I just returned from a wonderful holiday in Central Washington. Yes, Central Washington! Central Washington is the northern edge of the Great Basin Desert but one would barely know it is a desert due to the Columbia Basin Project. The project run by the Bureau of Reclamation provides sustainable renewable energy and water which has transformed the sagebrush land into fertile farms. Hay, corn, and potato is grown along with wine. Wine was what led us to the Cave B Inn.

G was talking with a customer a couple of weeks ago and they got to talking about Walla Walla and wine. We had enjoyed our getaway in Walla Walla last year. They said “Have you been to Cave B near Quincy?” G did not know of it but thought I would heard of it. Well, I had not.

We checked out the website and it looked very nice. Fortunately, it is off season and the prices were reasonable. We quickly booked two nights and decided to do it on Thursday – Friday to take advantage of the lower mid-week rate. I noticed that the prices are over double come summer. The Inn is located next to the Gorge Amphitheater and the winery was originally Champs de Brionne. The Inn has been open for two years or so.

Driving through the vineyards, the main inn building raises above the horizon. It is stunning; curved dark gray roof and stone sides that make the building look like it was carved out the nearby basalt cliffs. The staff if very professional and the inn is run by the same company that manages the Willow Lodge in Woodinville and Freestone Inn in Mazama. We checked in and walked a short distance through the Sangiovese vineyard to our Cliffhouse. There are 16 Cliffhouses; each one is a separate bungalow with a full view of the river canyon below.

The interior is decorated in warm Mediterranean colors and wood floor. The room is separated by a fireplace and entertainment area. One side has a comfortable seating area with leather couch and chairs. The other side is a large comfy king size bed. The fireplace is open on both sides and the TV will swivel so you can enjoy both either in the sitting area or from the bed. It reminded me a lot of the cottage at Bushman’s Kloof in South Africa.

The bathroom has a stone floor, large soaking tub and separate glass shower. Fluffy towels and bathrobes are provided.

The west wall is filled with windows overlooking the Columbia River. You can walk out to a nice terrace where you can enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sun set to the west.

Located in the main Inn building is a gourmet restaurant, Tendrils. The Chef is a Slow Food Award award winner and has written a James Beard award winning cookbook The menu focuses on local products and producers.

For breakfast, we had the buffet which had a potato, apple and cheese frittata, fresh baked pastries, fruit, granola, yogurt and fresh coffee and juice. We also had dinner one night. The menu had a nice selection of locally produced organic meats such as Thundering Hooves Ranch and fresh fish. I started with a beet salad which had a nice wedge of Humboldt Fog goat cheese and blood oranges. G had the fresh green salad. I selected the NW lamb chops from Cattail Farms which was served with a corn cake and sauteed greens. G had the fresh wild salmon with wild rice and fiddleheads. For dessert, we had coffee and an apple compote with wild huckleberry frozen souffle.

We thoroughly enjoyed our getaway. It is only about 150 miles from Seattle but it feels a world away.

Is Quincy the new Bend?