A Spot That Should Be Hot

Another  pithy posting from http://www.travelthegorge.com/

The Windseeker Restaurant down by the port in The Dalles, Oregon is a too-often-overlooked treasure.  A new chef has come on board recently and we expect good things.  However, what is already noteworthy is the location, the view, the outdoor seating, the ample free parking, and the restaurant's proximity to The Dalles' Riverfront Trail.  Prices for local wines aren't bad either!

On a recent sunny afternoon in the Gorge - yes, sun in winter - the Team and a friend or two took a Saturday walk along the mostly-level  Riverfront Trail. Starting in the SE corner of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center parking lot (leave one car at the Windseeker if you only want to walk one way), the River Walk takes you along not quite 4 miles of the Columbia River, through Taylor Lake Park, along the back of the Google Campus, to the patio at the Windseeker Restaurant.  You share this gentle walk with river birds,  a few power walkers and polite cyclists, and a whole lot of pretty. 

Our destination was an excellent bottle of Cathedral Ridge Chardonnay and assorted appetizers on the Windseeker's garden patio.  The owners have taken great care with their garden of indigenous flowering trees and perennials, rose bushes, Dutch bulbs and water elements.  The fenced patio offers ironwork tables and springy ironwork arm chairs.  The elements are hard on them, but they are comfortable and kept as clean as being outdoors permits. 

The best thing about the Windseeker is just being there - at the edge of the river, looking over at low basalt cliffs and greening hills.  Amtrak's Empire Builder follows the north side of the river, and the occasional freight train moves across the view.  Seagulls announce the arrival of a loaded barge headed downriver and pleasure boats move languidly out of the way.  There is seldom much wind in this protected location and the sun warms your shoulders much more often than west-of-the-Cascades dwellers would believe.

The TTG Team strongly recommends this experience - and a groundswell of local support to make this a really hopping spot.  You'll thank yourself!  For a complete listing of casual dining in The Gorge, go to http://www.travelthegorge.com/casual.asp.