Continuing in my Oregon Eateries series, I bring you to a quaint, little...cafe...deli...bakery...all of the above by the name of South Bank Kitchen.  Mike and I had just finished our partial-tour of the scenic byway there in the Columbia Gorge, during which we saw a handful of really awesome waterfalls.  Horsetail and Multnomah were my favorite.  Well, we learned quite quickly that the weather in this area changes about every five minutes.  More specifically, it starts and stops raining every five minutes, so, after traipsing up and down paths, through the woods, in and out of the car, we were a bit wet and chilly.  We went back to Hood River and nipped into South Bank.

    Since we arrived late in the afternoon, most of the fresh-made items were gone.  I was especially sad when I saw lamb meatballs crossed off the list.  Mike and I both ordered the chicken tortilla soup.  I got a “strawberry rhubarb gem” and a Columbia Gorge Organic Raspberry Peach smoothie.  *Note: I generally don’t care about organic stuff.  I just like smoothies*  Mike got a “little mama”, which turned out to be an Oreo on steroids.  The “little mama” had two, soft chocolate cookies on the top and bottom and a lot of yummy vanilla cream in the middle.  Oh, and, while Mike didn’t like it much, I did.  It was a mite stale, but still very lovely.  As for the chicken tortilla soup, that was the perfect thing to warm us up after the wind and rain of the Pacific Northwest.  It had just enough spice to leave some residual heat in the mouth, but not so much to make my spice-sensitive palate uncomfortable.  Funny thing was, it actually ended up being too spicy for Mike.  Good thing for him I was still hungry.  As for my “strawberry rhubarb gem”, oh my goodness, I needed a moment alone.  Not only did it remind me of these delicious, little-bite-size strawberry rhubarb things Bet, my grandmother, makes (you know it’s good when it ranks up there with grandma-food), but it was soft and moist and just perfect.  It also helps that I love, love, love! strawberries and rhubarb as a combination.  I didn’t actually end up drinking the smoothie till later, but that was delicious too, but it was really filling.  This, in my mind, is a good and a bad thing.  I really like smoothies, and they’re really good for you, so, if you’re getting full on fruit, that’s really good.  Usually, however, I want to have other things with my smoothies...like a meal, so there’s a downside.