Discover Walla Walla

In Chicago, red hots (hot dogs, to the rest of us) are taken so seriously that some of the finer hot dog establishments charge ten cents extra for that little bit of flaky charring the tube steaks get from spending a minute longer on an open grill. But we digress.

What brought this factoid to mind was our trip to Pendleton recently to sample the wares at the Char-Burger, which has, right on its mansard roof, the words "PENDLETONS FINEST." One assumes that there used to be an apostrophe, and either a strong wind or some Roundup revelers removed it, but you never know.

The Char-Burger is approximately 75 percent kitchen and 25 percent dining room, a healthy ratio in our book. (Of course, the Ice-Burg in Walla Walla is 100 percent kitchen, but that's another story.) The dining area has two four-person booths and a short window-facing counter with four stools. The dutch door into the kitchen serves as the order-taking area and cashier's stand, and offers a prime view of the leaping flames on the grill.

Our only disappointment during our visit was that the milkshake machine was out of service. It was one of those days when a milkshake seemed almost mandatory alongside a burger; but it was not to be.

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Sitting midway up the grandstands, the open stage and the backdrop of trees and the Blue Mountains before me, a balmy day having turned into a comfortable night, I couldn't  imagine being in a better place at that moment than the Fort Walla Walla Amphitheater readying to see the Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of "Much Ado About Nothing."

It was the final performance of Shakespeare Uncork'd, a young annual event in its third year. Many of the patrons had consumed gumbo, salad, a tasty dessert and a glass of wine in preparation for taking in the classic comedy.

The Seattle Company decided that its adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic comedy would be set in the Louisiana Bayou. A rather sparse arrangement of a door sandwiched by two Victorian columns, two small white tents, a clothesline, several wicker chairs and a bench, sat in the center of the concrete stage.

The production began with a burst of energy that it would maintain throughout. The opening scene started with much of the cast singing the old Mardi gras anthem "Iko Iko" accompanied by an accordion and guitar.

Tonight's version of "Much Ado" stayed true to the plays original storyline, outside of references to the Bayou setting and modern interpretations of the old Bard's lines.  The success of "Much Ado" always seems to hinge on the performances of the two players portraying Benedict and Beatrice - Benedict the fast quipping independent and garrulous right hand man of Prince Don Pedro, and Beatrice, the quick tongued, stubborn and ,also, independent thinking daughter of Leonardo.

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I went fishing on Rock Creek yesterday-near Missoula, Montana. It's a world-famous trout stream full of colorful cutthroats and feisty browns, or so they say.

Before I made the six-hour trek from Walla Walla, I checked in with my Montana fishing consultant, Matt. He always catches fish, or so he says.

"Fished Rock Creek a few days ago," Matt said. "Caught fish all day. They're eating gold-ribbed, pink-flossed flipsy doodles in sizes 10 and 12."

"Gold-ribbed flipsy doodles? I don't think I have any of those."

"They're the latest. Stock up before you come over to Missoula. You won't find one in a fly shop over here. All sold out. They're killer flies! And check out the new flexi-fluorocarbon leaders. They're killer! And get that new fast-action fly line with the kryptonite imbedded in the butt section. That line almost casts itself. It's killer!"

"Really?"

"Water's come down on Rock Creek. The stream is wading easy. Temperatures have finally warmed up. Those fish are hungry. You can't miss, Sam!"

Why did he have to say that?

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Recently I visited the estate vines of Three Rivers Winery and Tertulia Cellars, here in the Walla Walla Valley.   And as like the theatre master exclaims, "The stage is set" - - indeed the stage is set in the vineyards awaiting veraison and later the fall harvest.

The fruit has been set amongst the vines of the Walla Walla Valley. Many of the vines show a uniformed fruit zone of little green grape berries that are hard to the touch. These typically low-yielding vines will eventually produce clusters of purple and gold berries showing intense concentration of flavors. But for now, these little green berries have very little sugar and are high in organic acids.

Being out in these vineyards is a reminder to me that summer is almost over and autumn is on its way. The fall season in the Walla Walla Valley is my favorite time of year. Don't get me wrong, as there are things about the summers in Walla Walla that I love, as well.  Summers mean to me the harvest of Walla Walla Sweet Onions, fresh berries and stone fruit and other freshly picked produce. While the high temperatures throughout the days can be difficult for me, it's the summer evenings that I tend to live for. They are cool with a light warm breeze leaving reminders of the earlier heat.  It is these warm days and cool nights of the area that also help retain the balance of acid and sugar levels in the wine grapes that overall give Washington wines their distinct characteristic balance in flavors.  The evenings are perfect for porch sitting while enjoying a glass of a chilled Walla Walla white wine or rosé.

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Living in the Pacific Northwest has really opened my eyes to a lot of things I probably wouldn't otherwise have thought of. Being this close to Portland, Ore., which is probably one of the "green"-est cities in the country, makes it difficult to not consider the environment in nearly everything I do. And fortunately, the residents of the Walla Walla Valley do a fabulous job of following the larger city's example.

I've written in the past about the wind turbines that have made the hills to the west of the valley iconic. While it is of course on a much smaller scale than Portland, the Walla Walla Valley is continually taking steps toward becoming as "green" as it can be, and this is just one more reason I love being able to call this valley home.

With the warmer weather in the spring and summer come not only lovebirds and lilacs, but also bicycles on nearly every artery and side street in the valley. I frequently see parents pulling kids in bike trailers, couples biking down a country road, groups of street bike racers in colourful jerseys, and college students with Wal-Mart bags swinging from their handlebars. I also know several people who regularly opt for the two-wheel option when headed to work, leaving their cars at home.

Wind turbines, public transportation, green space, recycling programs, an environmentally conscious public... We may not be a big city, but we can make a big difference by the choices we make. Walla Walla, you're doing it right.

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We're not sure exactly how to defend this confession, but we have spent a dozen or so years in the Walla Walla Valley, luxuriating in everything it has to offer the hedonist and gourmand, and never tasted a Jason Burger.  We know, we know.

At least a few of you are shaking your heads, we can tell, and are wondering if we will be willing to surrender the esteemed Bürgermeister title immediately.

And to further humiliate ourselves, we will disclose right off that the napkin rating for the Jason Burger we ate recently was an unprecented 9.  That's right, nine napkins were required to consume this burger.

We're writing, of course, about the famous burger available at the Tuxedo Bar & Grill in Prescott, a short jaunt from Walla Walla.

Where to begin?  This is a bar with a family dining area, so bringing the kids is not an issue, even if the overall impression is not necessarily kid-friendly.  The block it's on is... unimpressive, shall we say, but for the avid burger hunter, this of course only raises the stakes and makes the appetite swell in anticipation.  Serious burger-safari aficionados always hope to find the elusive burger-in-the-wild, don't we?

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What do fly fishing and chamber music have in common? If you are in Walla Walla in June, the answer is Tim Christie, Founder and Director of the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. I was fortunate enough to meet Tim in 2009 and discovered that we both share a passion for chasing trout with a fly rod. I also thoroughly enjoy the beautiful Chamber Music that Tim has brought to Walla Walla. We agreed that when Tim was back in Walla Walla this year we'd make time to visit the water and commune with the fish.

Unfortunately Mother Nature wasn't cooperating with our plans to visit the Walla Walla River in mid-June; heavy rains had theriver hig h, muddy and un-fishable. Luckily Walla Walla is a supportive community and a friend, Max, offered to share his private pond just south of town with us. Max has a beautiful home on five acres including this great little pond that he stocks with trout. (Being a superb host Max even suggested the right flies.) You know it's going to be a good day on the water when your first casts resulted in a both Tim and I hooking-up with nice trout. The fishing was so good that before long Max decided to get his rod and join us; we all caught fish into the early afternoon. Max even demonstrated a new technique for us - catch & release dry fly fishing for Bull Frogs - impressive!

So, if you live here, or are just visiting Walla Walla in June, remember that you can choose both, fly fishing and world class chamber music. That is if incredible wine, delicious food, sweet onions, exciting baseball, and scenic biking isn't enough for you....

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I love eating outside.  I really don't know why except that it's different from the "norm" and makes me feel kind of trendy and cool (a feeling I'm not typically given the chance to enjoy).  The great thing is that it seems most eateries in the Walla Walla area offer outdoor seating, whether it's a quick meal at Pita Pit or five-star dining at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen.  And of course you're not a "real" coffee shop if you don't offer patrons a place to don their sunglasses and people-watch from behind the New York Times.

This time of year is perfect for patio seating, too.  And this year, it's been extra amazing.  True, the sweater weather clung on a little longer than even I, a fully-in-favor-of-clothing and anti-summer-style kind of person would have liked, but the end of June was fantastic.  I can handle 75-80 degrees with a light breeze from the south.  Bring it on!

Though I can't claim to have tried every available outdoor seating venue in the Walla Walla Valley, I have utilized quite a few, and I want to share some of my favorites with you (in no particular order).

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I would like to say I made up that title, but I didn't.  It is a quote from Ernest Hemingway.

My blog for this month was going to be about hospitality, friendship and wine.  I was going to relate it all to the recent North America Wine Bloggers' Conference that was held at the Marcus Whitman Hotel last month. The WBC10 was a three day event with over 300 wine bloggers and others from the wine industry, all over the world, participating in various events from vineyard and winery tours, food and wine pairings, and even online wine tasting via Twitter.

I was going to tell you all about the wonderful hospitality that Walla Walla extended to the wine bloggers, but I cannot tell you as near as well as a visitor who actually experienced it first hand.  Instead, I am going to share with you highlights from a blog by Joel Vincent, Executive Director/Founder of OpenWine Consortium and one of the organizers for the North America Wine Bloggers' Conference.

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Just as recently as 3 years ago, the chance to experience entertainment in Walla Walla after 7 pm was slim and none with none more often than the slim. Now, one can walk the streets of downtown on Thursday through Saturday nights and have several places to patronize.

This is a prime reflection of the stark change in Walla Walla. Let me give you an example. On a Saturday night, just a couple of weeks after I had moved to Walla Walla in March of 2003, I went to a local pub and restaurant for some food, drink and a little action at 8:30 pm. When I asked for a menu, the bartender told me they had closed the kitchen at 8. I thought that was a bit early but cheerfully asked him where I could get some food at this hour?

He chuckled and said, "The only place serving food after 8 in Walla Walla is Shari's." You know Shari's, a distant cousin to Denny's that specializes in "down home" pies. Any entertainment? Yeah, a broken down barn called "Barnaby's" that was the home of 21-year-olds experimenting with hard liquor for the first time, and a DJ who was obsessed with rap. I became depressed.

In just 7 short years, that scenario is a distant memory. Not only do most restaurants stay open much later but there is a bevy of music and eats coming from a wide-range of establishments. Vintage Cellars used to be solely a wine and beer bar; now it serves food and live music with its beverages. With its patio and inviting upstairs, it makes for a nice evening destination.

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