The Windseeker Restaurant

I just began my usual follow-up research for a post and landed on The Windseeker's website. In big bold blue letters in the middle of the page lies the claim that The Windseeker is the only restaurant on the river in The Dalles. Surely this couldn't be right, could it? A decent sized city in Oregon built there solely because of its proximity to the river has only one restaurant actually on the river? Yes, it's true. I would guess that the reason for this lies on the importance of the Columbia River in The Dalles formation. Even this restaurant is nestled in the heart of an industrial area. It seems to be the exception to the rule for waterfront property in The Dalles. Certainly this is somewhat sad, but it really just shows that The Dalles is still a lot about what it started as - a port.

Back to the restaurant experience. Does that make it sound like something special? It shouldn't. It was fine, I guess, but it was yet another case of a restaurant trying to be something it's not. The place is a pub and family dining style restaurant. We all know that 9 times out of 10, when you have this type of combination, the focus is usually on the bar side. The money comes from the alcohol and the lottery, especially in Oregon. The food is often an afterthought. Sometimes it is clear that this is the way the business was formed, with the food being an afterthought. In this case, it seems more like the care for the food waned over the years. The names of the dishes on the menu sound like 4 star entrees, but looking around you, you know they aren't. The food is fine, but remember that you're going to get something that tastes like what the place looks like, not what it sounds like on the menu. A place like this should be focusing on a few good dishes, not a recipe book's worth of options. When the options are too many, you know the skill in preparing the dish is low. I just got a cheeseburger and fries, which should be something a place like this would be good at, but it was nothing special.

The fact that this place is in the middle of an industrial area is well hidden. When you get to the parking lot, you are taken to another place. There's a fountain out front, a small garden and a decent looking restaurant amongst the trees. It gets away from the starkness of the surroundings. Once inside, you're taken back a couple decades in the decor (because of a lack of updating, not intentionally) and the view of the river is pleasant. The service is just fine, especially considering the fact that there was a railroad employee dinner being hosted in the main dining room that took well over half of the space available. There should have been more than two waiters on a night that this was going on, however. It was obvious this was planned ahead of time since there was a buffet line out just for these people.

Overall the restaurant is just fine, but it lacks anything that makes me want to go back. I know there are other interesting restaurants in the area for the next time I'm taking the I-84 drive to or from Idaho. Of course, you end up where you are when you're hungry. I don't know that The Dalles offers anything much better, but I'm sure there's something just waiting to be discovered.

Here are the specifics:

Price: Covered above. $$$ (out of 5)
Cuisine: Family Dining/Pub
Reservations: Probably if you asked, but not required
Pets: No

Parking: Parking lot

Address: 1535 Bargeway Road, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
Nearest town: The Dalles, Oregon (in town, but a couple miles from the core)

Nearest 10,000+ city: The Dalles, Oregon

County: Wasco, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 4 for service, 2 for food, 2 for decor, 5 for view - average 3

More Information: Windseeker Restaurant

My Current Location: Home, Portland, Oregon

The Melting Pot

I haven't posted in over a month. Does this mean I haven't been anywhere in over a month? Actually, pretty much yes. I finally got out of town, in a matter of speaking, last week but will start with my review of the Melting Pot instead. I'll get there.

The Melting Pot sticks in my mind as one of my favorite places to eat in Portland (Oregon, of course! If you want my favorite in Portland, Maine, I'll have to tell you all about the Portland Lobster Company, but it is the only place I've eaten there). This time, we went here for a friend that was moving away. My opinion changed a bit compared to what I remember. This may be due to Tim being there (he has a way of making me question my thoughts on everything, being more critical of my memories). We spent $211.08 before tip. The tip was added at 18% automatically since there were more than 8 of us. My complaints about this practice abound, but I realize it's an industry-wide thing so there isn't much I can say about any one place in particular. I will say, however, that it means the waitstaff gets an 18% tip. I usually tip 20-25%, so they're really just hurting themselves. I never go over the presumptuous 18% and I will complain if the service doesn't deserve it. The staff here, however, has never not deserved it. They are well trained and what you expect from a fine dining establishment. I will also add that we had drinks galore and paid for part of our friend's dinner and the card/balloons (more on this later).

So, two complaints. First, the price. The food really is very good, but it's overpriced. You're buying the experience, but you can get the food at other places for less money. There aren't many fondue restaurants in Portland though. It's something that you don't do often. To give a more realistic view of the price, the decent dinner including dessert is around $100 for two people. If I may make a recommendation, I would suggest that you skip the salad and don't go with the around $100 "Big Night Out". Just get the rest ala carte. If you're going to be eating cheese fondue with bread and vegetables then cooking lobster and several other tasty meats in a well flavored broth (don't get the oil) and then finishing it off with chocolate fondue, why bother with a salad? This isn't what the Melting Pot does, they do fondue. If it doesn't come with something that gets heated in that bowl in the middle of your table, don't do it. This complaint wasn't much of one, was it?

Second complaint. This one will truly be a complaint. My grandfather went here and asked for the card and flowers that they'll have ready for you on the table beforehand for my grandmother. Of course you get charged for this. He wasn't very happy when the card said "from the Melting Pot". When you pay for a greeting card from Hallmark, it doesn't say "from Hallmark" does it? I hope not. My father wanted to do the same for my mom on her birthday, but he was aware of this and asked what the card would say. He was told that this should not have happened to my grandfather and it wouldn't happen to him. Of course since they were called out on it, it didn't happen to him. Go figure, it happened to our friend. Her going away balloons had a card that was signed "from the Melting Pot". This couldn't be more wrong.

Overall, a very good night. I was very happy, but that may have been the 5 or 6 drinks I had. Some places just make them too easy to drink! I'll go back, but it won't be until I want to sacrifice a car payment for one meal.

Here are the specifics:

Price: Covered above. $$$$$ (out of 5)
Cuisine: Fondue/Fine Dining
Reservations: Absolutely required unless you want to eat at 10:45pm
Pets: No

Parking: Street parking or validation for 1/2 of parking garage

Address: SW 6th & Main - Portland, OR 97204 (I can't find an actual address)
Nearest town: Portland, Oregon (Downtown)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Portland, Oregon

County: Multnomah, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 5 for service, 5 for food, 5 for decor, 0 for view - average 4.5

More Information: Melting Pot

My Current Location: Home, Portland, Oregon