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