NORTHWOOD PUBLIC HOUSE & Brewery, which opened in March in the building where Laurelwood Public House & Brewery used to be in Battle Ground Village, recently released their own menu, with numerous new food additions. Pictured here, from left to right, are Todd Wetzbarger, bar manager; Eric Starr, owner; and Jeff Norton, chef. Photo by Joanna Michaud
THESE THREE DISHES at Northwood Public House & Brewery represent a few of the new items on the new menu recently launched by Chef Jeff Norton. The Woodsman (elk shank) dinner is on the left, followed by the Creekside Trout dinner (top) and the Steamer Clams appetizer (right). Photo by Joanna Michaud
If there’s one thing Northwood Public House & Brewery Owner Eric Starr wants people to take away from their visit to his restaurant, it’s that Northwood is a “classic Northwest brew pub that celebrates real beer culture.”
“We want this to be a place of real beer culture where people can come together over a beer, a good craft beer, but also a family place,” Starr said.
In the beginning of March, Eric and his wife Paula took over what used to be Laurelwood Public House & Brewery in the Battle Ground Village and opened Northwood. Since the Starrs didn’t want to shut down the restaurant for very long during the transition, the building was only closed for two days before it opened up with its new identity.
Up until the launch of their own menu in May, Northwood had maintained Laurelwood’s menu and beer selection. However, just two months after opening for business, Northwood now has its own unique menu, thanks to Chef Jeffery Norton.
“Jeff designed the whole menu and he got it done in less than 90 days,” Starr said. “We’re aiming to go beyond just ‘pub grub.’ We don’t have to just serve hamburgers. We’re here to be Battle Ground’s signature brew pub.”
Restaurant goers grabbing a beer or some food at Northwood will notice some extensive changes in the revamped menu. In addition to a few burgers on the menu such as the Northwood Burger, Basecamp Burger, Lamb Burger and Turkey Burger, Northwood also offers a whole slew of new entrees.
The Woodsman, a tender elk shank slow cooked in barley wine and served over roasted garlic mashed potatoes with seasonal veggies and au jus, has been one of the more popular entree items, according to Starr.
Also popular with customers is the Creekside Trout. This dish consists of boneless trout dusted with cornmeal, fried up “camp” style with lemon butter sauce and served with baked beans, seasonal veggies and honey cornbread.
“This dish fits our Northwood idea perfectly,” Starr said. “It’s basically exactly the way you would cook it over a campfire.”
Some other new notable entree items include Northwood BBQ Spare Ribs, Fish Tacos with grilled fish instead of fried and Shrimp Jambalaya.
Under the Sandwiches & Burgers category, a new popular item is the Kentucky Hot Brown, which is an open-faced turkey sandwich, smothered in creamy cheese sauce with crispy bacon and sliced tomatoes, a Southern classic popular at the Kentucky Derby. To go along with the Kentucky Derby theme, the bar at Northwood also offers a Mint Julep, a cocktail consisting primarily of bourbon and fresh mint. Northwood’s bar even serves the Mint Julep in a tradition metal cup.
A few new appetizers that Northwood has on their menu include Steamer Clams, a one-pound bowl of Manila clams cooked in a savory garlic-white wine sauce and served with cheesy garlic bread; Northwood Cheesy Fries, fresh fries covered with white cheddar cheese curds, creamy cheese sauce and bacon crumbles; and, on the healthier side, a Fresh Garden Plate with a colorful array of fresh veggies served cold and crisp with a garlicky Tuscan white bean dip.
Although Starr said the new menu contains many “pub grub” type items, as well as more full entrees, staff at Northwood are also aiming to offer some healthier selections, including several salads such as the Roasted Beet Salad and Seared Ahi Spinach Salad, and also healthier alternatives for burgers like substituting a veggie patty of Portobello mushroom cap instead of a meat patty.
When it’s time for dessert, Northwood has numerous items to choose from, made by Pastry Chef Christine McKernan. On some days, the restaurant also offers dessert pies made by Starr’s wife Paula. Other desserts include a Walnut Crunch Tart, Red Velvet Cake, a Caramel Apple Chai Cheesecake and others.
In the beer department, Starr said they recently added six more beer taps in the bar, bringing their total to 16 taps. They have a draft cider on tap, as well as beers from several area breweries around the Clark County/Columbia Gorge area.
Northwood’s own nanobrewery, Little Dipper Brewing Company, is also now up and running, with an initial test batch in kegs. An official release date for their first brew will be announced by mid summer. Starr said additional equipment is still being added to allow regular production of high-quality, small-batch brews.
The family feel and Pacific Northwest feel can be felt throughout Northwood just by looking at a few of the photos and decorations adorning the walls. Behind the bar, a large black-and-white 1920s photo of Starr’s own grandfather and one of his buddies shows the two out trekking through the woods, while another shows his father holding up a salmon he had just caught on the Toutle River. Yet another photograph shows former President Teddy Roosevelt standing in front of a tree in Yosemite National Park.
“I want to create an appreciation for this place (the Pacific Northwest),” Starr said.
Northwood Public House & Brewery is located at 1401 SE Rasmussen Blvd., in the Battle Ground Village. The restaurant is open Sun.-Thur., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Happy Hour is from 3-6 p.m. and 9 p.m.-close daily. The restaurant also offers specials every day of the week. Visit their website at www.northwoodpublichouse.com or call (360) 723-0937 for more information.
