Your Guide to Authentic Regional Eats
On the Washington State line, a short detour off the main road leads to The Oasis, a sprawling roadhouse that has expanded dining room by dining room since it opened some seven decades ago. The Oasis is to modern restaurants what an old pickup truck is to late-model cars: ramshackle and rugged, but endearingly soulful. Art on the walls, much of it displayed with price tags attached, includes portraits of John Wayne and Nez Perce Chief Joseph; in one lounge at the far end are video poker machines and blackjack tables; another dining room is outfitted with handsome chrome-banded black formica dinette sets. We knew we would like this place as soon as we were seated for lunch in a room that provided a good view into the bar. There, perched on stools, were three large X’s in a row: suspenders on the broad backs of three gents in cowboy hats and pointy-toed boots having drinks and shooting the breeze. “How-do?” asked one, tipping his hat in our direction.
