The menu isn’t extensive, but everything they offer is delicious.  I usually have the manicotti in the winter.  In the summer, though, I like to order the bow-tie Ceasar pasta salad. Oh, yum!  The house salad is refreshing, and any restaurant that gives you bread shoots way up on the Cari-likes-you scale.  It’s just standard warm loaves with butter but it’s PERFECT for absorbing the extra sauce on your plate.

And as for desserts – hello!…cheesecake and tiramisu and something chocolate-y, too.  I always come away completely stuffed.

One nice extra they do – your complimentary water will have a cucumber slice in it, as opposed to a lemon or lime wedge.  It makes the water taste sufficiently different, almost crisp, if one can use that word about water!

The dining room is small, and can be crowded.  They have tables outside, and you can see the Columbia River from the deck.  In the late spring and during the summer, that’s the ideal place to sit.

The service is generally good.  Once our party had a waiter who kept bringing us more bread when all we wanted was a drink refill, and then he overcharged us (added someone else’s entree on to our tab), and he didn’t bring back the right amount of change.  But, as a rule, the wait staff is fine.

Hours are complicated, so write them down -

11-2 Moday through Friday

4-8 Monday, 4-9:30 Tuesday-Thursday and 4-10 on Friday

Saturdays 11:30-10, Sundays 5-9

The menu isn’t extensive, but everything they offer is delicious.  I usually have the manicotti in the winter.  In the summer, though, I like to order the bow-tie Ceasar pasta salad. Oh, yum!  The house salad is refreshing, and any restaurant that gives you bread shoots way up on the Cari-likes-you scale.  It’s just standard warm loaves with butter but it’s PERFECT for absorbing the extra sauce on your plate.

And as for desserts – hello!…cheesecake and tiramisu and something chocolate-y, too.  I always come away completely stuffed.

One nice extra they do – your complimentary water will have a cucumber slice in it, as opposed to a lemon or lime wedge.  It makes the water taste sufficiently different, almost crisp, if one can use that word about water!

The dining room is small, and can be crowded.  They have tables outside, and you can see the Columbia River from the deck.  In the late spring and during the summer, that’s the ideal place to sit.

The service is generally good.  Once our party had a waiter who kept bringing us more bread when all we wanted was a drink refill, and then he overcharged us (added someone else’s entree on to our tab), and he didn’t bring back the right amount of change.  But, as a rule, the wait staff is fine.

Hours are complicated, so write them down -

11-2 Moday through Friday

4-8 Monday, 4-9:30 Tuesday-Thursday and 4-10 on Friday

Saturdays 11:30-10, Sundays 5-9

Thursday’s my day there because the soup of the day is Chicken Enchilada.  I usually get the CE soup and a half of a tuna melt on sourdough bread and – wow, is it good.  If I’ve had a light breakfast or have worked out sufficiently in the am, I’ll also grab dessert.  The offerings are plentiful and they’re all soooo good! They have turtle bars and coconut bars and cupcakes and pies and apple strudel and things that defy description but just LOOK fantastic.

Lunch is pretty basic fare – soups and sandwiches and salads. You can have hot sandwiches, like the tuna melt I’m so fond of, or cold ones.  Every day, in addition to the soup of the day, the have chili, which is pretty tasty. They have salads which I’ve never tried, but when a friend orders one they look yummy!

The service has always been good, with one exception – I was in line with a friend, and they took the orders of the big group in front of us, and the big group behind us first, then turned their attention to us.  Neither of us thought that was cool, but because normally they’re so good, we cut them some slack.  You order at the register, and they bring your food to your table. They are always friendly when they bring your food and will sometimes add a comment, “I wish I’d had that during my break,”, or “Don’t you just LOVE that salad?”

I’ve raced in and had a quick bite before, and I’ve also lingered for more than a couple hours.  It’s a great place to do both because the service is fast if you need that, and the atmosphere is friendly if you’re going to stay a while. Perhaps it’s partially due to the people who frequent the cafe, or the light which streams through the southern-facing windows, but it ‘feels’ happy there.  I can’t stay down for long when I drop by.

Hours are Monday through Saturday, 6-2 and Sundays, 8-2

Ok, you also need to know about the pizza and the salads and other good things to eat there.  Old-timers will remember it as the former A&W restaurant at 1015 Lee Blvd in Richland. Take Wellsian Way or George Washington Way to Lee, and park in the back.

Now, getting back to the potato soup – it’s hearty and warm and thick and tastes fabulous. There might be other soups they offer, but I’ve only had the potato.

The pizzas have unique combinations and are oh-so-good.  I don’t usually like to order pizza at restaurants because I can never finish it all.  Well, I’ve ordered one with a friend while at Atomic on a couple of occassions and together we were able to finish it.  Loved every bite – the sauce was consistently spread across the pie, the seasonings and cheese were just right.  Oh, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it again.

I’m a big black bean fan, and they have a wonderful, sort of spicy, black bean salad I would recommend.

And back to the soup one more time – order the rolls along with it.  They’re wheat or some sort of dark grain and they serve them split and warmed with a little bit of garlic butter.  Oh my gosh.  Hot heaven.

I understand they have desserts.  I’ve actually never had any there.  I am always too full because of the pizza, or the soup, or the black bean salad to try it.

They apparently, as the name suggests, also have a great variety of beers and microbrews.  I’m not a big drinker, so I’ve never sampled those.  If you have, let me know what you thought in the comments.

I can always find a table at lunch, it’s never horribly crowded.  It’s great to tuck in there on a cold, rainy or windy day because it’s warm and dark and has an old-fashioned pub feel to it.

The service is fine – no one is rude but they never seem overjoyed to see you, either.  Food comes promptly and special orders are okay with them.

When I want soup for lunch, this is where I always go.  They’ll make it to go for me if I call ahead, or other agents and I love to meet here for lunch.  It’s convenient and the food is good and the atmosphere is nice.

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11-10, Friday and Saturday, 11-11 and Sundays 11-8

Rosy’s is in the Riverwalk Village development off of Bradley (take GW Way to Bradley, wave at me as you pass the Windermere office, and then proceed to Rosy’s, on the river side of the street).  It prides itself on its 50′s-themed decor.  I wasn’t around then, but I did watch Happy Days when I was a kid, so I’m familiar with the decade.  Rosy’s even has a room you can reserve for 50′s-themed parties and events.

So, lunch…you have lots of choices; hot sandwiches, deli sandwiches, wraps, soup, chili, burgers, salads, and more.  The servings are generous and tasty.  I really like the BLT, which also has avocado, so technically it’s a BLTA, right?

The service is really good and the staff is extremely friendly. It’s always fun to drop in and grab a seat in a booth.  The menus come promptly and just enough time elapses before the server takes your order.

I usually am too stuffed to order dessert right after my lunch, so I wait a bit before walking back over for some ice cream.  They have some unique flavors (moose droppings, anyone?).  Every one I’ve tried, though, has been quite yummy, and they’re BIG scoops.  If you’re out with the kids in the summer at Howard Amon Park, take a quick walk to Rosy’s at the end of the day and treat your group to ice cream. You’ll have happy campers, believe me.

Hours are 6am-10pm, EVERY DAY!!! Breakfast is served 6-11:30, Lunch is served 11am-5pm, and dinner is served from 5-10.

Let’s start with Stone Soup Cafe, located at 703 The Parkway in Richland. The easiest way to get there, if you haven’t been before, is to take George Washington Way to Knight St. Immediately turn into The Parkway, which runs parallel to GWWay. If you’re a Richland native then go ahead and hop on Lee and negotiate the roundabout.

They have a different soup every week day, and a soup of the week. You can check out their web site to find out what soup they’re offering. As an fyi, the soup of the week this week is Chicken Barley. I am not a fan of the Chicken Barley, or the Creamy Tomato with Pasta. I do, however, love the Chicken Enchilada, and many people do. It is their most popular soup and has won an award or two. The Baked Potato soup is decent, and I like the Southwest Corn Chowder. I’ve never liked Clam Chowder, so I’ve not tried theirs, and they have Broccoli Cheese soup which might be good, but I haven’t sampled it.

In addition, they make terrific sandwiches. I love just about anything as long as it’s on the marble rye bread.

The service is pretty good – they never get flustered or impatient if the line behind you is long and you’re taking a while to place your order. They smile when they hand you your to-go order or bring your meal to your table.

When the weather is nice, go early to snag a table outside. They go quickly but they’re very pleasant places to eat and catch up with a friend.

It’s a popular place, so it can get crowded at times, but it’s never been obnoxiously loud when I’ve been there.

Desserts are brownies, marshamallow/crispy rice squares and this other thing that looks like some kind of peanut butter fudge bar, but I haven’t had it, so I’m not sure. It’s not a place you go to specifically FOR the desserts, but what they offer is just enough to take the edge off your sweet tooth.

Hours are 8am -4pm, Monday through Friday.