The Drive You Don’t Make… and the Place You Didn’t Know You Were Missing
A night at The Listening Room inside Riverside Restaurant & Bar reveals one of the 98848’s most unexpected hidden gems
Last night my wife and I made a drive I’ve probably only made two or three times in the 18 years I’ve lived here. We headed out toward Sunland Estates, past the familiar edges of Quincy and down into a part of the 98848 that, if we’re honest, most of us don’t spend much time in.
It was one of those clear nights where the stars feel closer than usual. Quiet. Still. The kind of night that reminds you why people choose to live out here in the first place. As we dropped down the switchbacks into Sunland Estates, I had this moment of realizing just how much I didn’t recognize anymore. There was more there than I remembered. More lights. More life than I remembered.
And, as it turns out, something I had completely missed.
We were late. The event had started at seven and we didn’t roll in until almost eight. Parking was tight, which should have been my first clue that something bigger was happening than I expected. As we found a spot and started walking, you could hear the music down the block. It carried out into the night, pulling people in.
That was my introduction to the Riverside Restaurant & Bar and The Listening Room.
I’ll be honest with you. Until recently, I didn’t even know it existed.
Walking through the front door, the place was alive. People laughing, talking, moving around. It wasn’t the kind of “bar scene” people tend to picture. It was bright, welcoming, and full of energy in a way that felt intentional, not chaotic. Someone behind the bar caught our eye, smiled, and without hesitation said, “You’re here for The Listening Room—come on back.” That kind of welcome sets the tone.
As we made our way down the hallway, the music got louder, fuller, more present. Then the door opened.
And everything changed.
The room was packed wall to wall. Low lighting, small tables, soft candle-style lights, a small stage with just enough color to draw your focus without overpowering the space. Every seat filled. Every person engaged. It wasn’t just noise. It was attention. People were listening.
That was the moment it hit me.
How did I not know this was here?
After nearly two decades in the 98848, I had somehow missed one of the most unique spaces in our community.
The event itself was a Listening Room show featuring Scott Heuston, joined by a guitarist from his band Saltwater Sky. If you’ve never experienced this kind of setup, it’s very different from what most of us are used to. This isn’t a bar band playing in the background while people talk over them. This is an intentional, intimate concert experience.
You’re not watching from a distance. You’re part of it.
We were seated just a few feet from the performers. Close enough to see expressions, hear the stories behind the songs, catch the jokes between sets. The artist wasn’t separated from the crowd. He was in it. Talking with people, answering questions, reacting to the room in real time. At one point I shook his hand, talked with him for a few minutes, and realized I was sitting at a table with the wife of one of the performers.
That doesn’t happen at the Gorge.
And that’s not a knock on the Gorge. We’re lucky to have one of the best concert venues in the country right here. But this is something different. This is connection.
The Riverside Restaurant & Bar has built something that isn’t about being loud for the sake of loud or busy for the sake of busy. The Listening Room is a small, intentional space designed for people to experience music together. Not just hear it but experience it.
And it works.
The room was full, shoulder to shoulder, and yet it never felt overwhelming. I’m not a crowd person. I don’t enjoy loud, packed environments. But this felt different. Comfortable. Connected. You could lean over and talk to your spouse without shouting. You could meet the people around you without it feeling forced. By the end of the night, the room didn’t feel like a crowd. It felt like a group of friends.
The music was great. Country, a mix of originals and familiar covers that had the whole room singing along by the end of the night. But what stood out wasn’t just the music. It was how present everyone was. People weren’t distracted. They were in it. Laughing, listening, responding.
It was a shared experience, not just entertainment.
The food deserves a mention too. We ordered a meat lovers pizza, and they didn’t hold back. Generous, solid, the kind of meal you’re happy to take home leftovers from. Good drinks, good service, and a staff that clearly understands what they’re trying to build there.
It is also worth noting that nights like this take support. Last night’s event included sponsorship help from Bob Feil Boats & Motors in East Wenatchee, and it was good to see a long-standing local business helping support live music and community experiences like this one.
But support alone doesn’t create a space like this. That starts with the people behind it.
And that’s where Brian and Regina Demers come in.
They’re the owners of Riverside Restaurant & Bar, and the driving force behind The Listening Room. Talking with Brian after the show, it’s clear this didn’t happen by accident. Over the past year, they’ve intentionally built this space into something more than just a restaurant or bar. Their vision is simple and powerful: create a place where people come together, experience music, and connect.
Not just another night out. Something better.
And here’s the part I think matters for all of us in the 98848.
Sunland Estates can feel like it’s “out there.” A little removed. Quincy, George, Crescent Bar—we think of those as connected. Sunland sometimes feels like its own thing.
It’s not.
What’s happening out there is part of our community. Sunland Estates has grown from a housing area to a thriving part of our community we should all be paying attention to. I am honestly surprised it is not officially incorporated yet.
There were people in that room from all over—Quincy, Wenatchee, even up toward Chelan. People who had already found this place that I, somehow, had completely missed. And they weren’t just attending. They were part of it. Welcoming, open, glad to have new faces in the room.
There wasn’t a stranger in the place for long.
Now, full transparency. I was invited out by Regina as a thank you for sharing their events on the Good Morning Quincy WA Newscast. The tickets were comped. I paid for our food and drinks. There’s no payment for this story, and no obligation tied to it.
I’m sharing this because I had no idea this existed, and I have a feeling I’m not the only one.
Places like this matter.
Not because they’re flashy or big, but because they add something to the fabric of the 98848. They give people a reason to get out, to connect, to experience something different. They’re the kind of spaces you usually only find in larger cities, and yet here it is, tucked down in Sunland Estates.
Quietly building something worth paying attention to.
As our community grows, these are the things that change how we experience where we live. It’s not just about schools, roads, or development. It’s about the people who are creating places for connection, for culture, for shared experiences.
The Riverside Restaurant & Bar and The Listening Room are doing exactly that.
If you’ve lived here for years like I have, ask yourself how many times you’ve actually made that drive out to Sunland Estates. Because I can tell you, it’s not the same place I remember.
And if you’ve never experienced a Listening Room show, this is one worth starting with.
It’s not far. It’s not complicated. But it is something special.
Turns out, it was sitting at the end of a drive I just hadn’t made.
And it’s right here in the 98848.