes out of their way to make families and children feel at home. We even found that Bette’s is a favorite among some members of the local Police force, so you know it must be good!
Video: PDX-TV Reports
In Business for 37 Years | Hot & Delicious Cinnamon Rolls | Meet Bette | Hometown Feel
Made from Scratch | The Whole Family Loves Bette's | Ladies of Bette's Place
We thought that a short, scenic drive would help us burn off breakfast, so armed with a platter of Bette’s delicious pastries, we pointed the PDX TV Reports van Northeast to Goldendale where we found a unique little restaurant/art gallery called The Glass Onion. Owners, Matt and Maren, opened the Glass Onion with two goals in mind, to support and bolster the local art scene, and to serve organic sustainable and locally sourced Northwest Cuisine. The art portion of the Glass Onion changes regularly. Maren features a different artist on the walls every month, and regularly hosts artist receptions in the Summer months. Matt takes care of the cuisine, cultivating close relationships with local farmers and foragers, and putting upscale twists on classic dishes. Micro-greens with wildflowers and salt-cod fritters anyone? The ambience and the food have both won Best of the Gorge Awards, and just visiting the Glass Onion is well worth the beautiful drive!
Video: PDX-TV Reports
In A Beautiful Victorian House | Art Gallery & Beautiful Bistro | Cooking with the Seasons
In the Kitchen with the Chef | Locally Sourced & Sustainable | Restored Victorian Home
Voted Best in the Gorge | Supporting the Local Art Community
After lunch, as full as my photographer and I were, we couldn’t leave the Gorge without finding dinner! Thanks to Do it NW.com, we discovered a restaurant where the food and the view were both breathtaking! 3 Rivers Grill in Hood River offers lunch and dinner with a view of the Columbia River. Built in one of the oldest Victorian Houses in Hood River, 3 Rivers Grill offers the experience of several small dining rooms a large deck and a cozy bar in the back. The owners, Jim and Courtenay, are warm and welcoming and serve up food that is locally sourced and almost too pretty to eat! In particular, it was extremely difficult to put fork to the Ahi Tuna, and the classic Surf n’ Turf. Both art on the plate. Jim is also a local wine aficionado, carrying 90 different varieties, and quick to offer a suggestion on pairing. 3 Rivers Grill is the perfect way to end a day of hiking, biking, wind-surfing, antiquing, or just Sunday driving in the Gorge.
Video: PDX-TV Reports
Antique Home | Beautiful Food & Great View | Fantastic Lunch Items
Food Too Pretty To Eat | Make Your Next Event Special | NW Beer & Wine
What is Northwest Cuisine
Now you’d think, at this point that there’s no way I could eat any more, but you’d besurprised what a short drive can do for the appetite, sometimes you might want a drinkand a light nosh rather than an entire sit-down experience, and Pacific Crest Pub in Cascade Locks offers just that! Famous for pizzas, and house-smoked Salmon, Pacific Crest Pub offers plenty of options to fill you up, but if you just want to kick back with a pint in a historic boarding house, then the owner, Connie can definitely accommodate you. The pub is located in what was once a boarding house for working men building the Bonneville Dam. If you look up at the ceiling, you’ll see several hand-painted ceiling tiles that were done by a famous travelling artist who used to trade his art, for beer. You can also stroll through the Pub, drink in hand and take in the historical photos that line the walls. Pacific Crest Pub is the kind of place where you’ll easily fall into conversation with the regulars and leave a few hours later with a room full of new friends. The Pacific Crest Pub is also located near several hiking trails, including the Pacific Crest Trail, the Pub’s namesake.
Video: PDX-TV Reports
Fantastic Food in a Historic Setting | Mouth Watering Salmon | Delicious Appetizers
Beaver or Ducks Pizza? | Stuffed Portabella Mushroom | They Make their Own Horseradish
A Historic Boarding House
Sometimes we might forget the beautiful destinations right in our own backyard, but the Columbia Gorge is worth discovering again, and when you go, be sure to visit Do it NW.com to find the best locally owned restaurants, because no road trip is complete without great eats!
Chloe Houser
PDX-TV Reports
