View full size
2012 Spring Wine Guide: To dine in wine country
If you want to get your day of wine tasting off to a great start, begin with an upscale breakfast at the Crescent Cafe in McMinnville. Late spring and early summer can be a glorious time to visit Yamhill County. The chance of getting a clear day increases with every turn of the calendar page, and when it’s sunny, you can enjoy dramatic vistas from the tasting rooms of wineries such as Domaine Serene and Lange Estate, which are very picnic-friendly. On dreary days, you’ll want to keep the blanket and the picnic basket in the trunk, and hit one of wine country’s wonderful restaurants for lunch or dinner. If possible, call ahead to ensure a table. The competition for tables at some restaurants can be fierce.
Bistro Maison: This delicious French bistro, with its cozy dining rooms and paper-topped tables, makes a convivial spot for a light lunch or a hearty dinner. Don’t miss the popular mussels that have been simmered in white wine, shallots and fresh herbs, served with homemade french fries, or the rustic coq au vin — both are a real deal at lunch, running just $16 and $15, respectively. And don’t overlook the daily specials, which include bouillabaisse and cassoulet. 739 N.E. Third St., McMinnville; 503-474-1888; bistromaison.com
Community Plate: This breakfast and lunch spot focuses on old-school cookery such as homemade granola, and biscuits and gravy, snacks like deviled eggs and spiced hazelnuts, and American classics like tuna melts, baked macaroni and cheese, and hand-cut fried potatoes. All menu items are made with ingredients grown nearby, keeping the kitchen as locally focused as possible. The best of both the breakfast and lunch menus are combined on Sundays for one of the best brunches in wine country. 315 N.E. Third St., McMinnville; 503-687-1902; communityplate.com
Crescent Cafe: When you walk into this happy breakfast and lunch spot, you’ll get a friendly hello from the dapper staff and a cup of strong coffee to sip while you wait for a table. The food proves worth the wait, whether it’s a perfectly prepared plate of corned beef hash or a stack of buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas. All the bread is made from scratch, including English muffins and potato-sourdough. If you like the bread, you can score a loaf to go. 526 N.E. Third St., McMinnville; 503-435-2655
Cuvée Restaurant: When chef-owner Gilbert Henry ran his seafood-centric Portland restaurant Winterborne, diners counted on a quirky dining experience with a heavy dose of cream sauce. Then he transplanted his act to Carlton and took a more mainstream approach. You’ll still find his signature crab juniper, with piping hot port-cream reduction, but you’ll also find beef Bourguignon and a rib-eye with pommes frites. 214 W. Main St., Carlton; 503-852-6555; cuveedining.com
Dundee Bistro: This casual restaurant emphasizes local, of-the-moment ingredients, many of them culled from the Willamette Valley, like a pizza topped with roasted chicken and squash, or chicken breast with lobster mushrooms and fingerling potatoes. While the restaurant is owned by the Ponzi wine family (they also own the adjacent Ponzi Tasting Room and Wine Bar), the wine menu reads like a who’s who of Oregon pinot noir producers. 100-A S.W. Seventh St., Dundee; 503-554-1650; dundeebistro.com
Joel Palmer House: Jack and Heidi Czarnecki opened this regional destination restaurant in 1997, relocating to Oregon from Pennsylvania because they wanted to cook close to the source of some of the world’s greatest wild mushrooms. The devotion to the fungi shows in the menu, with many dishes from chef Christopher Czarnecki (Jack and Heidi’s son) featuring hard-to-find varieties as a focal point (like a three-mushroom tart) or as subtle flavor counterpoints in sauces. For the full mushroom experience, opt for the $80-per-person “Mushroom Madness Menu,” a multi-course feast with mushrooms in every dish. Yes, even dessert! 600 Ferry St., Dayton; 503-864-2995; joelpalmerhouse.com
Jory: Newberg’s Allison Inn Spa features a first-class restaurant to go with its premium accommodations. The 84-seat dining room offers dramatic views of Yamhill County’s rolling hills, and the atmosphere is lush furnishings, fine linens and premium wine stemware. Chef de cuisine Sunny Jin emphasizes Northwest ingredients, with seafood playing a starring role. And because it’s connected to a hotel, there’s a full breakfast menu with things like brioche French toast and Dungeness crab Benedict. 2525 Allison Lane, Newberg, inside the Allison Inn Spa; 503-554-2526; theallison.com
La Rambla Restaurant Bar: Even on the rainiest Willamette Valley day, you always get a dash of sunny Spain at this fast-paced restaurant. Mix and match dishes from menus of hot and cold tapas, with nibbles like beef and pork meatballs, Rioja-braised calamari, and roasted beets with goat cheese. Then dig into a paella studded with shrimp, clams, chicken, chorizo and green beans. And if by the end of the day you’ve had your fill of wine, focus on the long list of specialty cocktails, including a dozen martinis. Daily happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. features about 10 light bites at $3-$5. 238 N.E. Third St., McMinnville; 503-435-2126; laramblaonthird.com
Nick’s Italian Cafe: This Italian kitchen has replaced its set-price, multi-course dinners with an a la carte menu, making it easier to afford dinner at this landmark wine country restaurant (though you can still order a $65 five-course chef’s menu). Focus on hand-made pastas like gnocchi and ravioli before segueing into heartier fare. If you want to eat less formally, there’s the Back Room, where locals and winemakers gather for simple wood-fired pizzas and simpler dishes. 521 N.E. Third St., McMinnville; 503-434-4471; nicksitaliancafe.com
The Painted Lady: This all-organic, Northwest-focused kitchen, which has been rated the Portland area’s best in a Zagat survey of America’s top restaurants, is open for dinner only, making it a perfect spot to stop while heading back to Portland after a day of wine country discoveries. Chef-owner Allen Routt offers a $65, five-course tasting menu that showcases the local and seasonal aesthetic (there’s a similarly priced vegetarian menu, too). For an additional $45 they’ll pair wines with each dish, though you can chart your own course from the well-chosen list of Northwest wines, including a nice selection of by-the-glass options. 201 S. College St., Newberg; 503-538-3850; thepaintedladyrestaurant.com
Paulée: As of press time, this new restaurant in the former Farm to Fork space at Dundee’s The Inn at Red Hills was still under construction, with an anticipated late-May opening. The name comes from the annual Burgundian harvest festival that brings farmers and winemakers together, which gives you a sense of what the kitchen’s mission will be. Heading the kitchen is chef Daniel Mondok, who developed a strong following at his Portland restaurant Sel Gris, and who spent time cooking at The Heathman Restaurant and Genoa. Expect a French-influenced menu built on local ingredients. 1410 N. Highway 99W, Dundee; 503-538-7970; innatredhills.com
Red Hills Market: One of the best new additions to wine country eating in recent years is this gourmet grocery and restaurant, where wood-fired ovens make crispy-crust pizzas and an ever-changing quiche. Hand-crafted sandwiches are filled with things like roasted turkey and cream cheese, Italian salami with provolone and arugula, and roast beef with blue cheese and caramelized onions. For $11, there’s the Vintner’s Lunch combo, which features a whole sandwich, Kettle Chips and a homemade cookie — perfect for take-out to enjoy at a winery picnic. 155 S.W. Seventh St., Dundee; 971-832-8414; redhillsmarket.com
Thistle: Chef Eric Bechard had a deserved following when he was chef at Portland’s now-closed Alberta Street Oyster Bar Grill. Now he and Emily Howard run what’s easily one of the most intimate and best restaurants in wine country, which was named The Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year for 2011. The dining room has seating for about 20, with a few additional seats available at the chef’s counter, which overlooks the tiny kitchen where Bechard works the six-burner range like a culinary maestro. The chalkboard menu changes every day, with an array of small plates emphasizing local produce, seafood and meat. The idea is to mix and match two or three items to make a meal — a tapas approach to Northwest cuisine that’s refreshing. 228 N. Evans St., McMinnville; 503-472-9623; thistlerestaurant.com
Tina’s: This longtime Dundee restaurant celebrated 20 years last year and underwent a transformation, offering more vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options alongside its traditional meaty dishes built on local ingredients, like braised lamb shanks and red wine and honey-glazed roasted rabbit. To drink, don’t miss the long list of Oregon pinot noirs, including many hard-to-find vintages that are perfect for special occasions. 760 Highway 99W, Dundee; 503-538-8880; tinasdundee.com
Grant Butler: Follow him at twitter.com/grantbutler.
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.
Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information
Return from wine to Home Page
If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites:
Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER
