Food with a view

I live pretty far from Galena so I tend not to get up to the area much. However, I’ve wanted to try the Lodge at Galena for quite some time. My friend Brett and I decided to head up there on a recent Saturday, hoping to sit outside on the spacious deck at the Lodge. When we pulled up and saw the “Congratulations Grad!” sign, I knew my deck dreams were probably dashed, but we went in anyway where we were apologetically informed that the deck was indeed reserved for a graduate. Well, if the kid can make it through school, then I suppose I can sit inside for one meal.

The Lodge is split into two sections, with a large bar in front and a more formal dining area toward the back. The décor was casual and comfortable, leaving the scenic views as the main decoration. We stayed in the bar, which has large windows, so I could look outside at the pine trees. This also gave me a prime view of the graduate’s dad shamelessly flirting with the friendly, young bartender, which she handled like a seasoned champ.

The same bartender came over right away to take our drink orders. She’s either really good at her job or wanted to run away from the guy hitting on her, maybe both. I wanted some wine and she helped steer me to the Charles Krug chardonnay ($10), which was crisp and not overly sweet. We spent some time perusing the lunch menu, which offered a lot of great-looking burgers and sandwiches.

Brett and I decided to start with the Polynesian poke ($8), which is an ahi salad with soy sauce, tomatoes and green onions. There was a side of wonton crisps to load the salad on. The ahi was flavorful, and I was impressed by the amount of tuna served. The soy sauce was slightly spicy, and the tomatoes absorbed it well. I really liked this dish, but I wish the wontons had some sort of sweet glaze to balance out the saltiness of the salad.

After polishing off the appetizer, Brett and I decided it was time to switch from wine to beer, so I went with the Deschutes Twilight ($6.75 for the large), and Brett got the Eel River organic blend ($6.75 for the large). Since the appetizer was larger and more filling than expected, we decided to just split the Kobe-style meatloaf sandwich with a side salad ($10) and a cup of French onion soup ($5). The soup and salad arrived first, and while the salad was basic, it was fresh and decent-sized. The soup was packed with cheese, and the broth had a nice flavor.

When the sandwich arrived, I was excited to see that the meatloaf was wrapped in a piece of bacon, because who doesn’t love beef and bacon? The sandwich was served open-faced on a piece of rosemary garlic bread, but unfortunately, I didn’t taste any rosemary or, really, any garlic. The meatloaf made up for it, though. It was tender, flavorful and covered in a thick demi-glace that had a rich mushroom flavor. I wish there had been more, as it was just on the top of the meatloaf.

Overall, I enjoyed my lunch at the Lodge, and I think if I had been able to sit outside, I would have been more excited about it, so I will probably have to come back to enjoy that deck out among the trees.