Mt Hood Dining
Go for the Grill
Family BBQs in the Villages of Mt Hood
Summer’s the perfect time to get together with your friends and family. Warm weather makes for easy trips to Mt Hood and long hours of fun. When all that play works up your appetite, head to The Villages of Mt. Hood for some great places to fill up on your favorite grilled foods. Many of the fine family restaurants also have barbeque on the menu, the classic summer meal.
Find Your Favorite
The Skyway Restaurant, recently reopened with a new BBQ menu, offers indoor and outdoor seating for up to 300 diners and serves “real” barbeque. Be prepared to dazzle your taste buds with 4th-generation Texas native, Chef Jason Horner’s made from scratch recipes that have been passed down through his family. Chef Horner, converted a 1940’s fridge into a smoker, which he uses for his ribs, pulled pork and many other meats.
The house specialty, pork ribs are not the gooey, saucy kind, but a succulent crispy delicacy marinated in a seasoned rub, then smoked “forever” until the meat falls off the bone. Other menu favorites include the beef brisket, salmon filet or grilled shrimp, all served with your choice of 10 different house-made sauces. All entrees are served with 2 sides, which include “killer” mac and cheese, hand cut fries, cucumber salad plus many more. And the vegetarians even have an option with the honey-marinated BBQ tofu. The Skyway offers live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, plus open mic night on Thursdays and Sundays for all the musical wannabes out there.
A new eatery, the Good Times Saloon, located in the Log Lodge in Rhododendron (formerly Don Guidos), offers a little bit of everything in good family dining in the 1923 Old Log Lounge building, newly redecorated with antiques. The Good Times Saloon welcomes everybody with a smile, whether they come for a cup of morning espresso or a hearty meal of barbeque prime rib and a visit to their bar lounge. Keep an eye out for a big barbeque feed planned for later in the summer.
The Whistle Stop Bar offers barbeque as well as their famous Whistle Burger, and don’t forget their Tuesday Slider Special. The outside BBQs are not scheduled for summer, but just drive by and look for the smoke coming from the back deck; you’ll know it is time to pull in for a great grilled steak.
Want to grill your own steak without the fuss of cooking at home? You can take part in a decades old tradition at the laid-back, open-late The Inn Between in Welches, where the indoor BBQ gives you no excuse if your steak isn’t done just right! And they also have live music on the weekends. Also in Welches, the Territory Restaurant and Lounge has both a pub and a family restaurant where ribs are served all year. Watch for The Territory’s outside summer BBQ on the side deck.
Grill It Fresh
Enjoy a fresh fish BBQ picnic at Rainbow Trout Farm. Sure, you can take your fish home to cook, but why not have an old-fashioned fresh-fish barbecue picnic? Just bring some side dishes and charcoal briquettes, and the Rainbow Trout Farm guarantees you'll land the main course in time for lunch! If you don’t like the idea of cleaning your own fish, they’ll do it for you. And just in case you forget the briquettes, don't worry… you can buy some at the Rainbow Trout Farm.
Easy BBQ for Any Event
If you want to enjoy a big family barbecue or planning a family reunion on the mountain (link to family reunion article#1), but don’t want all the work, call Busy Bee Catering where their motto is “Have grill, will travel.” Busy Bee will grill any meat from thick cut tenderloins to hot dogs to veggie patties as well as fresh veggies at your party or event. You can choose from a vast selection of homemade salads, side dishes and delicious desserts including fresh fruit cobbler, shortcake or ice cream sundae bar to compliment your grilled main course. And the best thing is that Busy Bee provides full service catering, event planning, table and chair rentals, setup, service and clean up so all you have to do is have a good time. Or if you prefer, they will drop off the prepared food at your cabin or picnic site for self-service.
Mt Hood BBQ Picnics
For those families looking for picnic grilling, Wildwood Park has several BBQ grills on the grounds, first come first served. You can also reserve one of the pavilions for your party (see our Lodging article this issue). And if you’re renting one of The Villages’ vacation properties, ask ahead – many have decks and grills ready to use.
If you’re looking for a side dish for a family barbeque, here’s a twist on the classic potato salad recipe:
Asparagus Potato Salad
Ingredients
6 red potatoes, cut into large chunks (leave skin on)
1 large bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 large red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 cup light Miracle Whip
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the potatoes in boiling water until fork tender. Remove from water into a bowl & allow to cool slightly. In the meantime, remove boiling water from heat and add asparagus to water. Chop and mince red pepper, onion and garlic and toss with warm potatoes. Combine the Miracle Whip and blue cheese. Remove asparagus from hot water and mix with potatoes. When potatoes and asparagus are luke warm, blend with the Miracle Whip dressing until well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for a couple of hours before serving.
Skyway Bar and Grill
71545 E Hwy 26
Zigzag, Oregon
503-622-3775
www.skywaybarandgrill.com
Good Times Saloon
73330 E Hwy 26
Rhododendron, Oregon
503-622-1696
Whistle Stop & Bar
66674 E Hwy 26
Welches, Oregon
503-622-3440
The Inn Between
67858 E Hwy 26
Welches, Oregon
503-622-5400
Rainbow Trout Farm
52560 E Sylvan Drive
Sandy, Oregon
503-622-5223
http://www.rainbowtroutfarm.com/
Busy Bee Catering
PO Box 295
Welches, Oregon
503-622-6743
www.busybeecatering.com
May/June 2008
Our stories are written by Andrée Larson. Andrée grew up in the Portland/Vancouver area. She earned an MA in Art History at the University of Oregon, and writes about the history and culture of people and communities. She’s spent time in Europe and on the East Coast, and says the Pacific Northwest is hands down the best place to live. She currently lives in Tacoma with her husband, an artist..