Some additional New Year Tidbits came in late, so I wanted to be sure to share what I know.
Enjoy the New Year!
Hennis Kitchen and Bar has a New Year’s Eve Menu posted including a special Prix Fixe menu or regular dinner menu. Reservations are filling up with opening at 4:30pm.
EvokeWinery  Is offering a New Year's Eve pop-up event. Stop by the tasting room between 12pm and 5pm for mimosa flights and crepes from our friends at Columbia Gorge Crepes
Grace Su's China Gorge Restaurant Will be open this weekend on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!
Baseline Biscuits is OPEN regular hours7am - 12 pm Thursday - Monday. CLOSED Tuesday
& Wednesday
Full Sail brewery is open all weekend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day including Monday 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM. They have new Winter beers on tap.
Bette's Place Restaurant will be open New Year's Eve Day and New Year's Day.
Apple Valley BBQ is open special hours New Year's Eve 11-3pm and New Year's day regular hours.
pFriem Family Brewers is closed for renovations. Reopening January 14th

Are you missing on the list? DM weekly by Tuesday #hoodrivereats your specials, changes, and cool happenings so it can be included. Help us help you! [email protected]

12/29/22
 
thepinesvineyard.com rescheduled date for crepes and wine is Friday, December 30th from 4pm to 8pm with columbiagorgecrepes The Holiday Pop Up will be serving 3 choices of crepes paired with The Pines wine.
 
Everybodysbrewing is planning their annual New Year's Day Brunch! Menu will be served exclusively until 3pm on Sunday 1/1. All items available until sold out!
 
The new socawineshop.com in White Salmon is open Thursday-Saturday this week noon-8pm so you can stock up for NYE.
 
pacostacos.com is offering a special price on orders of 10 or more tacos for your New Year’s gatherings. email [email protected] Parkdale or Hood River. 541-490-3774
 
mounthoodbbq.com New sausage that is certain to satisfy the Buffalo Chicken wings fan. Fully cooked and ready to dip for your New Year’s party. Call or text Chris Bosse 651-325-1096
 
localrhoots.com is offering special discount on their food service. Order via link. 20% discount at checkout, no code needed. A few highlights of next week’s menu: Apple & Sage Roasted Pork Loin with Roasted Winter Squash & Smashed Parmesan Brussels or Dijon & Wine Chicken (or tofu) over Polenta Cakes #mealservice
 
Unfortunately, several businesses suffered frozen pipes and or water damage during the Christmas freeze.  Let’s visit them when we can to help get them back on track for 2023.  phoriver in Hood River(TBD) pelintipizza.com open and neighbor lilosBBQ will open 1/2. In White Salmon HennisBar.com and pixantacos, both are back open.

Are you missing on the list? DM weekly hoodrivereats your specials, changes, and cool happenings so you can be included. Help us help you! [email protected]
#Hoodrivereats

Christmas day is almost here!
Votum Restaurant is nearly open at 210 2nd Street in Hood River. We are hearing January! Until then you can enjoy a special holiday delivery for Christmas including fresh seafood and specialty wines from their wine shop. Oysters anyone?
The Pines 1852 is serving up crepes and wine this Friday, December 23rd from 4pm to 8pm with Columbia Gorge Crepes. The Holiday Pop Up will be serving 3 choices of crepes paired with The Pines wine.
Fishpeople Seafood Market at Hood River has fresh crab in for the holidays! No calls in. First come, first serve!
East Fork Baking Co. wants to remind us cakes make great gifts too! You should see these beautiful cakes!
Dani's Kitchen Shop has one last Christmas pop up cookie even Friday from 10am - 2pm.
Remedy Juice-Cafe is not offering gift certificate cards for last minute stocking stuffers!
Tierra de Lobos Winery in The Dalles is offering a blizzard special with 20% off all wines! Their hours are 3pm to 7m if the ice storm will hold out.
Christmas dinner is being served at Riverside if you decide to enjoy dinner out.
Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa is serving a three course Christmas dinner. Hurry, only a few reservations remain.

We have some closures due to the holiday and some due to icy, cold weather, so be sure to check before heading out. Stay safe everyone!
Pour Girls Espresso & Eats is closed for the holiday, reopening Jan 2.
Mount Hood BBQ will be closed until Jan 5, although it sounds like a sneak New Year's weekend opening will happen, including - Pizza! They make, you bake.
Good Medicine Tea is closed until December 30. They are offering 10% off your order that will be filled when they return with the mention of FAMILYTIME.
Wicked Sushi, Burgers, Bowls will be closed the holiday weekend, reopening on Wednesday, Dec 28.
Full Sail Brewing Company will be closed December 24-29.

Trout Lake Hall, Working Hands Beer, and Gorges Beer Co. are all working on New Year's entertainment! There is much more going on, so check out your favorites or try something new! We will post updates next week, and be sure to tag #hoodrivereats with your dining adventures.

The holiday is just a week away. Remember to show your community some love by supporting local. Shopping, dining and enjoying your town adds to a healthy, vibrant and welcoming community where we all want to live. Fun fact: 68 cents of every dollar you spend in your community at a local business stays in the local economy. #shoplocal #dinelocal

Hood River Eats focuses on great food and drink in Hood River and our neighboring dining communities. The Gorge has many talented chefs and entrepreneurs who create a range of food, drink and dining offerings as unique as our region. We invite our food + drink businesses to share their unique offerings and promote them with us. www.HoodRiverEats.com. Email: [email protected]
 
Greetings, Columbia River Gorge. Good, local food has always been something I have enjoyed and the food we have in The Gorge is especially appreciated. We have an abundance of items grown right here. I have been told there are more than 150 varieties of apples, pears, cherries and stone fruit available. The apples available right now, including some I picked up from one of our local orchards, are amazing and ready for a holiday recipe.
 
“Savor the Gorge,” a publication we did during our Hood River News days, is no longer around but I find similarities in Hood River Eats. I welcome the idea of an online venue centered around food and drink in the Gorge, and celebrating those that grow and produce in our area.
 
The ways in which our local restaurants create menus that cater to seasonal offerings in the Gorge is a unique gift that residents of small towns seldom have. We get many people from elsewhere coming to our communities to visit and dine at our restaurants, and I believe our fresh, local food and impressive culinary scene is one of the reasons why.
 
Hood River Eats will continue to focus on food and drink in Hood River, but we will also include our neighboring dining communities as well. By adding the greater Gorge area to our mix, we will be able to highlight culinary happenings in our neighboring communities as well as those in Hood River.
 
The name Hood River Eats will remain the same. Founder Melissa Haskin started a great service helping local restaurants to get information and updates out to the community during the Covid pandemic. It gained momentum and has a strong following. Melissa made Hood River Eats what is today, and I am appreciative of her great work. I only regret that we never had the opportunity to work side by side, as she has moved out of the area.
 
The website, blog, and social media will continue with weekly posts and updates. We have the ability to pull from our weekly newspaper, Columbia Gorge News, to add a variety of features and news on our local food and drink businesses. I believe the Columbia Gorge News and Hood River Eats will complement one another nicely. This partnership will expand the audience on both sides and reach new readers and followers. Our quarterly publication, The Gorge Magazine, will offer an additional marketing opportunity. We will cross-market when possible across the newspaper, magazine, website and social media, so each has maximum reach and visibility.
 
In the coming weeks you’ll see some changes to the Hood River Eats website, including the ability to offer advertising opportunities. If you’re interested in advertising, please reach out.
 
We will include stories by our writers from the Columbia Gorge News, but also contributors from the community who have an interest in what we’re doing. We believe this diversity and range of voices will offer variety for our audience.
 
If you have questions, comments or suggestions for food-related coverage on Hood River Eats, please email: [email protected] or reach out to publisher, Chelsea Marr, 541-386-1234 Ext. 100.
 
 
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Summer might be over, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait a whole year for good barbeque. Apple Valley BBQ, nestled in the heart of Parkdale, Ore., is a tasty “Northwest style” BBQ spot with a quaint atmosphere and a flavorful menu. They boast well-rounded BBQ options, including Gorge-specific twists on traditional dishes. Chef/Owner Justin White, who started the restaurant in 2011, has introduced local fruits like pears and apples to his recipes, giving his establishment a unique leg up. In addition to receiving most produce fresh from Tumbleweed Farms in the Upper Valley, Apple Valley BBQ uses cherry wood from local apple orchards to smoke their meats. This creates a special, sweet flavor that can only be attributed to the Gorge.
 
As with most restaurants post-COVID, Apple Valley BBQ states on their website that due to limited staff, they are open until they run out of food. Luckily, this didn’t cause any issues during my dining experience. I opted for the BBQ dinner plate: Smoked pulled pork, ¼ rack of ribs, and two sides. The ribs were cooked perfectly, though they did leave me wanting more meat on the bone, and the pulled pork was smokey and savory any way I tried it – in a quesadilla, on mac and cheese, or à la carte. As for my sides, the garlic mashed potatoes were my absolute favorite! They were creamy and buttery with the perfect amount of garlic. Of course I also had to try the classic cornbread for my other side, which did not disappoint, and the apple cobbler hard cider they offered was so delicious.
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Apple Valley BBQ makes their own signature BBQ sauces, one “spicy” and one “sweet.” Both tasted rather tangy and sweet, adding lots of flavor to my ribs and pork without too much spice. These signatures sauces, as well as their custom dry rub, are all available for purchase. The most unique thing about this place, though, has to be their special sides, cider baked beans and pear coleslaw. With a distinct flavor at first bite, the baked beans were reminiscent of classic sweet baked beans. The pear coleslaw was my favorite of the two, a traditional, creamy side with an added crunch of sweet ripe pear. If you like trying new dishes and exploring your palate, add these sides to your list.

Bonus perks of the evening were the quick, kind servers who made my experience easy and relaxed. They were also wonderfully dog-friendly, treating my four-legged pal Bear to his very own water bowl and treats on the patio. The other diners couldn’t help but greet him with a pat and a smile, and I could tell he loved his visit too!

White started the restaurant after 5 years of running the family business at Apple Valley Country Store in Hood River, Ore., where he began hosting weekend BBQ events. Drop by White’s establishment to enjoy a casual, comfortable dinner with a plenty of food and outdoor seating options. They are open Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. or until BBQ runs out! Apple Valley BBQ is located at 4956 Baseline Drive, Mt. Hood-Parkdale. They offer catering for groups larger than 75 people and can be reached at 541- 352-3554.

 
All info about Apple Valley BBQ gathered from their website, applevalleybbq.com.