Vancouver, WA

It’s girls’ night out…so where are we going? We’re staying local because traffic to Portland has become increasingly congested. That and Vancouver has some unique places to sip a drink and with generous doses of history and class. Tonight’s agenda: two happy hours and a movie.

We decided to start at the Commandor’s Whiskey and Wine Bar which is located in the Grant House on Officer’s Row. We ambled down Officer’s Row admiring the grounds and reading pithy plaques about who lived where. The bar was a great find offering an extensive wine list, impressive cocktails and a happy hour menu that boasted sliders, dips, satay and bread and cheese plates. We spotted a $35 cocktail in the menu and under raised eyebrows briefly considered the idea…nah. Could it really be that good? Making sure to save room for the next stop we lingered if only to enjoy the historic ambience and decor.

And easy drive to 1220 Main Street which turned out to be a classy wine bar with two walls of window seats and stemware gleaming in the dim lights. We ordered wine, a couple salads and a pizza and for the variety added the artichoke dip. We found out the hard way that the kitchen staff don’t believe in happy hour-sized plates and we could barely fit everything on the table. Most of the pizza went home with us. But it was worth taking home. We were tempted to skip the movie and stay for the live music but in the end simply promised to come back for dinner and music the next week