Vancouver, WA October 2008

Dining on the Columbia River at Beaches Restaurant & Bar

In October, I visited both Vancouver, B.C. and Vancouver, Wash. over the course of a few days, and I have to say this dinner and view at Beaches Restaurant & Bar on the Columbia River was the perfect way to conclude the last evening of the trip. I learned about this restaurant in my research prior to the trip as well as when talking with locals, who told me about their outstanding food, excellent service and unparalleled community involvement and philanthropic efforts. Needless to say, I didn't hesitate to make it my dinner choice.

In my travels, I have been sampling the local flavor and slowly building a mental list of favorites.

Favorite snacks: Wisconsin cheese curds or Cero's toffee from Wichita, depending on the mood.

Favorite appetizer-that-really-is-a-meal: Fried green tomatoes from Rusty's Riverfront Grill in Vicksburg.

Favorite entree: Tuna tostada at Continental Divide (sorry, no site that I could find, but here's a map) in Charlottesville, which as of this past week, I've had the joy of consuming twice.

At Beaches, I found my current favorites for salad and dessert. The restaurant's house salad consists of mixed greens, jicama, candied cashews, chicken, snow peas, sesame seeds & Asian honey mustard dressing. For dessert, I highly recommend the handcrafted almond roca ice cream. The ice cream is produced in batches specifically for Beaches through a contract with Great Northwest Ice Cream Co. (of course it would be something I can not find anywhere else and can't have shipped). It is served in a delicious almond cookie basket and drizzled with Dilettante chocolate sauce and amaretto.

Beaches' Almond Roca Ice Cream

Shamefully, I admit that dessert and the view along the seawall further north in Vancouver, B.C. were about equal in terms of favorite experiences for that trip. Given the stunning views offered by the seawall trail, that's not a comparison to take lightly. I regret not snapping any still photos during that hike, but I did shoot video there. I'll post a link when it's up!