CreekTown Cafe Reopens as South Fork Grill

 

The CreekTown Cafe in Walla Walla was for years a favorite of many locals and visitors. But the owners decided it was time for them to hang it up, so they sold the restaurant to Jodi Worden, a longtime employee, and her husband Chris who reopened it as the South Fork Grill. Many of the previous staff members have continued, including Chef Nimal Amarasinghe.

 

We have eaten twice at South Fork, both times for lunch. The sandwiches are thick and the salads plentiful. The desserts (a carryover from CreekTown) are sumptuous and are available for take out. The dinner menu is much like before, with some changes. The wine list consists mostly of local wineries, with generous glass pours at $6-10. All in all, it's a great place to stop for lunch. Sometime, I'll give you a report on dinner there.

 

The restaurant is located at 1129 S Second Ave., about a mile south of downtown, and is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.

 

Mackey Cellars Opens a Tasting Room Downtown

 

We visited brothers Philip and Roger Mackey's new tasting room (next door to Sleight of Hand on Second) the day it opened. Philip is the winemaker and Roger is the marketing guy. The wines are now being made at Rasa / Hence (see below). New releases are a 2008 Syrah and a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Trio Vintners Moves Downtown

 

Trio Vintners (now a duo, husband and wife Steve Michener and Denise Slattery) has moved its tasting room to 102 South Second Ave. One of the original "Incubators" near the Airport, Trio has graduated to its new location. The wines are now being made at Forgeron Cellars, a few blocks away.

 

Rasa Vineyards Moves to Hence Cellars

 

Previously located at Artifex, Billo and Pinto Naravane's Rasa Vineyards has relocated to Hence Cellars on Powerline Road, south of Walla Walla. I visited there a few days ago, and saw new barrels and three gleaming new Letona fermentation tanks, Mackey Cellars also makes its wines there (see above). Because of contractual obligations the '08 and '09 vintages will be kept at Artifex for the time being. The Naravane brothers are thrilled to be making the 2010 vintage at their new facility. While there, I tasted their new "pb" wines, a 2008 Syrah and a 2008 Red Mountain Blend, at $29 price points, which will be reviewed in the November Issue of the Review.