Vancouver rising: Riverfront wine tasting, walks, dining along the shores of the Columbia

 

Waterfront Vancouver's Grant Street Pier

Sawmills, shipyards, breweries and a paper mill once lined the north bank of the Columbia River in what some call the "Other Vancouver," the Washington town across the water from Portland that thrived with industry in the late 1800s.

Fast-forward to a post-pandemic 2022. People walk their dogs and kids play in a waterfront park flanked by restaurants, wine tasting rooms, a gourmet coffee "gastro" cafe, and coming later this year, two hotels; an El Gaucho and Thirteen Coins restaurant; a brewery; and a tap room.

"It intrigued me from the beginning," recalls developer Barry Cain who spearheaded Waterfront Vancouver,  a mixed-use project with office buildings and residences, for the Gramor CG Development company.  When Boise Cascade decided to close its paper mill in 2006, leaving dormant 35-acres of prime waterfront property just south of downtown Vancouver, Cain saw the opportunity "to take a situation like that, and do something that could change the face of the city."  

Tying everything together is a city-owned 7-acre park  connecting to the 5-mile Columbia River Renaissance jogging and biking trail. Open-air patios front on the half-mile Waterfront Park paved path with granite benches, play areas and water features, separated to the east and west by the Grant Street Pier, a walkway and overlook suspended 90 feet over the river.

"Vancouver has always lived in the shadow of Portland," says  Seidy Selivanow, owner of Kafiex Roasters' Gastro Cafe which opened on the waterfront last April.  "Now it's taking on an identify of its own."

Fodor's Travel took note, naming the Vancouver waterfront to its 2021 list of the nation's 15 best riverwalks.

Seidy Selivanow of Kafiex Roasters brews coffee Siphon-style in a glass pot heated by a halogen light

Pastries baked in-house fill a glass case in the airy Kafiex cafe with outdoor tables overlooking the river, and a cheery interior set off with a mural evoking the landscape of a Mexican coffee farm. 

Avocado toast on the menu at the Kafiex gastro cafe

Beans are sourced from Vancouver-based Cafe Femenino which buys from female coffee growers around the world.  On the menu are coffee-infused cocktails, and from the "slow bar," coffee brewed Siphon-style in glass pots heated by glowing red halogen lights.

Around the corner is Pop-Local, the waterfront's newest tenant. When the Covid pandemic forced the temporary closure of entrepreneur Jessica Chan's popular Night Market Vancouver,  she brought the concept indoors, transitioning to a brick-and-mortar "farmers market" style outlet for her vendors.

Teas with a warrior theme on sale at Pop-Local 

Eight-five Washington and Oregon "makers" supply crafts and foods produced no more than an hour's drive from Vancouver. 

For sale are items such as small-batch apple, maple and bourbon soy wax candles by Naty's   Candles; warrior-themed teas by Veteran-owned Valhalla Tea; and Mission Citizen coffee sold by local high school students to fund citizenship classes for immigrants. 

A taste of the Northwest 

With work progressing on the two hotels and other buildings, visitors will find themselves sidestepping around construction and "Opening soon" signs. 

Scattered throughout the development are nine tasting rooms owned by Washington and Oregon wineries.

"We went over to Walla Walla, and said to ourselves, 'We really should be thinking about having these guys come over here,' " Cain recalled. "Shortly after, we were contacted by Maryhill, and it kind of went on from there."

The winery, located just west of the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Wa., opened the waterfront's first, largest and most elaborate tasting room, a 5,000-square-foot space with indoor and patio seating overlooking the river. 

The antique bar at Maryhill's Vancouver tasting room 

The steep tasting fee ($25, waived with a $30 bottle purchase) and pricey menu of small plates is a splurge, but the location on the river's edge attracts crowds even on cloudy weekdays. Coming  later this year on the second floor of same building is a Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room. 

A vintage highway sign hangs at Airfield Estates' tasting room 

Popular with flight attendants staying at nearby hotels is the smaller Airfield Estates,  operated by the fourth-generation Miller family in Washington's Yakima Valley whose ranch was used as a training school for World War II pilots. Old photos of the flight crews decorate the restroom walls. Hanging above a table in the tasting room is a vintage highway sign advertising the farm's  sugar beats, corn and peppermint.

Suburban Seattle's Brian Carter Cellars puts together a tempting snack and wine pairing menu served at little tables in a cheery tasting room decorated in blues and yellows. Top choices are the pear and blue cheese flatbread matched with Carter's Byzance red; polenta fries washed down with an Italian-style Tuttorosso; and chai bread pudding paired with the Opulento port-style dessert wine.  

Dinner with a view

The Grant Street Pier, designed by artist Larry Kirkland to evoke the billow of a passing sailboat, is the focal point for several flagship restaurants with sweeping river views. 

Tables fill up after sunset when the pier's lights are switched on. Afternoon happy hours are less busy, and easier on the wallet.

The bar at Dosalas Latin Kitchen

My favorite was the second-floor bar at Dosalas Latin Kitchen  where my husband and I snacked on red wine and Cuban sandwiches at a window table while listening to fog horns and watching the barge traffic.

Those with a sweet tooth might want to head to another type of bar, this one serving milkshakes. Using investment funds won on the ABC show, Shark Tank, Chelsea and Logan Green opened the Yard Milkshake Bar here last August.

The house specialty is a $19.67 confection packed in a pint jar (you get to keep the jar) piled high with toppings such as gold sprinkles, peanut butter drizzle and crushed Oreos.

Milkshakes and more at The Yard Milkshake Bar

I had a hard time believing anyone would pay $20 for a milkshake, but general manager Erek  Watson took orders for six in 20 minutes during the afternoon we dropped by. 

Erek Watson with his creations at The Yard Milkshake Bar 

"In the warm weather, the line stretches out to the sidewalk," he said while crafting an "Old School Banana Split," a pound and a half of strawberry and banana pudding ice cream and other goodies topped off with a whole banana. 

 All the more reason to end a visit with a walk along the Columbia River Renaissance Trail. The connection between Waterfront Park and the trail is broken temporarily by construction. Reaching it requires a short sidewalk detour past the weathered sign for an old Red Lion Inn.

Views are of the I-5 and I-205 bridges to Oregon and Mount Hood, with lots of scenic stops along the way as well as a connection to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.