Clark County restaurants can cure a case of Mondays
Dining out can make Monday less Monday, but finding somewhere to eat presents a challenge as many restaurants are closed then. Here’s a handpicked list of places — starting with fancy restaurants and working through more casual spots — that I recommend for hunting down a case of Mondays.
Amaro’s Table
1220 Main St. and 816 NE 98th Circle, Vancouver; 360-718-2942 (downtown), 360-718-7046 (Hazel Dell); amarostable.com
This reliable eatery is known for its great cocktails and well-executed classic dishes like wedge salad topped with fried onions and blue cheese crumbles ($11) and New York steak drizzled with chimichurri and served with mashed potatoes. potatoes ($38). Amaro’s Table’s wildly popular happy hour includes rotating draft cocktails ($9) as well as popular bites such as house fries ($6), taco carnitas ($6), and exquisite ricotta donuts ($5).
DosAlas
777 Waterfront Road, Vancouver; 360-768-5249; www.dosalasrestaurants.com
DosAlas serves up glitz and glamor on the Vancouver waterfront with a choose-your-own-adventure attitude. Dress up, don’t dress up. Order everything on the menu or just a few bites and cocktails. The Slay All Day menu includes bites like pork belly skewers ($21) and short rib sopes ($17), seafood dishes like chef’s choice ceviche and grilled octopus ($34 ), and larger plates to share like paella dosalas ($80) and a 48-ounce bone-in Tomahawk rib eye ($180). They all taste best with a tequila, mezcal, or one of the high-end Dos Alas margaritas ($18-$25).
La Bottega
1905 Main Street, Vancouver; 360-571-5010; www.labottegafoods.com
Italian-inspired antipasti ($12-$16), soups ($5 for a cup, $10 for a bowl), salads (half $9-$10, full $18-20), pasta (half $9- $10, full $18-$20), entrees like lasagna bianca ($21), and an extensive wine list draw crowds to this intimate restaurant, deli, neighborhood market, and downtown wine cellar. This restaurant does not take reservations and wait times vary on Monday nights.
Restaurant & Bar Roots
19215 SE 34th St., Camas; 360-260-3001; rootsrestaurantandbar.com
Brad Root’s stylish farm-to-table restaurant in East Vancouver fills up with nearby workers in business attire for energizing lunches and dinners. The menu changes with the seasons and offers starters like Dungeness crab and avocado with a radish and vermouth vinaigrette ($26.99), soups of the day ($8.99), salads like beetroot roasted with goat cheese and hazelnuts in a cara cara orange and balsamic vinaigrette ($14.99). ), and entrees like pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with asparagus and bacon risotto in a lemony butter sauce ($41.99).
Party 316
316 NE Dallas St., Camas; 360-210-7498; camasfeast316.com
Tim and Melissa McCusker’s quirky but chic steakhouse in downtown Camas offers a grown-up place to dine in an otherwise family-friendly neighborhood. Regulars focus on the menu’s middle column, which features perfectly prepared steaks with a choice of prime cuts or choices ranging from an 8-ounce filet mignon ($48 choice, $57.75 prime) to 24-ounce tomahawk ribeye ($78 choice, first choice based on market price).
Mav’s Tavern
108 W. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver; 360-726-6914; www.mavsbrewing.com
Calista Crenshaw opened her restaurant offering 25 craft beers and home-cooked pub fare late last summer in the town center formerly occupied by the Old Ivy. The menu offers snacks like spicy nuts ($6) and dirty fries ($12), salads ($7-$8 half, $9-$12 whole), burgers ($14-$16) and sandwiches like BLT ($12) and Cubano with pork, ham, Swiss cheese and pickles ($13). Specialties range from smoked chicken carbonara to chili verde pork enchiladas. Mav’s also offers a kids’ menu for customers 12 and under based on the favorites of Crenshaw’s son, Maverick, for whom she named the business. No trip is complete without a visit to Anthony Bourdain’s bathroom, a shrine to the late culinary personality covered in drawings, photos and pages from his books.
The hungry sasquatch
2110 Main Street, Vancouver; 360-597-3223; www.hungrysasquatchpizza.com
This funhouse for kids and adults offers craft cocktails ($11-$14), a stellar craft beer selection, Yeti-sized slices of pizza ($5-$7.50), and arcade games. arcade. The Hungry Sasquatch serves food for all ages until 10 p.m. The other side of the space is home to The Thirsty Sasquatch, a bar for patrons 21 and older. An outdoor patio extends out the back, an ideal space to relax on a hot day.
Pizza Rally
8070 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver; 360-524-9000; www.rallypizza.com
Rally Pizza bills itself as just another neighborhood pizzeria, but specialties like piquillo pepper salad ($12) and chorizo and manchego cheese pizza ($20) show off the owners’ true experience and skill. Alan Maniscalco and Shan Wickham worked for Ken’s Artisan Pizza in Portland before opening this restaurant in Vancouver’s Heights neighborhood.
ginger lollipop
2520 Columbia House Blvd., Vancouver; 360-699-7273; www.gingerpopthai.com
This cute spot for Thai food in Grand Central has favorites like salad rolls ($7.50-$7.50), glass noodle salad ($14), tom kha soup ($12 ) and a ki mow pad ($13). I highly recommend the tofu fries with a trio of sauces ($8.50) and the chicken wings ($9.50).
Pho Vi Van
16209 SE McGillivray Blvd., Vancouver; 360-232-6678; phovivan.restaurantwebexpert.com
This East Vancouver restaurant offers a relaxing environment as well as soothing, generous portions of aromatic soups ranging from a savory vegetarian pho ($14.95) to a spicy bun bo ($16.59) with beef and thick rice noodles in a fiery broth.
Tommy O’s at Hotel Camas
401 NE, Fourth Avenue, Camas; 360-833-0115; www.tommyosaloha.com
Vancouverites were sad when Tommy O’s downtown location closed, but the Camas hotel restaurant serves many of the same Hawaiian favorites, such as kalua pork ($13) and loco moco ($16 ) as well as elaborate sushi rolls ($7-$14), sashimi ($15), and poke ($15).
