Winter is here and to mark the day it's a snowflake in a cup! KickStand Coffee & Kitchen

​Local Rhoots Is hosting their annual Holiday Open House, Saturday, December 3 11-3. They will be filled to the brim with yummy treats, fun holiday items to buy for friends and family, as well as raffle prize!



Grasslands Barbecue Tomorrow at 10am starts taking pre-orders for whole briskets and smoked hams for all your holiday feasts! Order www.grasslandsbarbecue.com And while you are at it, they are open for breakfast this Saturday at the waterfront.

Love & Hominy Tacos will have n/a apple cider and mulled wine to warm you up for Friday night holiday tree lighting!
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Dani's Kitchen Shop holiday pop up cookie days are here! Every Friday December 2, 9, 16 and 23rd starting at 10. Pick up your holiday favorites. Daniskitchenshop.com

​FishPeople and Local Chefs Team up for Gumbo Night
Hood River’s Fishpeople store, along with local chefs Kathy Watson and Krystyna Livingston will serve a Louisiana feast on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. indoors at The Ruins. The Ben Bonham Trio will play, and Fishpeople will draw for give-aways. Buy your tickets right here: https://www.tickettomato.com/event/7861.

#Black Friday is in full swing and many of our local restaurants have some deals on gift certificates.  A gift card to a local eatery always makes the perfect stocking stuffer! Check out your favorite spot for deals! A few here:
Solstice pizza now has digital gift cards available:https://www.toasttab.com/solstice-wood-fire-cafe/giftcards?utmCampaign=onlineOrdering⁣
⁣6th Street Bistro has a offer through the weekend that includes a free logo mug and bonus $ but hurry ends 11/27.
Ferment Brewing is also offering bonus $ and specials on gift certificate buys through this weekend.
Hood River Farmers Market will return to the waterfront 12/3 and 12/17! Shop 10am - noon at Ferment Brewing (403 Portway Ave).
North Shore Cafe in White Salmon is reopening Monday, 11/28
Thunder Island Brewing and and many of our local restaurants have Winter hours so please check ahead.
Jacob Williams Winery has a weekend doorbuster on their popular Sadie Red complete with a corkscrew and wrapping!
The Pines Winery has case buys and bottle discounts and specials all weekend long!
Small Business Saturday Saturday! Show Your Support For Your Community By Shopping Small At Your Favorite Local Businesses. A Lot happening right now, so please message me if I missed you.  TheRealHREats@gmail.com

Happy Veterans Day! 
 
Dine Out for Fish Food Bank happened tonight, Thursday!  A huge group of our local restaurant, coffee shops and food trucks are supporting fish with 15% of all sales that will be donated to FISH to help food insecurity in the community. Thank you for your support!


​Gorge Grown Food Network has their second annual wine auction ready to go online to support their non-profit mission. Bid on some great local wine from some your favorite wine makers in our area for the holiday season. https://www.auctria.com/auction/GGFNwine2022
Bidding closes on Tuesday, November 15th at 8:00pm.
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Fish People Hood River is offering a thank our Vets and their families this weekend, From Friday thru Sunday Vets or family members of Veterans can enjoy 𝟏𝟎% 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞.

 
Fall/Winter Cocktail menus are at all your favorite spots!
Kickstand Coffee and Kitchens says…. think blood orange, pear, pomegranate & cinnamon
 
Phelps Creek Vineyard is now serving lunch at the new tasting room (301 Country Club Road) Sun thru Thursday starting at 11 a.m. Beef Bourguignon anyone?
 
PFreim says Wednesday night comfort food is back! Serving the popular chicken and waffles starting at 4:30 P.M.
 
White Salmon Baking Company has posted their Thanksgiving menu on their website.

Edeske Patisserie is offering additional desserts now available for pre-order for Thanksgiving!
The Orange - Pumpkin Entremet Cake sounds like a winner.

Pine Street Bakery has some delicious gluten-free options for your Thanksgiving menu.

Gorge Provisions is making some standout Thanksgiving charcuterie boards.
Ordering is open for your holiday gathering.  www.gorgeprovisions.com
 
Hood River Organic Persimmons and chanterelles are in season
 
Working Hands Brewery wants to let the community know they have space available for private events. Contact Info@workinghandsbeer.com

Mt. View Orchards posted this seasonal sandwich that I can't help but share.  Enjoy!
Easy pear sandwich. Ingredients
8 slices bread (or Homemade Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, Artisan Bread or Dutch Oven Bread)
1/2 cup (or more) cream cheese or homemade labneh
2 ripe @mtvieworchards pears
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans toasted
1 cup alfalfa sprouts or other microgreens

 

A taste of Puerto Rico is only a short drive away this time as Halley Morera has been offering authentic cuisine from the Caribbean island since early this year out of a food truck in Bingen. 
The business is the culmination of Morera’s passion for cooking, pride in her heritage, and love for her family.
If the intense savory and spicy flavors emanating from the truck didn’t give away her pride in her Puerto Rican background, the business’ name surely would. Boricua en la Luna, literally “Puerto Rican on the Moon,” is an ode to a popular anthem on the island of the same name, and an expression of her joy in sharing her culture.
Morera was born in San Juan, and grew up south of the island capital in Caguas. Since she was a little kid Morera had found joy in helping her grandmother in the kitchen and exploring different flavors. “Since I was little, I loved really strong flavors,” She said. “I’m like a little four year old eating blue cheese with my grandpa … all the things you think a four-year-old wouldn't eat.”
She started really experimenting in the kitchen as a teen, a hobby which grew into a passion. 
She moved to the Gorge 10 years ago, and in the back of her mind, she was staking out ideas for a restaurant in the area. So finding the food truck was a serendipitous moment for her.
In January, the owners of the Huck Truck, Erik and Jessie Stenberg, beloved in the community for more than five years, put their food truck up for sale. When Morera saw the listing on Facebook, something about it spoke to her, so she shared it to her personal page.
“People just started going crazy, and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, this is for you. This is it,’” she recalls.
That instant decided her fate. Before she knew it, she was filing paperwork for a business permit, putting up the money for the truck, and preparing a menu —  which she said could not be done without the support from her family, including father José, who she says has been a helpful business partner.
For instance, when preparing the menu Morera admits she was being a bit too modest, starting off with simple dishes that she knew could please customers, such as the pollo a la plancha — marinated chicken breast, grilled and served with rice and beans.
“I think I’ve always been very hard on myself, but I feel like we are our own worst critic,” she said.
Her father, who resides in Puerto Rico, started to push her outside of her comfort zone, inspiring her to start making skirt steak, churrasco, and Chicharrones De Pollo, fried chicken, which she says are now best sellers at the truck.
She says each day is beyond busy for her, from prepping and cooking for her walk-up business to creating dishes for the catering side of the business, so she is glad to have the help of her mother, Kara, and sister Isabella. Her 8-year-old son, Sebastian, also helps out bringing drinks to customers from time to time.
“I’m very thankful to have family and just a lot of support, because I don’t know that I would be able to do it all on my own,” she said.
In the future she hopes to expand her business, but for now she is focused on creating great food.
“It’s been incredibly hard, but it’s been super rewarding,” she said.
Boricua en la Luna is located at 415 W Steuben St., in Bingen. They are open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, and are now accepting catering and delivery orders.