Brewpub Grub: Smoked Salmon Pasta, Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub, Hood River, OR

Lunch time and I'm sitting in the outdoor patio on a windy and sunny day at the appropriately named Full Sail Brewery in Hood River, the Wind Surfing Capitol of the World. Folks here take wind and surfing seriously.

In front of me is a tempting plate of smoked salmon pasta. This is an impressive dish; big chunks of wild caught Alaskan salmon over linguine with a lemon cream sauce. Cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese set the garnish.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

Full Sail smokes in house their salmon and you get plenty of succulent morsels of salmon to enjoy. Chewy and vibrant, the salmon delivers the sweet taste that it is known for. The al dente linguine with the lemon sauce plays nicely with the smokey salmon, as well as the citrusy tomatoes adding a nice touch. You get plenty of deliciousness with this meal.

Full Sail Burger

My son, Noel, chose the Full Sail Burger for his lunch. I had the burger on a previous visit to Full Sail and it was a great sandwich. You get a 1/2 lb. burger from the local Mountain Shadow Natural Meats. Topped with smoked gouda cheese, caramelized onions and a stone ground mustard aioli along with the requisite tomato and lettuce, the burger delivers. You can add apple wood smoked bacon to your burger for $2 more.

For my brew, I chose Limited Edition Seasonal lager, recipe #3. This lager poured a pale golden color. Sweet and a little hoppy, the lager drank down quietly and was a perfect beer for the pasta on the patio. The award winning LTD series has won 12 gold medals from the World Beer Championships. Try it when you can.