Good River is Good Food

When a Team member needs you, you drop everything and go.  So Sunday, when our Team member in The Dalles called to say she needed us to help her celebrate a friend's birthday, we gathered ourselves together and sped to her assistance.  We are nothing if not self-sacrificing.

Mosier is the perfect setting for the Good River Restaurant.  The natural wood structure sits on a small rise just off the main road through town, surrounded by a naturalized garden, big trees and shaded patios.  The restaurant isn't big, seating maybe 25-30 people in a sunny room with large windows and hardwood floors.  A full-service bar occupies one corner of the room providing intimacy to its customers without impacting the experience of the dining guests.   Then there's the food...

Every group has one.  You know, Mr. Excitement - the guy who always orders the same thing?  Here, it's the Mosier Pizza.  Pears, bacon and bleu cheese with tomato sauce and a crisp, crisp crust.  We tease him for it, but everyone has a bite and we strongly recommend it.  Then there's the fries.  Hand cut and cooked just right.  A large order comes with their battered fish (Haddock).  While the fish is good, we do think the serving could be larger, but we have yet to leave hungry so we forgive them.

Sunday Brunch sounds a bit daunting, but their Sunday Brunch menu is acutally a combination of choices from breakfast and lunch, so you can have as large or small a meal as you like.  And since the words "Sunday Brunch" and "champagne" are almost synonymous, there are good champagne options.  We had (several) Mimosas.  We especially enjoyed their Spinach and Mushroom omelette with a slightly spicy chipotle hollandaise sauce. Just enough egg to wrap up the goodies, tender and flavoful.  The Heuvos Rancheros is hearty and robust with enough guacamole to keep it moist. 

In an effort to say something less flattering to keep things authentic, we would suggest that the server remove used utensils and replace them with new ones for the different courses.  Currently guests are asked to "hold onto" their dirty silverware which they then have to set on the bare tabletop.  The restaurant certainly seems successful enough to afford sufficient flatware to save their guests this rather embarrassing and uncomfortable process.

All-in-all, what more could you ask for?  A good river, a good restaurant, good friends and a good day!!

For more great dining options in the Columbia Gorge see www.TravelTheGorge.com/where_to_eat.asp