After weeks of rain, the sun finally came out this past weekend. We decided to make the most of it, taking the motorcycles out for what will likely be the last ride of the season and trying the Ukrainian restaurant at the Paradise Village Lodge in Ashford, Washington along the way.

We’ve driven by the Paradise Lodge and its road-side sign touting ‘Ukranian Cuisine’ countless times going to Mt. Rainier National Park. Much as we did with Wildberry a few weeks ago, we finally decided to stop in and try it!

There was ample gravel parking just off the road in front of the complex and only a couple cars. I have to imagine most people stay there on the weekend for easy access to the park and were out hiking and enjoying the beautiful day. We followed the signs away from the bakery and cafe to the restaurant, only to find the door locked! We had a moment of panic – the website said the restaurant was open – and walked back to the cafe to see if someone could help.

Happily there was a young man working behind the counter who said the restaurant kitchen was open and we could order and eat in the cafe. Thank goodness – not that the ride alone wasn’t enjoyable, but we were ready for our late lunch!

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We ordered two dishes to share and then took a seat in front of the window, letting the sunshine warm us up after our brisk ride as we waited for our food.

Two different couples stopped in while we were waiting – one couple ordered coffee drinks before heading on their way, while the other came in, waited impatiently for the guy behind the counter to return, rang the bell multiple times, and then left in a huff.

It did seem odd the guy was gone for so long – not sure where he went but he managed to frustrate and ultimately lose the business of a few would-be customers. Personally, I didn’t mind having the place to ourselves, but it seemed like we lucked out that he happened to be there and willing to help us right away when we walked in.

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We ended up splitting an order of the garlic potato pierogi they had on special – they were as expected although a little under seasoned. Nothing a little salt and pepper couldn’t remedy. The best thing we ordered was the piroshki – fried dough with seasoned chicken inside, flattened into disc halves that we could cut into quarters and eat with our hands. We’d definitely order those again!

We also shared half of a piece of lemon cake and an adorable little stump cake replete with icing mushrooms and leaves for dessert. Both would have benefitted from warming up – they were straight out of the pastry display case, which clearly kept everything quite cold. I thought the lemon cake was better when we ate the other half later at home after dinner.

We also took some macaroons to go – lemon, raspberry and coffee. Brian thought the raspberry was the best while I preferred the lemon. They were all very good, and I’d recommend grabbing a few of those while you’re there, too.

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Beautiful fall ride, a nice break to eat some good food – perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!