Perhaps the most interesting topographical characteristic of our three little
towns is the access to a gorgeous, giant river. The Gulf of Mexico is a puny
1,000 miles long, while The Columbia River is 1,200 miles long. That’s a whole
200 extra miles! So what’s the big deal with the Gulf of Mexico? Okay, so the
Gulf of Mexico is about 12,000 feet deep, but who cares? What good is the
underside of water from the patio of a bad ass restaurant?
Speaking of restaurants, let’s talk about LuLu. They have created a true
farm-to-fork restaurant, and their menu is a fantastic sampling of what is
grown and raised right in our back yard. Their friends and farmers provide them
with amazing seasonal produce (and wine.) I got a chance to check them out the
day before their doors opened to the public.
I try to be up every morning around 6:30. I have some coffee, start a crossword
puzzle, yell at some kids in my yard, have another cup of coffee, peek out
between the blinds to check for more kids, and finish my crossword puzzle. I
never find time in my morning for food until about 10:00 a.m. By that time, I
am hungry for something that is not quite breakfast, and not quite lunch. I
came up with a great term for this meal, but I found out it was already taken.
That term is brunch.
Lu Lu does brunch beautifully. We started our meal (after a couple of beers and
mimosas) with a flat bread toast appetizer topped with a tomato jam, cambazola
cheese and toasted garlic. There is another version with sausage, pimento and
arugula that I’m looking forward to checking out soon. I can imagine a nice July
evening on the patio with a glass of wine and a couple of flat breads talking
about… mortgage rates or something. I’ll leave that up to you.
I have always been a huge sucker for corned beef hash and eggs benedict, so
there was no contest when I saw my staples with a seafood twist. Both are
offered with Dungeness crab and a lemon hollandaise for a unique perspective on
my favorites. I won’t spend too much time belaboring the point. You can get
eggs benedict and corned beef hash anywhere, but never like this. I can’t wait
to check out the biscuits and gravy and the smoked steelhead benedict.
The setting is what truly stands out at LuLu. The view is as good as it gets in
the Tri-Cities, overlooking a river that dwarfs the feeble (and frankly embarrassing)
Gulf of Mexico. If you are familiar with the other restaurants on Columbia
Point, LuLu will be a pleasant and relaxing surprise.
Oh, you wanted to know about the bathrooms? Okay. Like the rest of a
restaurant, they are rustic and beautiful. The hand soap was olive oil based,
and comes in a mason jar. It sounded delicious. I thought about just eating
that, but I decided to check out the menu. The hand dryer said something about
cold plasma, and that sounds pretty cool.
-Brian Mark Griffin