Salivating with Excitement

By Hilary Berg, OWP Managing Editor

 
Before you read this issue of the Oregon Wine Press, you may want to find a napkin, because I have feeling you will salivate; and this ink will smudge when wet.
 
We’ve turned our focus on food for September, and we’ve got some great recipes for you to try at home and some new places to share with you.
 
In the cover story, “Vine Dining,” writer Sara Shaw interviews the fresh new culinary talents who have unpacked their knives and created exceptional seasonal menus in the northern Willamette Valley.
 
 Jory at The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Farm to Fork at the Inn at Red Hills in Dundee and Thistle in downtown McMinnville are all located on or near Highway 99W, spanning a distance of only 16 miles. And in between are already established eateries like Red Hills Provincial Dining, The Dundee Bistro, The Joel Palmer House, The Painted Lady, Bistro Maison and others.
 
Looking at the names I just listed, you can safely say this area has become a culinary destination. With world-class wineries, bucolic orchards and organic farms with free-range chickens and succulent produce, this is one hot spot that will not likely cool off any time soon.
 
I am amazed and delighted at the talent who have made this area their home. Coming from all parts of the country and the world, the chefs here could rival any in Portland or Seattle. I mean it.
 
An obvious indicator that this part of the state has really come into its own is the completion of The Allison Inn & Spa.
 
Set to open in late September, this luxury hotel, situated on 450 acres, including a vineyard, will bring an even greater level of panache to an area already dotted with fine boutique inns, like The Black Walnut and the newly opened Inn at Red Hills.
 
With more than 200 employees, The Allison is the largest luxury development in the Willamette Valley. It offers 85 deluxe guest rooms and suites on four levels, all located in the east wing of the four-story, 154,841-square-foot hotel. Impressive.
 
Adding up all the new businesses—restaurants, inns, even wineries (no shock here)—it seems there is momentum in the northern Willamette Valley that would excite anyone; maybe, even make them salivate for more. I know I am.
 
Anyone have an extra napkin?