Preview night at Viento’s Burger & Steak Bar

I had a friend who claimed that when someone quit their job in high tech, you can measure their worth by how far away they go. For instance, leaving Apple for Adobe… I mean, why bother? But leaving your job to become a search and rescue worker? That’s pretty damn cool!

In that vein, I was thrilled to hear my friend Mandy was finally logging off the high tech treadmill to pursue her dream, opening a restaurant! I’ve known Mandy as a foodie for some time; we’ve swapped recipes and have talked about our mutual appreciation for good middle-America comfort food. So it makes all kinds of sense that she chose to open a burger joint!

So tonight I drove to Bingen, WA (across the river from Hood River) for the “friends and family preview” night of Viento’s Burger & Steak Bar! The joint was hoppin’! I was greeted at the door by Mandy’s mom and husband, and got a quick hug from Mandy as she was juggling plates in the kitchen. I quickly ran into a a couple of people I knew from my days living in the Silicon Valley (it’s a smaller community than you might think) and chatted with them about various geeky topics while enjoying a fabulous burger.

Mmm, the food! I had the “Melt Your Face” burger, with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños and a chili-ketchup sauce, with sweet potato french fries and root beer. The burger was very moist and flavorful, better than I’ve had in a really long time. I’ll definitely be dropping in again.

Oh yeah, and I took some pictures!

Best wishes to Mandy and crew in their new endeavor!