October 21, 2003
"Where's The Beef?"
Dining in North Willamette Valley Wine Country
You are in Yamhill County. You have just visited the final winery
on your tour of the day. You think to yourself "hey, I'm hungry!" You
turn to your touring companion and suggest dinner.
Where should you go? I am so glad that you asked! Dundee, Dayton and McMinnville are truly becoming epicurean delights. The foods awaiting you almost make that pesky traffic jam in Dundee worth the wait.
Luncheon Locations
Let's back up a bit. Two of my suggestions are also great for lunch! You can dine in at one and take out at the other.
The Dundee Bistro
100 A SW 7th Avenue
Dundee, Oregon
(503) 554-1650
Bright and airy is the best way to describe the ambiance at the Dundee Bistro. One entire wall is bright windows. Another houses a wonderful fireplace and there is even a cozy corner near the front of the restaurant that is darker and quiet. During the warmer months, dining is also offered al fresco.
The menu has something to please everyone in your party. From wood-fired pizza's to fish and chips. From pastas to steaks. It's all here. The Fish and Chips with homemade tartar sauce has always been one of my personal favorites.
The wine list is well thought out by the bottle and the glass.
Harvest Fresh
251 E 3rd St.
McMinnville, Oregon
(503)472-5740
This grocery store, in the heart of downtown McMinnville, is one great
spot to pick up a picnic lunch. They have one of the best deli counters
that I've seen. Deli meats, cheeses, salads, desserts. Everything you
need for a picnic on your day of touring.
Many local wineries purchase foods at Harvest Fresh to enjoy during bottling
and harvest. The food is excellent, well presented and priced perfectly
for a day in wine country.
Dinner Venues in Dundee
Now let's get back to dinner ideas. There are two restaurants that are "must
dine at" spots in Dundee. Red Hills Provincial Dining and Tina's.
Red Hills Provincial Dining
276 N Hwy 99W
Dundee, OR 97115-9744
(503) 538-8224
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the state. Owners/Chefs Richard and Nancy Gherts have created a wonderful atmosphere in a former home. The dining room is divided in to parts. At one end, the former living room, you find a cozy fireplace. They west side of the dining room, appropriately the former dining room, houses built in china cabinets.
The food is stellar - try the sesame coated oysters as an appetizer. Even if you are not an oyster fan, you will love these. Cooked just enough to be done, but not tough.
Entrees change frequently to keep the menu fresh and the house-made desserts are great.
Richard and Nancy have one of the best winelists around as well. Filled with local wines as well as wines from all over the world. They offer more than 15 by the glass!
Tina's
760 Hwy 99W
Dundee, OR 97115
(503) 538-8880
Tina's sits at it's original site, however, oh boy has it changed!
What was once a very small (and very bright blue) restaurant, with seating for perhaps 20 has been transformed. The building was enlarged and the original dining room was joined by a larger area past the fireplace. Owners David and Tina Bergin also added a beautiful bar (where you will often find local winery folks after a long day at the winery.)
I have personally spent a lot of time at Tina's over the years. In fact, there is a joke with a few of us of meeting for "tee martuni's at Tina's", but we won't go there.
The food and service are excellent! The salmon spring rolls with hazelnut dipping sauce are a must as an appetizer! Entrée's are well prepared and artistically plated. The menu changes seasonally to offer the freshest local ingredients.
Dayton's Mushroom Man - Joel Palmer House
Heading southwest, our of Dundee, you will find the small town of Dayton.
Home to one of the most interesting restaurants in the area.
Joel Palmer House
600 Ferry Street
Dayton, OR
(503) 864-2995
Do you love mushrooms? Then this is the place to be. Owners Jack and Wanda Czarnecki gather the wild mushrooms themselves that you will enjoy later.
Now, for you carnivores out there, don't worry, this is not vegetarian fare. You can also get meat. It's simply that mushrooms are used everywhere. You can select entrees that include steak, lamb and seafood.
The Joel Palmer House also has a pre-fixe dinner. You select an entrée and Jack will prepare three first courses and a dessert to match.
Mcminnville's Classic- Nicks Italian Cafe
In McMinnville, you will find yet another staple in wine country….
Nick's
Italian Café
521 NE 3rd
McMinnville, OR 97128
(503) 434-4471
Chef Nick Peirano opened his restaurant in 1977. This put his restaurant at the beginning of the wine biz in Oregon as we now know it. So Nick's grew up with the industry.
The menu is Pre-fixe (and was before anyone else in the area did so.) Ala Carte dining is also available, but why not allow the chef, himself, to guide you through his best.
Nick's wine list is heavy on local Oregon selections. You can also get a few Italian and California selections.
The restaurant is also a great place to hear wonderful jazz. They often have local as well as national jazz artists perform in the banquet room.
In addition to dining in the restaurant, Nick's can cater. They also
have a banquet room for up to 45 people.
Oh boy, well, now I have made myself hungry and I am 45 miles from any of these great spots! My suggestion to you (okay and to me as well…now that I am starving for these great foods) is to get out there - tour Oregon's wineries - and experience the fabulous restaurants who know a good thing when they see it.
Until next time,
Cheers!
Kathy
About Kathy Reese
Kathy Reese began her wine experience
in the early 1980s touring Oregon's wine country “just for fun”.
As her knowledge and love of wine grew, she found herself seeking a career
in the wine industry.
In 1994, she began working part time at Autumn Wind Vineyards (now Patricia
Green Cellars) in Newberg, Ore. She started in the tasting room
and worked up to marketing the Autumn Wind line to local retailers. Kathy
was with winery until 2001. You will still find her in the tasting room on
Memorial Day and Thanksgiving Weekends.
1994 also saw the launch of her own wine tour company, at that time named
Northwest Wine Tours. A year later, when the business expanded, the name
was changed to Adventures
In Wine. The
company conducts wine tours in Oregon and California. Adventures In Wine
also produces winemaker dinners, wine events as well as Riedel Glass Tastings.
They also carry the entire line of Riedel stemware and accessories.
Kathy’s wine experience also includes stints as Wine Steward at both
Lamb’s Marketplace in Troutdale and Fred Meyer Raleigh Hills.