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Lunch at The Columbia Portage Grill The Dalles, OR – week of 7 18 2005
written by Gabby

Located at The Dalles Shilo Inn, The Columbia Portage Grill is one of only 2 restaurants in The Dalles that allows patrons a direct view of the Columbia River in close proximity to the both the main Restaurant Area and Lounge. The other is The Windseeker Restaurant/Portside Pub, which we will review in the future.

The first thing you notice about the Columbia Portage Grill is the spectacular view of The Dalles Dam and the old settlement buildings that are located a few hundred feet from the restaurant’s main windows. The old buildings are showing signs of weather, wear, and age and several have collapsed over the decades, but it still presents the patron with a picturesque view, like something out of a painting. It’s interesting and a good source of conversation while waiting for your dinner.

The décor of the Columbia Portage Grill is little changed from its last go around as “The Portage Grill”. It’s pretty, but the menu has seen some wonderful improvements under the new ownership and management. Several items are exclusive to this eatery like the Cherry Dijon Pork Chops for example. Upon a past visit, I gave them a go and was very pleased with the presentation and flavor. We will return to review dinner here another time. When enjoying lunch, I have to recommend trying the house soup specialty – Smoked Salmon Chowder. It is addictive and is usually available on a daily basis.

There is a daily lunch buffet offered which is typically quite good, and so it was on the 3 rd week in July when we went in for lunch. The lunch buffet offers a salad bar, soup, at least one entrée and a few side dishes. On this particular day the entree was a delicious roast beef in a mushroom gravy with onions. The sides included a cornmeal stuffing which was pretty good. The lunch buffet also includes a selection of desserts made in-house by a pastry chef who also excels at making beautiful wedding cakes. That's a real convenience for those looking for a place to have a wedding reception in the large banquet rooms available at the Columbia Portage Grill.

The Columbia Portage Grill offers a fine selection of local wines, which are usually sold by the bottle and available for “take out” to enjoy later at home. The service was not bad, but could have been better on that particular day. It was in the middle of the lunch hour and they appeared to be understaffed at times during our visit.

RATINGS FOR THIS LUNCH AT THE COLUMBIA PORTAGE GRILL - THE DALLES – 3 RD WEEK IN JULY 2005 (based on a 5 star system)

Atmosphere 4 stars
Food Quality 3 stars
Service 2 stars

High Points – Menu Choices, Atmosphere, & View

Low Points – Service