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# Sidetracked from ‘Sideways’
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/sidetracked-from-sideways/
- Published: 2007-08-18T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T00:43:01.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Carole Orlin SPECIAL TO THE D A I LY PRESSI* have some friends who recently did the “Sideways” tour — a bus tour of the wineries and restaurants in Central California that were featured in the movie of the same name. They loved it. My husband and I, being the wine aficionados that we are, had thought about doing it, but got sidetracked. During a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, we became enthralled with Washington wines and cuisine, and put together our own mini, personalized Washington state wine and food tour.

We started out at the Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie. I had heard that people come from far and wide to dine at the Dining Room at Salish. Given that tastes vary, I expected a good meal, but this was the repast of which legends are made! The dinner was so exceptional that when we got to meet the über-chef, Roy Breiman, I asked him for a menu as a souvenir. It is now hanging in my office, and when I do gaze upon it from time to time (especially after polishing off a dinner of Costco chicken), it brings back memories of sheer gastronomic wonder. For dinner, I was served crispy skin wild king salmon, young summer fennel, heirloom tomato fondue, nicoise olives, sweet garlic puree and basil oil emulsion. This was an unrivaled feast.

My husband sampled the slow-baked Alaskan halibut with cascade morels, wild watercress salad, white and green asparagus. He gave his meal a resounding three thumbs up! The presentation was such a visual treat that we hesitated to eat it. Some of the creations looked like they belonged in MoMA. The wine selection was also extraordinary. We left there in awe.

Salish is located about 30 miles east of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and sits atop the Snoqualmie Falls. The Falls are amazingly 100 feet deeper than Niagara Falls! This provides the backdrop for the view from the restaurant. Spectacular enough to make you reach for the bubbly!! It’s also 30 minutes from the summit at Snoqualmie, so they offer all kinds of winter sport activities, such as skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, etc. No wonder they are on the 2006 Condé Nast Traveler Gold List of World’s Best Places to Stay. They even have a “Pillow Menu,” so you can choose the type of pillow you wish to rest your weary head on. Choices range from Pregnancy Pillows to Kenko Dream Pillows, which have magnets that are supposed to stimulate the rebuilding of nerve circuits. (And they talk about Californians!) The second and last stop on our mini-tour (hey, it’s quality, not quantity!) was the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, which is smack dab in the heart of Washington wine country. The lodge is situated on five acres of land bordering on the Sammamish River, less than 30 minutes from Seattle. Best of all, it is walking distance from the Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia wineries and the Red Hook Ale Brewery. (Man cannot live on wine alone; we had to sample a variety of beers to be more well-rounded, so to speak.) Willows also offers wine-tasting at their Fireside Cellars several nights a week. It is a beautiful, casual, slow paced rustic lodge that exudes a feeling of tranquility. The back door of our suite led to a charming Pacific Northwest-type garden with indigenous conifers and plants. Stunning.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/081807-12_orig_004.jpg)

WINING AND DINING: The Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Wash., is smack dab in the heart of the state's wine country, less than 30 minutes from Seattle. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 18, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081807.pdf?ref=smdp.com)