Southwest Washington ZEST » Restaurants

36 Hours in Camas

Katlin Smith — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:07:51 +0000

Sometimes the best getaway is close to home, very close to home. Downtown Camas is only 20 minutes from our house. For a weekend in November, it was a perfect escape to shop, eat and celebrate our wedding anniversary at the new Camas Hotel. (More details on this lovely inn later.)

The lovely Camas Hotel

Friday Night 7 p.m. K’Syrah Catering Wine and Bistro 212 NE 4th Avenue. K’Syrah is offering a tasting of Thanksgiving wines – perfect for the Friday night before the all the holiday gluttony begins. For $10 per person, we taste five excellent wines – Mercer Pinot Gris 2008, Primarius Pinot Noir 2007, La Quercia Montepulciano 2008, Ridge Three Valleys 2007 and Terre Gaie Sparkling white wine. We like them all but, darn, have to make a choice. We select the sparkling wine to offer with the dessert course on Thanksgiving. K’Syrah also offers three-course fixed price dinners on Friday nights. Menus are posted in the Web site.

Saturday Morning 10 a.m. There are a LOT of shops to explore so we start with a hearty breakfast at Natalia’s Cafe, 437 NE 4th Avenue. My veggie scramble with home potatoes is very good but Gary’s strawberry blintzes with whipped cream wins the best breakfast prizes for taste and presentation. Don’t miss the photo.

11 a.m. Amply fed, Gary excuses himself to do his own errands (versus shopping) while I start my exploration of the downtown stores. First stop is The Uncommon Gift 407 NE 4th Avenue is well-named. It is full of unusual jewelry, cards, candles, and other décor.

Chateau Lauren 339 NE 4th Avenue has wall-to-wall decorating ideas, beautifully set tables, home accessories and adorable children’s clothing. It’s an interior design store that must be one of the most photogenic shops in the area.

Fore! Golf 426 NE Cedar Street. Who says that downtown Camas only has boutiques for women? Fore! offers new and used golf clubs plus apparel, balls, sunglasses and other golf accessories.

T3Sixty and Clothes Time 321 NE 4th Avenue provide a unique combination of skate boarding equipment and apparel in the front of the store plus a resale shop of name brand and designer clothing.

Camas Antiques 305 NE 4th Avenue. This is a store that could take a day to explore. Fifty+ booths with beautifully displayed antiques and other collectibles are features. Just when you have seen all the treasures, you will find the stairs to the lower level which is equally filled with collectibles. I could spend the day in here with the camera. Allow plenty of time for this shopful of shops.

Lily Atelier 237 NE 4th Avenue. Clothing shoppers won’t want to miss Lily Atelier and the adjacent Luxe shoe boutique. Both offer beautiful, high end apparel.

Around the corner from Lily Atelier, Lizzabeth A 415 NE Birch Streetis charming home décor store with linens (one of my weaknesses), jewelry, Marie Osmond bags and many other unique items. Owner Beth has chosen some fine signs like “Well-behaved women rarely make history.”

Camas Bike and Sport 240 NE 3rd Avenue. Katina and Ed Fischer opened this great, full-service bike shop in July. They carry road, mountain, street and other bikes and offer bike repairs and rentals.

Afternoon –After all this exploring (and more to come), I’m ready to check into the Camas Hotel 405 NE 4th Avenue. Karen and Tom Hall have transformed this former residential hotel, built in 1911, into a charming European-style inn with luxurious beds and linens. They have done a marvelous job of renovating the hotel. Vintage photos of Camas throughout the building artfully tell the story of the community. It’s a wonderfully relaxing place. A new restaurant and martini bar, Harwood’s, will soon open on the first floor of the building. (Update: Harwood’s closed. The restaurant is now Oliver’s Restaurant at the Camas Hotel.)

2 p.m. You can only shop so long without coffee. I am grateful for Caffe Piccolo Paradiso, 309 NE Birch Street, which is playing Van Morrison and serving high quality caffeine, Caffe Umbria. All ages stop by to re-energize.

Next door, Painless Ric’s Tattoo Studio 315 NE Birch Street is busy. I want to chat but DO NOT want to distract the artist. I settle for reading all the awards Ric has posted in the front window. I’ll come back later.

3 p.m. I have always admired the comfortable Camas Library 625 NE 4th Avenue. I wander in to see what’s happening and hit pay dirt. The Friends of the Library are holding a book sale! Even though it’s the last two hours of a two-day sale, there are lots of good reads left and the prices have just dropped to $8 per grocery bag. I quickly fill my sack.

4 p.m. I think I have found the busiest place in town. Shoppers are zipping in and out of Camas Produce 2940 NE Everett Street, which is just about 10 minute drive north of downtown Camas. Considering the market’s variety, displays and prices, I’m not surprised. I pick up some beets, rutabagas and a large turnip to roast for Sunday night dinner.

4:30 p.m. Back downtown at Safeway, a brass ensemble of Camas High school students are playing Christmas carols and gathering canned goods for a food drive called “Stuff the Bus.” Proud parents are taping the event. Across the street from Safeway in a bungalow, Déjà vu 726 NE 2nd Avenue is taking advantage of my passion for consignment shops. Owner Sherrill Traviss offers an upscale selection of women’s fashions including bridal gowns and formal wear. My find is a knit Weekender outfit.

Back on 4th Avenue, Accentuate , 500 NE 4th Avenue, has an excellent selection of scarves, jewelry, handbags plus clothing.

6 p.m. With all this exploring, I’ve forgotten to eat lunch and Gary, always ready to skip the shopping but enjoy dinner, has joined me. We walk a short two blocks to Around the Table 316 NE Dallas for a delightful dinner of small plates – warm cabbage salad and dumplings, a rich gnocchi gorgonzola (my favorite), a farmhouse salad and fig-stuffed turkey breast with port sauce. Glasses of Riesling and Pinot Grigio complete the feast. Is “delightfully stuffed” an oxymoron?

10 p.m. We are very well-fed, warm and comfortable in our room but I coax Gary out of the hotel one more time, into the pouring rain, to see what is happening. Down the street, the paper mill is steaming along. Nearly all the restaurants are closed but, aha!, Painless Ric’s is open until midnight. Millworkers stop by after their shift, the tattoo artist explains. We are impressed with the thousands of available designs ranging from delicate flowers and Chinese characters to voluptuous women. I ask Gary if he wants a tattoo. He declines, quickly.

Around the corner, the taverns will be busy until 2 a.m. Down the block, Chateau Lauren’s illuminated display window is shimmering in silver and white for the holidays. For the most part, Camas is tucked in for the night, a good thing on a very rainy evening.

Sunday Morning 9 a.m. Camas Hotel We enjoy a substantial continental breakfast of muffins, bagels, fruit and coffee in the 2nd floor breakfast room. In warmer weather, a roof top terrace outside the room is available. Other downtown options for breakfast include Natalia’s (with the fabulous strawberry blintzes) and a new weekend brunch, which is getting good reviews, at Twilight Pizza Bistro across the street. We’re happy to stay in, read the Sunday paper and enjoy the coffee.

11 a.m. Check out time. We hate to leave this very cozy hotel. Many of the downtown shops are open on Sunday but it’s time to head home, blessedly only a short drive away. It’s great to enjoy a getaway so close to home.

Camas is a welcoming community and obviously a first-class destination for serious shoppers and diners. More than the great shops and restaurants, Camas is also a gateway to the Columbia Gorge and recreation opportunities like hiking, birding and kayaking. But that’s another trip, when the rain stops…

UPDATE: Harwoods, a martini bar and restaurant opened next to the Camas Hotel in early January 2010. Check out Harwoods Facebook page for more information.

36 Hours in Vancouver’s Uptown Village

Katlin Smith — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:40:40 +0000

The Sunday New York Times features 36 Hours in… (Paris, Bangkok, Nairobi, fill in the blank) each week but has yet to spend 36 hours in a Southwest Washington community. This is the first in a series to do just that.

Vancouver’s Uptown Village feels like a small town center with way more to see, do and eat than 36 hours allows. But we tried to squeeze in a LOT during a HOT July weekend. Just a few blocks from our home, this historic business district of shops, restaurants, bars and a fine local museum is a great way to spend time. Out of towners will find the Briar Rose Inn within walking distance.

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Friday Night
6 p.m. Dinner at Mint Tea (2014 Main). It’s 90 degrees plus but fortunately Mint Tea’s wide front porch is on the shady side of the restaurant. We order coconut-poached Wild Alaska Salmon with curried potatoes and garden veggies and Morrocan fresh vegetables on millet pilaf which are served with fabulous chilled mango raspberry and creamed asparagus soups, each with a stunning surface design. It’s too hot for wine, although Mint Tea serves one of my favorite local wineries – Benke Cellars (of Felida) but the hot basil mint tea (with dessert cookies) is surprisingly cooling. Owned by Abdul Akdi and Jenna Eckert, this restaurant and import store is a thorough gem.

7:30 p.m. Just down the street, Pop Culture (formerly Moxie’s on Main) (1929 Main), the band is blaring for a young crowd. This non-alcoholic club carries 300 kinds of sodas including my favorite – HotLips Raspberry Soda.

Saturday
9 a.m. The neighborhood is starting to wake up. A vociferous boxer (dog, not a pugilist) is discouraging us from entering the Tip Top Tavern but no matter because we are heading for crepes at Mon Ami (1906 Main) A few earlybirds are hooked into their wifi and caffeine while we order one savory crepe – vegetarian with smoked Swiss cheese, baby spinach and tomatoes with a mixed green salad and a sweet crepe— peanut butter, banana, honey and cinnamon and what has to be the strongest (translate: really good) cups of house coffee in the Village. The outside patio is a perfect place to read the paper and observe the awakening street.

10 a.m. Up the street, Old Glory Antique Mall (2000 Main) opens. Fifty antique dealers operate individual booths in a packed 6,000 sq. foot shop. I find a pair of adjustable, metal roller skates that attach to your shoes and understand why I never mastered them as a child. I don’t buy them. Too many bruises and bad memories. The store, however, is filled with collectibles and enough tea pots and blue and white china to satisfy my interests.

10:30 a.m. Molly and Gabe, last names unknown, are hawking Molly’s charming bracelets. At 15, they can’t find summer jobs so they are taking Molly’s talents to the streets. I buy a well-designed bracelet with navy and white porcelain beads for only $5, their first sale of the day. Across the street, the Discovery Shop (2010 Main) offers great deals on clothing and household goods. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.

1 p.m. ecolution nw (1709 Broadway) Eco-friendly flooring, tiles, various gorgeous countertops made from recycled glass, newspapers and cement and other environmental products are available in Uptown Village at ecolution nw. Heidi Olsen and Dan Plaza have recently opened their sales and installation shop and also consult on construction and decorating projects.

2 p.m. Clark County Historical Museum (1511 Main Street) the past lives on Main Street at the Clark County Historical Museum. Housed in a former Carnegie Library, permanent exhibits include a 1900s doctor’s office, home kitchen and country store, and astonishing Native American baskets. An exhibit on Women’s Suffrage in Washington (July-December 2009) illustrates the struggle for the vote for women starting in 1848 at Seneca Falls NY, continuing to 1854 when women’s suffrage legislation was defeated (by one vote, 8-9) at the first session of the Washington Territorial Legislature to current day to 2005 when Washington State became the first state to have a woman governor and two US senators. The Boomer Exhibit continues through the end of the year. Artifacts range from assorted toys and political buttons to commercials from the 1940’s-1960’s and leisure suits. The museum, which has a research library, also offers Lillian Pitt jewelry and masks for sale.

2:30 p.m. One World Merchants (2315 Main) David Schmitz and Elizabeth Halili own my dream business – an import store. Their products are primarily from Southeast Asia and India plus creations of local artists. They love to travel so, when the former Country Peddler shop vacated their space, they started a store that reflects their interests. Even their dog looks happy as he naps on a stack of imported rugs. Scarves, wall hangings, bags, clothing, jewelry, furniture – I could drop a lot of money in here.

4 p.m. Ice Cream Renaissance (2108 Main) I order my favorite – Officers Row with five scoops of ICR handmade ice cream (Coffee Addict’s Choice, Coconut Luau, Honey Vanilla, Peanut Butter Blitz and Strawberries and Cream). Our friend, Kelly, controls her calories with a coffee with ice cream in it. Gary gets a decadent banana split. Life is good (and fattening).

8 p.m. Main Street from 39th Street to Mill Plain is literally crawling with classic cars and their fans who have turned out “Cruise the Gut.” The street is lined with families sitting in lawn chairs and on blankets. The teens who cruised the gut in Vancouver’s past now have gray hair, expensive collector’s cars are loving to show off their classic autos. “There goes another car I shouldn’t have sold,” my husband laments for the fifth time. Most of the autos are from the 1940s-1960s. A couple of pickups have flame throwers on the back. Interesting! Safe? Haven’t a clue.

Miraculously, we score a front patio table at La Bottega (1905 Main) where we ogle Detroit’s oldest and finest and consume the small plate versions of Smoked Mushroom Ravioli with a Baby Spinach Salad with chevre, beets and spiced pecans salad, Bucatini Marinara with a Fresh Fig Salad with Greens and plenty of the red wine special for the evening—a Marchesi di Barolo Barbera. Fortunately, we are on foot so we can saunter home past the cruising cars and the crowd that has amassed at Dairy Queen, the gathering place for cruising in the 1970s. The Columbian estimates that the event drew 1,200 cars and 5,000 onlookers.

Sunday
9 a.m. Still recovering from last night’s dinner, we tough it out for one last meal. At Dulin’s (1708 Main) we slide into a booth behind the celebrity diner of the morning, John McDonagh, Publisher of the Vancouver Business Journal. He’s eating a healthy bowl of oatmeal whereas we cut loose with my favorite, the Vegetarian Killarney Special with potatoes, spicy black beans, Tillamook cheddar, salsa fresco and sour cream and an El Paso Omelette with black beans, avocado and sour cream.

There are so many more Uptown Village shops to visit and meals to consume like at Provecho (1801 Main) with its tasty Mexican food and a new pub with Guinness to try down the street. What about the Main Street fudge? And a winery is opening in September at Cellar 55 (1812 Washington) The list goes on…for another time and another 36 hours.