Apple Valley BBQ

We were excited to have lunch here after reading all the great reviews and it was part of our Fruit Loop tour. Had a difficult time locating it because it's tucked back between a couple buildings and the sign was rusty. The building just didn't stand out for us. Had to turn around, still didn't find it and had to stop at a restaurant two doors up. They said it's on the other sided of this brown building. Awwwhhh..guess we really weren't looking hard enough but the picture on line showed a bright colored building. This one is a darker blue and is difficult to find.(lost one star) Ok enough about finding the place. We sat outside, it was a nice day to do so. Inside was clean and the help was very friendly. The spinach salad was delish but for $11 you would want a mound of salad and all that was on the plate was a layer to cover the dinner plate. (lost one star). My dad ordered the meatloaf sandwich since he LOVES meatloaf sandwich's and the waitress said everything is made here homemade. Well the two thin slices of meatloaf were like pressed and dried hamburgers from a bad fast food hamburger restaurant. (lost one star). The pear coleslaw was good. I  believe you'll probably be happiest if you stick with the recommendations such as the pulled pork sandwich and the spicy green beans.

After a stop at the Apple Valley Country Store in Hood River (for pumpkin milkshakes), we were told about Apple Valley BBQ (the owners are behind both places) as a possible destination for lunch.  Sounded good to both of us so away we went.

There honestly aren't many places to eat in Parkdale as it is a very small town.  BBQ sounded good on this rainy weekend day.  BBQ sounds good to me anytime actually so you probably shouldn't listen to me.  Lately Sue and I have been trying to eat a bit less so with that in mind we ended up splitting the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($9 and comes with choice of one side) and getting a second side to go with that.

The Spicy Green Beans are amazing.  They are made with one of the jams that they had for sale at the Country Store.  I believe it was a Habanero Jam.  Not super spicy, but definitely super flavorful.  The Garlic Parmesan fries were very good as well.

The Pulled Pork had a nice smokiness to it.  You can tell that some care went into making this BBQ.  Nice BBQ sauces on the table to pair with it.  A regular and a spicy.  Wasn't spicy to me, but still very good.

I would come back here solely for the green beans.  They were that good.  Nice that Parkdale has some good BBQ.  I can absolutely see myself coming back here again.

Perfect BBQ.  What else do you need to know?

I found Apple Valley by accident, as we were driving through Parkdale on the way to Laurence Lake.  My car window was rolled down, and I smelled fruit wood smoke combined with pork.  I yelled, "That's BBQ!  Turn the car around!"

We turned around and got sandwiches and dessert to go for our day at the lake.  We were hooked and have since returned so many times that I have lost count.
Obviously, the pulled pork is great, smoked with wood from the local fruit orchards.  I have also tried the chicken sandwich with an outrageously delicious pepper jelly.  Their mac & cheese dinner is great with a side of the pear coleslaw.

Dessert is a necessity.  Order extra dessert to take home, especially the spice cake.  It is all freshly made in large portions of sugary goodness.

The staff is great, friendly, and gracious.  The drive from home in The Dalles is 50+ minutes and well worth it.

If your only experience here has been on a train stop  (and the abbreviated train-stop lunch menu), come back at dinner for the full menu.  Very family friendly.  They are open in winter, so stop for BBQ on your way back from the mountain.