For some time now I’ve been wanting to highlight some local restaurants and places that I enjoy frequenting here in Lake Oswego. Today I want to let you know about 3 wonderful restaurants on the Lake Grove side of town. All 3 are practically institutions in the area, having been in business for many years. They are also located in a cluster along the same stretch of Boones Ferry Rd, the main road through the West end of town.
La Provence is the youngster in the group. The founders of the restaurant, Pascal, Didier, and Alain came from France in 1996 wanting to share their passion for the French Patisserie, which is a bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. Don’t be fooled by the outstanding selection of breads, tortes, cakes and croissants that are showcased as you walk-in. This restaurant offers first class food well beyond the temptations of sweets. When the restaurant first opened it specialized in breakfast and lunch. My favorite breakfast choice has long been the smoked-salmon hash. Served over crispy hash browns, the smoked salmon is topped by a poached egg and creamy dill sauce. The homemade bread makes delicious toast, and the coffee is outstanding. For lunch I recommend the French onion soup. It is the best I have ever had. And in the last year or so the restaurant has begun to stay open for dinner service. I recently had a wonderful dinner there at a time when they were offering live music. I consider the pricing to be affordable and the food highly reliable. The atmosphere is relaxed and sunny with bright splashes of color from the art work and provencial-style table cloths. Located at 15964 Boones Ferry Rd, you can find menus and more information at their website, www.provence-portland.com/
Next door to La Provence is Gubanc’s. Gubanc’s and I have something in common. We both came to Lake Oswego in 1976. I guess you could say that we kind of grew up together. Owned by Tony and Anne Gubanc, this restaurant is a neighborhood classic. The atmosphere is classy while being comfortable. Not too expensive, you’ll find the food to be Northwest with an interesting flair. The restaurant is most famous for its soups. They have 80 different varieties that were personally created for their menu. While the traditionals like clam chowder are available, you will also often find unusual selections like Chicken and Pear or Santa Fe Chicken with White Bean. Yum. A great deal at lunch is the Soup Board. For $7.50 you get a generous bowl of homemade soup with a side board of bread, cheese, and fruit. Dinner options include South Western Pork Wraps, Chicken and Dumplings, and Halibut Provencial. For dessert they are well known for their Fresh Fruit Cobbler. You’ll find it busy every night of the week. There is a full bar and I think there are quite a few regulars who eat dinner here several nights a week. To continue to fill the dining room night-after-night for over 30 years, you know they must be doing something right. Located at 16008 Boones Ferry Rd. For a copy of the menu and more information, visit Gubanc’s website at www.gubancspub.com.
Finally, I want to brag about Riccardo’s. This is my favorite “special occasion” restaurant in Lake Oswego. Not that you would only want to go there on special occasions, like an anniversary or a birthday. I have gone there with friends for a casual lunch or dinner many times. It’s just that I’ve also celebrated many birthdays and anniversaries there. In my mind, it is a special place that provides just the right atmosphere for a special night out. Opened in 1980 by Riccardo and Georgette Spaccarelli, it is very fine Italian dining at it’s best. The Spaccarellis are known for their annual trips to Italy where they visit wine producers and make selections to offer with their food. The entire meal is extremely authentic. It’s also mouth watering and complex. My favorite item on the menu is the Penna Strozzapreti. Penna pasta with a sauce of cremini mushrooms, black olives, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes in a light cream sauce that is then dusted with parmigiano reggiano. That is comfort food to me and a real taste treat. There are two dining rooms. The inside room seats 55 and is very nice. But my favorite, and where I always make it a point to dine, is the outside patio. It seats 75 and is surrounded by high walls that in the summer are topped with flowers. There are terra cotta tiled floors and several fountains. The perimeter tables do have a roof over them and in cooler weather they have numerous heaters to keep you warm. No, I don’t think you’d be able to dine out there in January. But for most of the year you can. It is not only comfortable, you will feel like you’ve gone to Italy. Riccardo’s is just across the street from Gubanc’s and La Provence at 16035 Boones Ferry Rd. You can find their menu and more information at their website, www.riccardoslo.com
There are other great restaurants in LO. I’ll work on giving other recommendations in the future, but this is a good starting point for a new resident in the area. And just like the long-time residents, you’ll go back again and again.
There is such a panoply of amenities in Lake Oswego that Dianne and I have been talking about incorporating profiles of local favorites from time to time. I thought I’d begin with a very special person who I would be lost without… my local “dog-whisperer”, Valerie Pulley.
seems it has been the subject of pets, and dogs in particular. We all know what a Portuguese Water Dog is now, thanks to “Beau” at the White House. I know our own friend & blogging cohort, Ron Ares, wrote a post most recently about his own dog, Nyree (left), adopted by the Ares family to save her from becoming a casualty of foreclosure. I’ve seen pieces on local and national news about the amazing number of dogs that have been abandoned or taken to shelters as fallout from the current economy, and it is heartbreaking to consider.
Staffordshire Terrier, Fedore, is her pride & joy, I’ve been taking my crazy black Standard Schnauzer, Kato (right) , to Valerie for years, and she is the only one who can calm him down enough to let his toenails be clipped. Turns out others have noticed this talent as well, and dog owners from far and wide bring their “hard to handle” pets to Valerie for tender loving care. Valerie mentions that “Some dogs have been kicked out of every grooming salon in Portland for biting, scratching, and generally squirming and freaking out. They bring them to me because I am the only one they’ve found to be able to handle them.” I 
ask her why she thinks this is, and she says “I’m just not afraid of them, and I care about them.” She has been working in the Lake Oswego area for around 12 years now, spending some of her career at the Lake Oswego Dog Shoppe, and now is working for 
Well, the cherry trees are in full bloom, temps are in the 80’s, and real estate activity continues to move forward… a gradually enlivened, seasonal bustle.
Located along Lake Oswego’s Northern boundary is 
Bridges are necessary because the park is layed out around a canyon that contains a natural watershed. The creek at the bottom is one of the few remaining creeks in the area with an active run of steelhead trout.
People locally began to appreciate the value of the natural area and the Friends of Tryon Creek was formed in 1969 to work toward preserving the area in its natural state.
A discussion about Tryon Creek State Park would not be complete without the subject of the native trillium. 
Lake Oswego is home to a very unique and beautiful facility, Lake Oswego Hunt. The Lake Oswego Hunt is an equestrian training program and a riding school for children and adults of all ages. Unlike many facilities that focus on one discipline, Lake Oswego Hunt works with Combined Training, Dressage, and Hunter/Jumper. So if you have a love for horses, and you want to have access to horses in your life, there is a way to do that here in Lake Oswego.
When I stopped in to visit the Lake Oswego Hunt, besides the beautiful arena and barn, I was also struck by the warmth and friendliness of the people that I met. Everyone was gracious and welcoming. I was very taken with the attitude that this is a place that wants to be a part of our community. They made it very clear that they love to have people come in and that they are happy to give you a tour. Along with a calendar of events that includes horse shows and parties, there are occassional open houses that invite the general public to come and see what is happening at Lake Oswego Hunt. The next open house is scheduled for February 7th, from 9am to 5pm.
Wow! A newscaster said yesterday that we are experiencing the biggest snow event since 1964! For those of you who tune in to the Blotter from out of state, I am attaching a few photos so that you can see what we are talking about. Dianne has posted some for your amusement as well. We usually focus on real estate pretty much exclusively in our Blog, but with this kind of excitement, we can’t resist giving you a little local flavor.
Main roads are kept pretty passable with mostly packed snow, and are sanded regularly (Oregon does not use salt), but side streets, especially hilly ones, are let’s say… invigorating! Kids who have been out of school an extra week this Winter Break are sledding everywhere. Lots of folks have bagged their aspirations of mobility as evidenced by the feet of snow burying their cars on the sides of many roads. Others who are able and so inclined have headed for Mt. Hood where skiing is incredible, and road crews are always ahead of the curve. Trees laden with snow and ice have released some of their burden in the form of limbs in yards and on roadsides. But hey… it’s pretty!
Christmas has taken on a completely different tone this year. Instead of filling the malls, people gather in kitchens around batches of cookies. Fireplaces are the center of many homes where friends, family and a variety of hot beverages and toddies complete the picture. The uptick in Internet shopping in the area has kept UPS busy all over! This year is definitely one we will never forget.
The Lake Oswego City Council has awarded the $830,785 contract, to Pioneer Waterproofing, Inc. Requiring specialized skills, Pioneer Waterproofing fits the bill and has met the standard for brick and masonry restoration in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Pioneer Waterproofing has also completed impressive restoration projects which include Vista House, Crater Lake Lodge, Timberline Lodge, and the Portland Art Museum.
Kudos to the Lake Oswego Library which was ranked the best library in the state of Oregon by the 
I crunch my way to the mailbox to pick up the daily paper thrown there in the walkway, and look up half asleep at the clear blue sky feathered with white brush strokes.
Construction was completed on the new multi-use field near Lakeridge High School in the spring, the first sporting events being soccer and lacrosse. The field also accommodates football and baseball. It boasts a playing field made of plastic fibers and ground-up rubber which has excellent lasting capacity and drainage according to Gary Evans, assistant director at Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation. Neighbors’ concerns were addressed with state-of-the-art, computer-controlled, “green” lighting that uses a minimum number of fixtures and reduces energy-wasting light “spill”. The park is open until 10:00PM, but lights may be turned off by teams if they’re finished early by calling a toll-free number and entering a password. Most local leagues may use the field for free once a seasonal fee is paid.
Amenities of the 12-acre site include walking paths and access to trailheads, a beautiful 1.5 acre wetland, playground, parking lot, restroom facility and two luxurious off-leash dog parks- one is 1.6 acres and intended for larger gregarious dogs (though it is open to all dogs), whereas the other is 1.1 acres and reserved for smaller and/or timid dogs. Both dog parks include incredible fencing that is seemingly jump-, dig-, and escape-proof with double-entry gates. There are also benches and picnic tables for dog owners to relax and/or socialize, covered/shady areas for rainy or too-sunny days, water-stations, garbage cans, you-scoop-bags, and open areas for playing fetch or just letting the dogs play.