From Mychal in Vancouver!

Have you experienced Brewvana? It is a school bus that was converted into a beer bus for Brew tours. Here's a photo from the brew tour myself and some of the Beach Team took through Brewvana. 

The Brewvana Bus took us to the Hopworks Brewery in Portland. We were treated like Kings and Queens by the entire staff. 

Jamie Rodriguez showed us around their incredible brewing facility and informed on the brewing process. They really do some amazing stuff over there. They are concerned with their impact on the environment and do their best to recylcle and reuse just about everything. For example, they convert all the used grain and yeast from the beer into biodiesel to power part of the facility, COOL!

After the tour we were treated to pizza and beer in the dining room. My favorite beer was a new IPA they called Autonomous Prime, a nod to the leader of the Transformer's Autobots. At Beaches, we are pouring their Secession Ale, it is a black IPA and 100% organic and delicious. Be sure to check out experiencebrewvana.com to book your own brewery tour with Ashley. 

Also watch for Beaches to team up with Brewvana to offer more brew tours leaving from our restaurant in Vancouver. Come down and try a pint of Hopworks at Beaches! 

I also need to mention that coming up on June 8th--Beaches will be sponsoring our Annual Golf Tournament: Beachin' Bash on the Greens at Cedar Golf Course. As always, the tournament will be raising money for local kids. Call me (Mychal) or Ali up to register and find out more info: 360-699-1592. It's a lotta fun!!

Chocolate for Life!

As we continue to Celebrate Chocolate this Week at Beaches Restaurant, we thought we'd share some pictures of our favorite chocolately desserts we have available here for you:

 First is our Smokin' Hot S'mores Dessert--new to our menu this year--this deliciousness brings back all those sweet memories of roastin' marshmallows over the fire. Now we do all the work for you! This cast-iron pan of chocolate mousse, graham cracker bits, chocolate chips topped with mini-marshmallows spends a few minutes in our wood oven to create a smokin' hot, super rich delight. Topped with our locally made vanilla ice cream from Great Northwest Ice Cream Company. Can't be beat!

Next is our Sweet & Wicked Duo! This is a combination of different flavors and tastes. One glassful of sinfully rich chocolate mousse layered with chocolate syrup & topped with whipped cream, the other a creamy custard layered with guava-mango sauce. Yum!

For that chocolate craving that just won't go away--we offer our Classic Chocolate "B52" Fudge Cake! Big enough to share--warning you won't really want to--and paired with a naughty "B52" sauce that kicks it up a notch. Best served warm with our vanilla ice cream.

And don't forget our signature dessert--the "Ra-diculously" Amazing Roca Baskets! Shown here with Almond Roca Ice Cream topped with Dilettante Chocolate Amaretto Sauce. Just perfect for a sweet treat!

We also have special chocolate desserts at both Beaches Vancouver and Beaches Portland Airport--make sure you ask when you visit us this week!

I am really looking forward to St. Patrick's Day down at Beaches. How cool is it that it lands on a Saturday this year? That means it will be an even bigger party! We have some great Irish-inspired giveaway items from our world class vendors: Coors Light, Jameson and Guinness to name a few. We are also pleased to welcome back our Firefighters' Pipes & Drum Band. The boys will be playing those sweet Irish tunes around 4:30pm during our first Happy Hour. They are loud and ready to entertain, just like we like 'em! I almost forgot, we have Drink Specials too! We will be pouring green Coors Light of course, but we will also have Killian's Irish Red for our Happy Hour Beer as well as Irish Coffees and Irish Cream and Coffee with a lil' creme de menthe on the whip cream. 
Also be sure to check out our display at the Roadster Show at the Expo Center. This has really become a great show and we are pleased that we can be a part of it. I hope I see you down here at the Beach this weekend! 

Mychal from Vancouver Beaches

Kool Kahunas for March!

Thanks to the Team members at Beaches Vancouver & Portland Airport. We appreciate all the hard work and effort every day! Congratulations to the following for being chose as this month's Kool Kahunas:

 Sammy has been with us for almost 5 years and continues to be as warm, funny and generous as always.  He is part of our kick butt prep team, but also jumps in whenever someone else asks for help, from running food to helping Dorri.  Sammy is a huge asset to our team and we are lucky to have him!

Tiffani has been with us for just over one year, and is back to work and moving into the bar just 4 weeks after having her second little girl.  Tiffani’s sense of humor, engaging personality and amazing life experiences make her a perfect fit for our Team.  Come sit in her section and get ready for some fun!

Jessica has been with Beaches PDX since we opened. She started working in the Beach Shack & did a great job in there taking care of the guest, making caramel corn & more caramel corn! Jessica wanted to challenge herself and move to a server position. She has only been a server for a short time but has done a great job. She is great with the guest & a great team player. Aside from work, Jessica is carrying a full college course load. Nice job Jessica!

Chuck has been with Beaches PDX from the beginning. Chuck started off doing dishes, then prepping & now he does it all. He checks in orders, does dishes, preps, & goes on the line when needed! Chuck is a man of few words, he makes up for it with all that he does. We appreciate Chuck jumping in wherever needed to get the job done!  Way to go Chuck!

Celebrating Dr. Seuss at the Beach!

Starting March 1st, we are celebrating Dr. Seuss & Green Eggs and Ham! This month is kicking off with a Facebook Photo Contest--we are looking for fabulous & fun Dr. Seuss inspired photos. . .we'll give it a week for ya to post your best, then take a vote & the most popular photo will win a prize!
The winner will receive a BFF Party for 14 at Beaches PDX!! You and 13 of your friends will be transported from Beaches Vancouver to Beaches Portland Airport on our "Party of Fun" bus on Saturday, March 10th at 5:30pm. Treated to a variety of Appetizers and a fun time with our PDX Team, followed by a return trip to Beaches Vancouver. Must be over 21 to participate. All ya gotta do is take a great picture of something "Dr. Seussy!" You can do it! It's gonna be fun!

And while you're working on winning a fun party at Beaches, we'll be preparing to deliver Green Eggs & Ham to first graders all over Clark County! We'll be busy, busy, busy as we cook up food at both Beaches Vancouver's kitchen and Firstenburg Center. We love to serve Green Eggs & Ham and look forward to visiting each of the local schools--and thanks to all our community volunteers who help us make it fun and a little bit funny too! Stay tuned for pictures from our different visits. Thanks in advance for everyone's support of such an incredible community event!

Cool Stuff for Kids!

On February 29th (better known as Leap Day!), we are having our 1st "Cashback for Kids" Day. This is going to be an incredible opportunity to help give back to the community AND have a great time at the Beach! We're excited to use this "Extra" day of the year to do a little extra for the community--specifically for kids! For all those who come in that day to either restaurant--Beaches Vancouver & Beaches Portland Airport--mention this program & we will donate 50% of what you spend on Food & Beverage back to the local Backpack Program run by SHARE. This organization provides meals to kids on the weekends whose families just don’t have the means for basic necessities. We encourage you to make a reservation (360-699-1592 Vancouver or 503-335-8385 PDX) since we anticipate a busy day at the Beach. And, thanks to all of you out there who give your time, money, or both to a lot of great organizations who need our help.

Right after "Cashback for Kids," we'll be jumping right into our Annual "Green Eggs & Ham" Week!

In 1996, we started with one ‘at risk’ school that needed help to get parents involved.  So, we provide a little breakfast for everybody; throw in some cool hats & books; and have the Cat in the Hat energize the kids.  And the real fun…. The parents come to the schools & read with their kids… Cool!

Over the years, this program just got bigger & bigger.  What started with one school is now a community-wide program that hits 48 schools, all first graders. We will feed more than 7000 kids & parents in 5 mornings with a ton of volunteers & of course our Beach Team (they rock).  It’s actually quite the production working out of Beaches Kitchen & Firstenberg Center. We will have at least 8 teams on the road at all times for 3 hours each morning.  It takes a lot of folks to make sure those ‘green’ eggs arrive fresh!

February's Kool Kahunas

Vancouver Beaches:

Juan has been with us for over 10 years.  He is an integral part of our prep & catering team and can fill in almost anywhere.  His sense of humor and awesome personality make him a team favorite.  We can always count on Juan to run a tight ship and to entertain at the same time.  Thank you Juan!

Alicia has been with us for over 5 years.  Not only is she amazing with our guests, especially the younger and the older ones, but she is a fantastic trainer and mentor.  Alicia’s infectious laugh can brighten anyone’s day and her wit will keep you on your toes.  Congratulations to both our Kool Kahunas and thanks for all you do!










Portland Airport Beaches:

Francine has worked at Beaches Portland Airport since we opened and is an asset to the Shack Team. If you spend some time in the Shack, you will find Port of Portland employees that walk by & whether they are picking up lunch or just passing by they always say “Hello Francine!” as they go by. She is often found on the other side of the counter talking to our guests. She also has the quickest fingers around--she can put an order in faster than the guests can say it! Thanks for all you do Francine.

Gumer has also been with us for a long time & is a jack-of-all-trades. You can find him doing dishes, prepping food & helping on the line. He moves from one station to the next, doing whatever is needed. He’s a multi-tasker & always has a smile on his face. You rock it Gumer--Thank you!