Men of Honor

This Saturday at 8 p.m. we are happy to host our local extras from the movie "Men of Honor," part of which was filmed right here at the Rat Tap Tavern! Join Tim and Tom to talk about their .2 seconds of fame and all of the behind-the-scenes excitement! They might even let you wear their standard-issue sailor caps.

Join us for great food and great conversation ~ The Rat Crew

Karaoke tonight!

The River Rat Tap crew is happy to have DJ Joe manning the mic tonight for karaoke from 7-10 p.m. Join us and show us what you're made of!

~The Rat Crew

Join Us This Weekend!

We have a great weekend lineup at the Rat Tap! 

On Friday, enjoy the classic rock and blues of the Lost Creek Ramblers from 7 to 9 p.m.  They put on a great show last time, so don't miss them this weekend!  

On Saturday, DJ Joe hosts karaoke starting at 7 p.m., so come sing your favorites and show us what you're made of! 

We hope you join us!  ~Jen, Alex and Cindy

Valentine's Day is Almost Here

Join us this Thursday, February 14, 2008 for a Rustic Italian Spaghetti Dinner, including:

Artichoke Spinach Dip with Housemade White Corn Chips
Mixed Greens, Red Onion and Tomato Salad
Spaghetti Pasta with Garlic Basil Marinara and Greyfields beef Meatballs
French Garlic Baguettes
Choice of Dessert
Glass of Wine or Pint of Beer

Let us help you make your Valentine's Day special!

Couples - $39.99 Single courses - $19.99

Reservations suggested, but not required - call us at 795.0099

Updates

We hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and are still feeling the glow of being around family and friends. We have been busy cooking up some new things for 2008 and we're excited to share them with you:

New Beer

San Francisco's famous Anchor Steam®, the classic of American brewing tradition since 1896, is virtually handmade, with an exceptional respect for the ancient art of brewing. The deep amber color, thick creamy head, and rich flavor all testify to their time-tested brewing method, using an all-malt mash in their handmade copper brewhouse. It's a refreshing light beer that will please even those sticklers for domestics.


Certified Organic Amber Ale is a medium-bodied beer with an appealing deep amber hue. The organic pale, Munich, and crystal malts create a gentle sweet character that is difficult to resist. From organic Hallertauer hops come a zesty flavor and aroma that beautifully balance Organic Amber’s malt character.

New Food

Join us for lunch or dinner and try our Chicken Parmesan with breaded chicken, marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese or our Jambalaya with red and green bell peppers and a tender chicken skewer.

If you're in the mood for something lighter, order the chicken skewer appetizer with cranberry-barbecue or teriyaki glaze, or a basket of our hot and crispy Black & Tan onion rings. They're our new favorites!

We look forward to your company, and we hope to see you soon! ~ Jennifer, Alex and Cindy

Happy Holidays!

The Rat Tap Crew wishes our current and future patrons a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year! Stay safe and enjoy the company of your family and friends.

The Rat Tap Tavern will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We hope to see you soon!

Now Serving Lunch

We are starting new hours for the winter, and we're now open for lunch!

The new hours:

Monday - Closed
Tuesday - 11:30 am-8 pm
Wednesday - 11:30 am-8 pm
Thursday - 11:30 am-8pm
Friday - 11:30 am-8 pm
Saturday - 2 pm-10 pm
Sunday - Closed

Join us for a burger and a pop, or a hot bowl of gumbo and french roll!

--The Rat Crew

Thanksgiving Limited Hours

We'll be open at 8:30 p.m. for the Gonzaga game on ESPU - join us after your Thanksgiving feast!

Have a wonderful Turkey day and don't forget to join us for lunch starting Tuesday, November 27th!

--The Rat Crew

Research

The Rat Crew is taking off Saturday, November 17th, to tour the Widmer brewery in Portland! We'll be closed, but we'll still be working on bringing the best Northwest beer back to Cathlamet. Stop by so we can tell you all about it!

--The Rat Crew

New This Week

The Beer



We are really excited to have a new beer on tap...we just added the Vortex IPA from Fort George brewery in Astoria! This IPA is made with generous additions of Cascade, Simcoe and Palisade hops throughout the brewing, fermentation and conditioning phases, balanced with heaps of organic pale malt. The result is a strong, hoppy, yet still balanced beer with no super-bitter aftertaste. It is currently our favorite, and we bet it will become one of your favorites too!

The Food



In a couple weeks, we will start making our burgers with grass-fed beef from Greyfields Farm, right here on Puget Island! Their animal products are produced “naturally" which means they use no feed medicated with antibiotics or hormones to promote unnatural growth rates. We're lucky to have such quality food right here in our community and we're proud to have it on our menu.

Stop by and see us soon! --The Rat Crew

Greg Parke this weekend

Greg Parke is back! Greg will be playing this Saturday around 8 p.m. so come enjoy what is always a great show and of course, one of our great beers. Greg plays a lot of classic rock and hopefully he'll play a few of the original songs that he has been working on.

On a food note, we now have fresh, organic produce from the Stockhouse Farm on Puget Island! We'll be trying some new recipes and incorporating the fresh ingredients into our existing menu, so don't miss out! Also, we'll occasionally have delicious, grass-fed beef from the Greyfields farm, also on Puget Island. You can check them out yourself at www.greyfields.net. If you haven't tried their beef, you don't know what you're missing...it is fantastic. We are so excited to have such quality food right here in our County and we can't wait to share it with you!

Stop by soon! The Rat Crew

Introducing our newest seasonal...Rogue Brewery's Santa's Private Reserve in a 12 ounce bottle. Rogue’s annual holiday offering is a variation of the classic Saint Rogue Red, but with double the hops--including Chinook, and Centennial, and a mystery hop called Rudolph by head brewer John "more hops" Maier! For you hop-heads, this holiday elixir is brewed with two-row Harrington, Klages and Munich malts, along with Hugh Baird 30-37, Carastan 13-17, and Crystal 70-80 malts, plus free range coastal water and John’s proprietary top-fermenting Pacman yeast.

We have a very small supply and it will go fast, so come on by and grab a burger, pulled pork sandwich or our lobster bisque with a bottle of Santa's Private Reserve!

Hallo-weekend

This weekend we'll be partying...

This Friday is Freaky Friday at the Rat - we'll have prizes for great costumes, drink and food specials, and music by DJ Joe. We'll be dressed up, too - come join us!

The Wahkiakum County Democrats are taking over the tavern on Saturday - they welcome anyone who wants to hang out with them and talk politics or whatever else you feel like.

...eating good food...

We're featuring a smoked salmon salad with shallots and cucumbers from the Two Islands Farm Market, Gala apple slices, crumbled bacon and locally caught and smoked salmon. We also have a lobster bisque with french bread that is really yummy and is perfect for warming you up as the days get colder.

...and enjoying great beer!

Right now, we have a limited supply of Widmer's Oktoberfest, and Red Hook ESB. Soon, our rotating taps will feature Widmer Snowplow and Rogue Shakespeare Stout. Try out these awesome beers before they're gone!

See you soon! --The Rat Crew

Live Music This Friday!

We are happy to have the Floating Glass Balls play at the Rat this Friday at 8 p.m.! This band plays an upbeat mix of folk, traditional and bluegrass music that they've made their own - it's been labeled "beachgrass."

"We're into the second set. Spud, the intense fellow with the bandana and mandolin, has been taken suddenly barefoot and Gary's fiddle is having its way with him again. Joel and his six-string are kicking up serious dust, Dan's watching a melody sliding around on his dobro, and Bill's hugging his bass, eyes closed, nodding his head and smiling that smile. People are whooping and hollering and stomping their feet. You'd have to have been there. Next time, maybe you should be."

— Michael Burgess

Check out their website at www.floatingglassballs.com and enjoy their music at the Rat Tap Tavern this Friday!

--the Rat Crew

Shuffleboard and Soup!

We just installed a shuffleboard table and all it needs is someone to play on it! We're having a SHUFFLEBOARD TOURNAMENT this Saturday starting at 8 p.m. with a $50 GRAND PRIZE for the winner - it's just $5 to enter and show off your shuffle skills.

While you're with us, try our special this week - Yukon Potato & Cheddar Soup with crispy French Bread. It's getting colder out, and this is the perfect way to warm up.

We hope to see you soon!

--The Rat Crew

Fall News

School has started, the tourists are fewer, and we're heading into the fall season here in Cathlamet. Here at the Rat, we have changed to fall hours and we have some new items on the menu. We now have gumbo, shrimp po'boys and pulled pork sandwiches to complement our traditional burgers and fish n' chips. Come on in and let us know what you think.

As for the beer, we will soon be adding Dick Danger Ale to our extensive line-up. Dick's brewery is located in Centralia, Washington and we are excited to be able to offer another good, local beer.

We hope to see you soon!

-- The Rat Crew

New This Week

We're constantly striving to improve our menu here at the Rat, and we've come up with a few items we think you'll love:

--Hush Puppies - Hush Puppies are cornmeal fry bread, and ours have onion and parsley in them. They are a delicious side to any of our burgers and also super tasty on their own and dipped in your favorite sauce. Try them in our Rat platter, too, which also includes our large seasoned chicken strips and new beer-battered onion rings.

--Beer Battered Onion Rings - We finally have onion rings, and these are sweet and crispy! Try them alone or on our BBQ burger.

--Cajun Burger - Our newest burger is inspired by the owner's family home, New Orleans - this juicy Chuck burger is seasoned with Cajun spices and covered with Provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and Creole mustard. It is served on Ciabatta bread, and it is great, if we do so say ourselves!

Come in and visit us soon!

--The Rat Crew

Construction Hours

Broadway Street is undergoing a major facelift for the rest of the summer! The mess requires us to temporarily change our hours of operation - for the next few weeks this is it:

Monday - Closed
Tuesday - 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Wednesday - 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Thursday - 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday - Noon to midnight
Saturday - Noon to midnight
Sunday - Noon to 8 p.m.

Thanks for your patience during the construction...we think the new road will be worth it.

--The Rat Crew

Live Music this Saturday

Greg Parke is playing at the Rat this Saturday starting at 8 p.m.! Hailing from Skamokawa, Greg plays his original songs as well as rock classics on acoustic and electric guitar. He's an excellent entertainer and we're excited that he is available this weekend! Check out his website at http://www.gregparke.com/home.html.

On a sad note, the Rat crew lost a dearly loved friend and father on Saturday, August 4. The Rat Tap will be closed this Friday, August 10 in honor of Michael Johnson, M.D. We appreciate your patience during this difficult time, and we look forward to seeing you another day.

--The Rat Crew

We're Opening for Lunch

Starting Wednesday, August 1st, the Rat will open at noon for lunch! We will have our regular menu, which features our 1/2 pound Rat Burger, 1/3 pound Salsa and BBQ burgers as well as a Crispy Chicken Burger and Tropical Chicken Salad. We will also have a Soup of the Day.

What Else Is New?

We are also starting Taco Tuesday and Fish Fry-day this week, so come have a Beef or Fish Taco or Fish and Chips - it will be a beautiful week to enjoy the deck!

We are introducing a new beer to our selection - Blue Moon Belgian White Ale. It's an unfiltered wheat ale with a hint of citrus. Enjoy it with an orange or lemon slice.

Play pool for free on Sunday! Tuesday through Saturday you can play pool for $3.00 per hour, or $1.00 per game.

The Town of Cathlamet is starting construction on Broadway Street this week - in a month or so, we will have a shiny new street with sidewalks and bright lighting, but in the meantime, there will be a bit of a mess - we appreciate your patronage during this time.

--The Rat Crew