May 18, 2007
by Susan Holton for The Columbian

Bahma Coffee Bar has a laid-back atmosphere and light breakfasts, such as an egg, feta and tomato croissant; a turkey, onion, green chili and cheddar quiche; and oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts and cream. (JANET L. MATHEWS/The Columbian)

Why: A fair spring day is reason enough to take a leisurely drive through the Columbia River Gorge to enjoy wildflowers, waterfalls and river views. The prospect of a tasty meal to break up the journey makes the trip more pleasurable. Make an event of it and stop at Bahma Coffee Bar in Stevenson for a light breakfast or lunch before heading home.

Backstory: In 2003, Kent and Dawn Nielson of Mesa, Ariz., decided to move to Stevenson while visiting family in the Northwest. On the long drive home, they discussed the idea of opening Stevenson's first coffeehouse and envisioned a type of sanctuary. In a thesaurus, they found the Hebrew word "Bamah," meaning "one's place of nurturing or sanctuary, a personal place of comfort." They shuffled a letter to arrive at "Bahma" but kept the vision and meaning. In 2006, longtime friend Penny Edlund followed from Arizona and became Bahma co-owner with Dawn Nielson.

You'll love it if: You favor coffee, chai tea, maté tea, frappé freezes, smoothies or chillers. You'll also love Bahma if you prefer light, healthful breakfasts and lunches accompanied by tasty, organic, fair-trade coffee. All are found in a laid-back atmosphere where patrons can view the Columbia River and surf the Net on laptops via Bahma's Wi-Fi connection. You'll also find a cozy space to sip a chai tea latte and knit, read or play board games. Co-owner Edlund jokingly says that several of their regulars use Bahma Coffee Bar as their office. That's fine with Nielson and Edlund. They've even stocked a bookcase-lined wall with books and board games for customers to enjoy along with the food, the atmosphere and the view.

Don't go if: You crave an enormous, truck-stop-style, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast of steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, or hash browns. You should eat elsewhere if you have a hankering for omelets, crepes, pancakes, waffles, French toast or cinnamon rolls.

Cost: Light breakfasts feature croissant sandwiches filled with egg, bacon and cheddar or egg, feta and tomatoes for $6.50. A bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts and cream is $4.95. The Bahma Super Bagel, toasted and served with seasoning and green chili-onion cream cheese, is $3.50. Plain bagels, croissants, muffins and Danish all are less than $2 each.

Bahma's light lunch fare includes panini sandwiches, which are $7.95 or $8.95 and are served with a small salad or fruit. Croissant sandwiches are $6.95. The salads are $5.50 for a basic garden variety to $7.50 for the anything-but-basic pesto chicken and Gorgonzola salad consisting of mixed greens, pesto chicken, Gorgonzola cheese, fire-roasted red peppers and cinnamon-roasted walnuts with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

As for beverages, the house brew starts at $1.50, and refills are just 50 cents. An espresso or Americano starts at $1.65, maté tea starts at $2.50 and chai tea lattes start at $2.75. Cold blended drinks include frappé freezes, fruit smoothies, dairy-free chillers and Italian sodas.

You should know: Bahma offers an atmosphere that is conducive to having a conversation without having to compete with loud, piped-in music. We ordered the breakfast croissant sandwiches with steaming cups of chai tea and hot chocolate. The Da Vinci brand chai was perfectly spiced. The only disappointment was when the fruit served with the breakfast croissants turned out to be nothing more than part of a cut-up orange. We had expected strawberries, melon and plump grapes along with some orange slices.

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music is featured select Friday and Saturday nights. Sometimes a small cover charge applies. Call ahead to find out the schedule.

Where: 256 S.W. Second St. (Highway 14), Stevenson.

Contact: 509-427-8700, www.bahmacoffeebar.com .