Raley House History
Continued, Page 3
The room next to the lounge was the family's library. The fireplace is made of intricately carved mahogany and features a brass verde butterfly granite hearth. The gorgeous, Venetian glass chandelier is original and previously was gas operated. The beveled lead glass windows reflects the morning sun rays on the walls.
Throughout the restaurant you will notice that the décor is not Victorian style but features contemporary Native American art work. Some pieces are available for purchase, others we can't part with because of their originality.
In 1997 we were the recipients of the Oregon Restaurant Association's "Restaurateur of the Year" The award is given for our involvement with the association, leadership skills, commitment to staff and the community as well as innovative cuisine.
In 1999, during the month of August a fire broke out in the old Wm. Roesch Brewery that was located behind our restaurant. Due to the explosions and fiery debris that landed on the roof, our restaurant and home burned. The entire top of the building was burned out and the facility had to be torn down to the studs and rebuilt. While they were tearing down the walls I thought maybe we would find a bag of gold coins or jewelry that was once stashed and forgotten but to no avail. The only treasure we found was an old empty whiskey bottle behind the basement wall, now the bottle rests on the shelf in the lounge.
While we were in the midst of remodeling our building engineer was working on another project. When they tore down a wall a very old map fell out dating back to the late 1800's. After some researching he discovered that the Raley home was not originally built in 1904 but was built in 1876 by a single pioneer woman raising three children. We are searching for more information and pictures about this part of the history.
In 2000, during the month of July, after extensive remodeling we reopened our restaurant. We welcome everyone to come in and enjoy the ambiance and Chef Rob's northwest cuisine. We have an extensive menu and feature unique chef entrees monthly. Since 1985 we are known for our Huckleberry Daiquiri's, Filet of Salmon topped with a huckleberry puree and wild game entrees.
We have a passion for our business and enjoy entertaining. We like to think of our restaurant as having a dinner party every night... but we don't know who's going to show up - - We get to visit with old friends and meet new acquaintances! Thank you for coming in & Bon Appetite.
Chef Rob and Raphael Hoffman, Proprietors
We have been serving Eastern Oregon since 1985 and this year we are celebrating our twenty first year of Service!