Our History

Our story begins in the late summer of 1992, when our prior business location, The Spillway Tavern, was sold and the old tavern had to be torn down.  My husband  and I did not want to leave The Dalles, as our roots were definitely ingrained here, so we began looking for another location to build our business. Not too many sites existed at that time in town, so we began looking toward the port property, which was in its early development phase, for a possible new site.  Once we selected our favorite location, it was two years of jumping through hoops with the city to get our site approved.  All the port property was zoned heavy/light industrial, so it was at that time a struggle to break through the zoning, but as you can see, all was accomplished.  The building was completed in 1994.  My husband & I were down by the marina one day during the construction phase, and noticed a large sail mast sticking up out of the water.  It appeared to be the mast of a large sailboat that had sunk right there in the marina. Thinking that rather bizarre, we drove back down to the marina a week of so later and lo and behold the boat was being brought to the surface.  It was a beautiful sailboat ,all  polished woodgrain, and when they swung the back of it around, there was its name “ The Windseeker”.It struck a chord, here was a boat, a valuable one, being salvaged, after its demise in the water, similar to us.  We had lost our business, and our hopes, then suddenly getting a new chance.  It was fitting.  That’s how we got our name. From there the story unfolds, 15 plus years of ups and downs, long hours, hard work, but our continual survival is a testament to our success.  I loved this place then and I still love it as much now.  The gardens continual to evolve and our food remains top notch no matter what the economy throws at us. The side garden is a memorial to my late husband who passed over in 2006. The memorial befits him as he was the first and only gardener here for many years and what you see here he did himself.  It speaks for itself.  I have been sorely blessed, as this place has definitely been a labor of love.  I hope you enjoy yourself here, relax, let the ambiance and the gardens do their work on you as they do to me every day.    
And as they always say, “Bon appetite”!
                                                                                            Veta

Here are a few comments from our patrons.

Just Have To Say The WindSeeker Has The Best Food Ive ever Eaten!
The Nicest People You Will Ever Meet!

We found the atmosphere relaxing, surroundings also also beautiful.Enjoyed the view, but most of all enjoyed the food and the service. First restuarant in several years where I could not find fault with all or part of the meal. A very beautiful dining experience, and it complemented my wifes birthday wonderfully.

Service was great !! Food Excellent comparable to Napa Valley (razor clams) and the scampi was comparable to that found in San Fransico

The Sunday breakfast buffet is far and away the best food and best value within 60 miles of The Dalles. I have often been tempted to drive from Portland to The Dalles just to have the buffet. The offerings are fabulous to the extent they rival many 4-Star restaurants at which I have eaten. The price however, certainly does not reflect the upscale label the offerings deserve - it's quite demure. The atmosphere is always smoke free, pleasant and funny (with the friendly bantering that goes on among the local patrons and the restaurant staff.

I recommend the Sunday breakfast buffet to everyone I know who passes through or lives in The Dalles or Hood River.