As we ascended the stairs to the wooden deck that is the outdoor portion of the restaurant at Cultus Resort, I was struck by its shaded tranquility: beautiful mixed flowers trailing down pots hung from tall tree branches. Cultus Lake lapping on the private beach shore below us. Purple, pink, and white petunias outlining a stone patio next to the deck. An enormous barbecue can be seen under the trees. Two smoker cabinets are next to the screen door of the restaurant. The atmosphere is lovely and welcoming. It was busy the evening I went, but I did not have to wait.

Marie, my friendly, eager server, was attentive despite handling several tables. The resort recently lost four employees, but Marie told me that it’s a good job. Servers get to live rent-free and are fed at the resort. It’s a seasonal job with virtually no living expenses and a gorgeous setting. Her happiness was evident in her big smile and her quick-to-please attitude.

Kate and Devan Dunn bought Cultus Lake Resort three years ago after acquiring the nearby Twin Lakes Resort. The couple wanted a menu that was a step up from typical resort food for the Cultus Lake restaurant. They brought in Chris Waley, an accomplished chef who had opened restaurants from San Francisco to New York to create the menu. It leans toward smoked and barbecued meats and is different than the Twin Lakes menu.

For example, Cultus Lake Resort has appetizers not found on the other resort’s menu, including fried mushrooms, smoked wings and dirty fries — cajun fries with barbecue pulled pork, bacon, cheese, diced tomatoes and cilantro. I ordered jalapeno poppers. Sadly, they ran out just before I ordered. There is no side salad on the menu, so my only option was to order a dinner-sized beet and goat cheese salad.

Before the salad could be delivered, my trout entree was set on the table. The seared rainbow trout was fine. Lightly dusted with the barbecue rub used on the meats, it lay naked on a white paper covering a red tray. The Cultus Lake restaurant doesn’t use plates for dinner entrees and appetizers. That night’s starch was pan-fried potatoes with the same barbecue rub seasoning. I ordered a steamed vegetable side, which turned out to be small broccoli florets. They were fresh and cooked firm, but not crunchy, with a slathering of butter. The meal was good. It was tasty, but uninspired both in flavor and presentation.

For a second dish, I ordered the brisket plate that I tasted but ultimately took to go. A red line along the edge of the meat indicated that it had been marinated before it was smoked. The meat was tender, but the sauced edges were charred and crispy where I might have expected the sauce to be caramelized. It came with the same potatoes, which were perfectly crisp on the outside and creamy within. It was the fried cauliflower that was my favorite item of the night. Flash fried, the cauliflower is drizzled with a chipotle aioli that added a hint of spice. Not only were they tasty, but they were also cooked perfectly and held together when pierced with a fork.

The large salad arrived. This would make for a light but filling meal if you were to add salmon or chicken. Generous helpings of cucumbers and goat cheese crumble piled atop fresh mixed greens with red onion confit, cucumbers and sliced pickled beets. A smooth, not tangy, balsamic dressing pulled it together. It was a good salad that I would get again on a hot day.

A friend joined me on the return visit for breakfast. The morning menu includes a Denver scramble with diced ham, onions and peppers, a tomato and goat cheese scramble, French toast, and pancakes. Other items make use of the barbecued meats, including a smoked pulled pork hash and the Cultus Lake scramble that my friend ordered.

The Cultus Lake was a scramble with smoked pork, diced sweet red peppers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. It had a hint of Southwest flavor and was topped with bacon, a sprinkle of barbecue rub and a generous layer of cheddar cheese. The scramble came with sliced, buttery home fries with the barbecue rub season and crisped on the outside.

I opted for the French toast with sausage and eggs. It wasn’t as special as my friend’s meal, but it was satisfying. The five pieces of thin French toast were sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with packages of syrup and foil-wrapped butter. One never knows what they’ll get when they order breakfast sausage — flat patty, shaped links or links in casings. These were fat links in a casing, with a hint of smokiness. They were some of the better breakfast sausages I’ve had.

This is clearly a restaurant at a resort. After renting a jet ski, kayak, stand-up paddleboard or pontoon boat with a group of family or friends, you can head over and get good food. The ambiance and the original chef’s pedigree gave me higher expectations. Still, if you venture up the Cascade Lakes Highway , want to enjoy a lovely view and don’t expect a gourmet meal, you should be pleased with the food at Cultus Lake Resort.