WOODLAND — A new bar and grill in Woodland boasts a full menu of pub fare made with local ingredients paired with a growing list of regular activities.
Woodland Northbound Taphouse — 1350 Atlantic Ave. — had a snowy start when it celebrated its grand opening Feb. 14, but owners Janet Dearing and Jason Bisconer say they’ve been warmly embraced by the Woodland community.
“This community has been incredible,” Dearing said. “Woodland is growing, but they still have a small-town heart.”
The pub is the couple’s first foray into the restaurant industry, and Dearing and Bisconer pride themselves on using local ingredients. Bisconer pointed to the top of the menu showing they source the beef for their burgers from McPhee’s Butcher Block in Woodland and breads from Kalama Sourdough Bakery.
He said that “even if it’s a little more” to use the breads baked in Kalama, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We like to give back to the community,” Bisconer said.
Woodland Northbound offers up to 18 beers on tap, including one nitro tap, with a rotation of locally made brews available. Recently the taps included Ridgefield Craft Brewing’s Stari Night milk stout, Shoug of Washougal’s blackberry Hefeweizen and Loowit Brewing of Vancouver’s Snow’s Ghost double white imperial golden stout.
“What we bring in is driven by our customers,” Dearing said. “Local is important to us.”
But the crowd-pleasing brews the pub plans to always have on tap include Coors Light, Rainer, Modelo Especial, Blue Moon and Boneyard IPA.
A sports bar in the works slated to open above the dining area in mid-March will add more taps and give Woodland another community meeting spot. Bisconer recently was preparing to hang 10 flat-screen TVs in the upstairs hangout: nine 55-inch screens and one 85-incher.
The space also includes an electronic dartboard, and Bisconer is testing a setup for karaoke that he hopes to have live later this month.
The tap house has a growing list of regular activities including live music on Fridays, Taco Tuesdays and Wings Wednesdays.
“We’ll add more as we go,” Dearing said.
