Where Sasha Went

Baldwin Saloon – The Dalles, Oregon

If you ever find yourself around the Gorge in Oregon you will likely have been in or near The Dalles. It is often pronounced, much to our amusement here in Oregon, like the city in Texas, but is not and I am not a linguist so have no clue how to write out how to properly say it.

Regardless of pronunciation it is one of the larger towns along the Columbia River, having been established in the 1840s as a major rail and river depot for families coming into the area via the Oregon Trail. It was featured in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ as the home town of Cheif. Bobbie the Wonder dog trotted through the area on his way home to Silverton Oregon. It had a US Mint and was home to the single largest bio-terror attack in US History. Moral of the story it is a much more interesting town than it may look upon driving by it on the freeway with quite a few nice establishments to go along with its rich history.

But my favorite thing about The Dalles is The Baldwin Saloon. Situated just off the main road downtown it can be hard to find but it should not be missed. The saloon originally opened in 1876 over the years it has also been a restaurant, a steamboat office, a warehouse, a coffin storage site, and a saddle shop. In 1991 it was finally restored back to its original state and reopened as a bar and restaurant. The owners have taken great pride in bringing it back to life by keeping the old that was worth keeping and decorating it with antiques of all kinds.

Not only is it quite a lovely little place the food is outstanding. They offer lunch and dinner with a large variety of sandwiches and filling entrees as well as vegan options a plenty. And given their location their wine menu is of course impressive and extensive. So if you ever find yourself near the area I highly suggest you stop in, it is in my opinion the best place in the area by far.

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An Droigead Beag – Dingle, Ireland

After we hustled out of the Marina Inn we walked around town a bit. My group since it took so long to clean up and dry off from the rainy hike was going to miss seeing Dingle, which is the largest of the towns on the peninsula. They wanted to wander around before it got dark and see what there was in town.
We found live music in a few places but they were far too busy to find a place to relax and enjoy it. Standing room only, and in one case the waitresses were having to come outside and go back in another door to get items to and from the kitchens.

About the time we gave up we walked past An Droigead Beag, not knowing that it was a popular place for music we just heard some low-key music and wandered in. It was surprisingly empty so we grabbed a table in the corner and ordered drinks.
At first it was two local fellows playing, then they stopped. We thought it was over for the night, right when we got our drinks. But after a few minutes a woman joined the younger of the two gentlemen that had previously been playing. Who ever she was, she was amazing! Not many people came by, probably because it was more on the mellow side where as the other locations we had walked past were more of a party atmosphere but we loved it.
The bar itself was gigantic. Low ceilings, and cozy up front but as you walk back there was two more bars. Allegedly there is also a night club upstairs. It must have not been open the night we were there. We saw a lot of young party goers come in, go to the back and then immediately go back out again. We stayed until the young woman was done singing and then wandered back to our hotel for the night. It was a lovely evening all around.

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Irish Columbine

Ashes Pub – Camp, Ireland

For our second night of the trip we were put up in Upper Camp (this is the actual name of a town, not the activity of sleeping in the woods). The village which is split into upper and lower sections is relatively small, and the area we were staying in especially small.  A handful of houses, our guesthouse, a bar that was closed and the Ashes Pub.

I would link the site if there was one, the best I could find is the trip advisor link or if you look it up on google maps where you can find their address and open hours. This is not to be confused with the Ashes Pub in Dingle, which does have a website. I did find a video on YouTube which appears to just be a personal video overlain with Irish music, but it gives you a good idea of the size of the place.

Regardless of a lacking website and its modest exterior the place is perfection. The bar inside is exactly what one would expect from an Irish Pub. Low ceilings, stone work, worn woodwork and the nicest people you will ever meet. The food was outstanding, like 5 star dining outstanding. I had lamb with mint sauce, I inhaled it. Not only was I starving from the hike that day but it was so good I just couldn’t help myself.

We must have gotten there early though, as it was quiet when we first sat down, but by the time we were on our second round of drinks the parking lot was full and the pub was packed to the gills. The food took a while cooked to order as it were, and worth the wait. The wait staff couldn’t have been kinder and the bartender/owner was full of snarky jokes. I loved this place through and through.
Additional Information:

Address:  Camp Cross, Ballinknockane, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Hours: 5pm to Midnight daily.
Notes: Cash only,  and be patient the food is worth the wait.

 

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No4 On The Square – Tralee, Ireland

We only got the opportunity to sample one restaurant while in Tralee given we were only there for a single night and our guesthouse was providing breakfast. I am honesty not sure how we decided on No4 On The Square other than it looked cute and they had a nice menu.

They had a lovely outdoor space in front facing the main town square but it was full so we shuffled inside. The bar is at the front of the building and there are a few tables behind in a small alcove. As well as a couple of floors above that appeared to have tables but we never ventured up. After we had filled ourselves to the brim with food and beer I stumbled home in a jet lag stupor and a few of my friends bravely ventured out for a night-cap.
There are a ton of really cute looking places in Tralee to eat, I really do wish I had more time to explore. But I can say with certainty that this place will not disappoint so if you are in the area, and you aren’t sure of where to eat you can’t go wrong here.
 

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Gem Creole Saloon – McMinville, Oregon

I had the opportunity to go to New Orleans in 2017, but before that happened I had been craving good creole food (let’s be honest I am ALWAYS craving creole food). It’s not common in the pacific northwest. There are plenty of restaurants that claim to have it, but most fall fairly short in my opinion. If you find yourself in a similar situation in Portland proper Miss Delta on Mississippi Ave or her predecessor and slightly dive-ier cousin The Delta Cafe  on Woodstock are my go-to places. I promise eventually I will get around to writing up reviews. Which means I have to visit and eat at both again. I am not in the least bit sorry about this.

But this is not about those restaurants, this is about a new restaurant. New to me and new to the valley area, Gem. I discovered it on accident, a very happy accident indeed. One day wandering around McMinville Oregon wishing I could find some decent cheesy grits. And then right there in front of me was a lovely little restaurant with cheesy grits on the menu.

The interior is very purple and gold. VERY. Which makes sense as those are two of the three official colors of Mardi Gras.  It was quiet (blissfully), the service was prompt (even better) and the food was hot and delicious.  We were given a nice table by the window to watch all the happy people wander around in the sun (a rarity for that time of year here).

We ordered many (most) of the appetizers, giddy to get to try some long craved goodies. They did not disappoint. The grits were the best I have had outside of the south. Just thinking about it is making me want to go back. I wonder how they would feel if I ordered ALL the grits to go? Fried Okra, Hush Puppies and Fries were of course also incredible.

Gem is situated next to  La Rambla (my favorite Spanish restaurant in the states) at 236 NE Third Street in McMinville Oregon.

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Ruddick/Wood Tavern – Newberg, Oregon

One of the harder things about leaving the city is that suddenly there aren’t a lot of local places to pop into for a drink or a snack. At least that seems that case in the Portland area. Though given how little I drink leaving the bar scene wasn’t a sacrifice by any means.
Though from time to time a girl needs a local place to sit down with her girlfriend for a good old fashioned gab fest and have a glass of champagne and a plate of fries. Enter the Ruddick/Wood Tavern in Newberg Oregon.

It has all the relaxed PNW charm without any of the traffic or parking challenges of it’s city counterparty. The interior was left mostly salvaged and the walls are adorned with topographical maps of the local hills.

It’s not a large place but it does offer a fair amount of seating options, and while it has always been pretty busy when we go in we have always found a seat. We try to make it on Wednesdays for their “Whiskey Wednesday” specials. The selection is extensive and I have not yet had to order the same drink twice, except for their sparkling rose. But that was on purpose because it is so delicious it is hard not to repeat the glass, bottle <insert serving of choice> over and over again.

Every time we go in we make a pact to order something different off the food menu, I think it has really only worked about half the time. They have an excellent rotating cheese plate that we keep ordering and have never been disappointed. I think we may order it because the menu says “cheese and accoutrements” which halfway through a bottle of champagne becomes too much for us to handle and we probably wind up ordering it because we find it so funny.

The other must order is the fries plate, which comes in a variety of options. We have ordered them all and I don’t think I can say which is my favorite. They are all good and worth a try.

You can find the Ruddick/Wood Tavern at 720 E. First St, Newberg, OR 97132. It is around the corner from the main restaurant Ruddick/Wood which serves lunch and dinner from 11:30am to 9pm.
 

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