Local Dish: Working Hands brings the Brunch; Neighborhood Hang goes Comfort Luxe Sunday at 11
Comfort Food gets elevated at Working Hands Fermentation. New brunch starts on Sunday, Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. This happy customer shows off his chicken and waffles and “Deez Biscuits” And yes, he’s wearing the iconic Melanzana from Leadville Colorado. That’s a warm picture.
By Charles Childs
Hood River, Ore., Jan. 18, 2025 — The Breakfast Gods spoke to me early.
Sweet Sirens sang the song of custom sausage and Eggs in Purgatory outside Working Hands in Hood River.
Roasted Potatoes with herbs, garlic and parmesan beckon, my friend.
It was Sunday, Jan. 18 and chill air soon gave way to savory smells as soon as I crossed the threshold. Roasted potatoes, sage and sweet maple wafted from the kitchen.
There was some great grinding energy going on here as active staff were big on smiles and witty comebacks.
It was a soft open for the brewery and cidery’s new Brunch which officially opens on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m.
Cider meet Champagne. Champagne meet Cider - this spritzer bubbles fresh.
And sister, when you swim through a cider-spritzer to this Island infested with red “Clam” beers and cocktails of the week, you may never leave.
After ordering at the counter, I rested an elbow against the bar to find Eli Camero with a bright yellow glass of OJ - or so I thought.
“I call it a man-mosa,” he said, with a laugh. “It’s orange juice with a Helles lager. I come here all the time. It’s 25 steps away - I work next door.”
Taproom Manager Daphne Gill takes an order off the new Brunch menu at a soft open held last week.
Meanwhile taproom manager Daphne Gill is behind the pounded copper bar, ensuring patrons are properly hydrated before the Chicken and Waffles hit the counter. She also owns Pine Shade Farms in Odell and brings her seasonal produce to up the flavor quotient.
29-year-old Jose Ortiz is cheffing in the kitchen beyond the dog leg of the dining area.
“It’s family style orders - sharable,” he said. “Everything is from scratch.” That includes the Bran & Ash sourdough bread made by Casey Hardi and Zoe Mitchell in a Hood River micro-bakery. It serves as a great side and the main event in the Working Hands French Toast that gets slathered in the Vermont Maple syrup.
Chef Jose Ortiz, who spent a 5-year stint in Nashville learning some secret chicken recipes serves up as Lalo Oretega keeps the tickets moving in back. And Like a great blues song, he said it was girl that led him to Tennesee and the call of home that brought him back to the Hood.
Ortiz and his chefster Lalo Ortega were also serving up “Deez Biscuits” - two biscuits with housemade sausage gravy and a fried egg. Hickory smoked bacon and housemade sausage patties sizzlin’ with a touch of red pepper flake, hunks of garlic and sage were also pouring out of the pick up window.
Oh but it was the purgatory, that I came for.
And it tortured me with its incredible bites of lush tomato sauce and Ricotta cheese, two over-medium eggs lied in wait under that Tom-Ric one-two punch to add a layor of albumin and rich fat that hit like a crash symbol.
“Eggs in Purgatory” did not disapoint with a delicious side of Bran & Ash sourdough. Basil, Ricotta and a rich tomato sauce sent those over-medium eggs into the flavorsphere.
Kasey McCullough and his better half Sarah Largent
All the while, the quiet and cheerful leaders of this decadent meal BrewMaster Kasey McCullough and his better half Sarah Largent were filling in the gaps, making sure people were getting what they need - staff and customers alike.
What a satisfying experience.
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