Pesco — Restaurant in Hood River

Pesco offers a refreshingly unique, rotating menu of regional Italian dishes. The combination of fresh local ingredients, with select imports from Italy, produces a flavorful selection that you won’t find anywhere else within sailing distance! I’ve enjoyed the umami of anchovy, and the subtle but distinct flavor of duck, as well as the familiar taste of pomodoro.

Ask the owner/chef, and she’ll proudly tell the story of the dish, and the region it comes from. She’s perfected the preparation process so that every dish is ready in just six minutes after ordering, while having all the freshness and character of a lovingly home made meal.

Whether you’re just passing through, in town for a weekend getaway, or grabbing a quick take-out for a working lunch between meetings, you owe it to your taste buds to sample the menu. Once you’ve had a taste, you’ll want to come back before the other dishes rotate out, and again when new preparations rotate in. Tutto...

The food from Pesco is world class and seems like something you’d find in a Michelin star restaurant, not a sweet little road side stand. We have longed for the food we tasted all over Italy last summer and never would have guessed we would find it on our way out of Hood River. We pulled into the parking lot thinking we would find something average, but what we found was sensational. The gnocchi were perfectly light pillows of potato goodness dressed in a savory red sauce with tender, tiny polpette (meatballs) that surprised and delighted us. The fresh, torn basil added nice color and flavor to this perfect dish. We had the tiramisu, as well. It was as good or better than many of the places we tried it in Italy. It was so good, we went back to buy more for our family at home! It was astonishing to find this place and I can’t...

We ended up here kind of by accident, when the restaurant we originally intended to visit was closed. We decided to give Pesco a try after a quick Google search of nearby restaurants, and I'm so glad we did! Our family of 4 shared 2 pasta dishes, 2 sides of polenta, and 2 orders of desert. Having done no research on this place beforehand, I had no idea what to expect. It was truly amazing. The pasta was so fresh and delicious. The sauces were flavorful and light and just exquisite. My only regret is not ordering everything on the menu. I can’t wait to see what the next menu entails! We will be back!

What we ordered:

Lagane e Cicciari Fresh Pasta with chickpeas

Pasta Alla Mollicata Lucani Red Sauce with Breadcrumb

Sanguinaccio Dolce Dark Chocolate "pudding" with Fresh...