o What: A $5 million waterfront restaurant and bar, with casual dining downstairs and fine dining upstairs.
o Where: 56 S. First St., Washougal, at the site of the former Parker House Restaurant.
o Project manager: Russell Brent.
o Employment opportunity: Expected 100 people.
o Opening: May.
o General contractor: RSV Building Solutions, Vancouver.
o Architect: Jeffrey Lightheart, Architects Associative, Vancouver.
The owners of a planned $5 million Washougal restaurant, the Black Pearl on the Columbia River, aim to take full advantage of waterfront views when the venue opens next spring.
They also will take advantage of the short supply of upscale restaurants to serve the growing population of well-heeled residents and corporate executive types in the Camas-Washougal area, said Russell Brent, project manager for Black Pearl on the Columbia LLC, the project’s local investment group.
o What: A $5 million waterfront restaurant and bar, with casual dining downstairs and fine dining upstairs.
o Where: 56 S. First St., Washougal, at the site of the former Parker House Restaurant.
o Project manager: Russell Brent.
o Employment opportunity: Expected 100 people.
o Opening: May.
o General contractor: RSV Building Solutions, Vancouver.
o Architect: Jeffrey Lightheart, Architects Associative, Vancouver.
“It’s very difficult to find corporate meeting space here. I’ve learned there’s a need,” said Brent, 49, who also will serve as general manager of the restaurant.
Now under construction on the site of the former Parker House Restaurant, the new venue’s ground floor will include meeting space for up to 80 people. The downstairs also will feature a bar with seats for 40 patrons and casual dining space spilling onto a landscaped outdoor terrace next to the river.
“We moved the building back (from the original Parker House footprint) to create outside space,” Brent said.
The restaurant’s second floor is designed with banks of glass siding on three sides, offering west-, south- and east-facing views, Brent said.
“We’ve framed Mount Hood and the (Columbia River) Gorge,” he said.
Brent expects to have seating for up to 100 patrons in the restaurant’s second-floor dining room. The venue will feature an exhibition kitchen and a 5,000-bottle wine cellar. Its tables and booths will be oriented to take in the views, Brent said.
“Part of the upstairs dining area will be terraced, with each booth a little bit higher so everybody can see,” he said.
Brent said the Black Pearl’s menu would focus on seafood. Dinner entrees will be priced at around $30 and below, with lunch selections between $8 and $12.
He aims to draw customers from neighborhoods and businesses stretching from the eastern edge of Washougal to the east side of Vancouver.
“I think it’s been overlooked,” Brent said. “The 192nd Avenue corridor is exploding with existing companies like UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and Sharp (Microelectronics), and new ones like Fisher Investments.”
He said the venue would employ approximately 100 people.
Vancouver-based RSV Building Solutions is general contractor of Black Pearl on the Columbia, which is at 56 S. First St. The final development is expected to include parking for between 80 and 120 vehicles.
