Wanderlust Traveler: August 2012

We spent a long weekend in August of 2012 in the Willamette Valley, located about 30 minutes southwest of Portland, to visit several of its wineries in Yamhill County. As with any other wine country, the Willamette Valley is known for its wonderful restaurants and eateries in addition to its wineries. During our weekend we based ourselves in the town of Newberg and ate at the following places, which will be discussed below:

The Painted Lady (Dinner)
Bistro Maison (Dinner)
Red Hills Market (Lunch)
Dundee Bistro (Lunch)
Jory (Breakfast)
The Coffee Cottage (Breakfast)
Underground Cafe and Coffeehouse (Breakfast)

The Painted Lady:
This wonderful restaurant located in Newberg has probably more accolades than any other restaurant in the Willamette Valley and deservedly so. The restaurant is housed in a beautifully restored Victorian home on a residential street. For our meal, based on the positive reviews I had read online and a recommendation from someone working at The Four Graces Winery, we opted to go with the seven course chef's menu.

The Painted Lady

Beautiful flowers in front of The Painted Lady.

The Painted Lady

First up was our amuse bouche of Three Canapes (spiced nuts, parmesan gougeres, & edamame puree on pappadam). I liked all three items but particularly enjoyed the edamame hummus.

Three Canapes at The Painted Lady.

After the amuse bouche was the Chef's Trio which was paired with a glass of 2011 Argyle Sparkling Brut.

Chef's Trio at The Painted Lady.

Part of the Chef's Trio at The Painted Lady.

Our first course was Tempera Squash Blossom with Dungeness Crab and Summer Squash Bisque served with a glass of 2011 Chehalem Gruner Veltliner. This dish was one of my two favorites of the evening as it combined two of my favorite things: deep fried squash blossoms and squash soup.

Tempera Squash Blossom with Dungeness Crab and Summer Squash Bisque at the Painted Lady.

The second course was another one of my favorites; Poached Local Duck Egg over Parmesan Risotto, Bacon Lardons. The rich duck egg paired wonderfully with the creamy risotto and delicious crispy bacon lardons.

Poached Local Duck Egg over Parmesan Risotto, Bacon Lardons at The Painted Lady.

The third course was Foie Gras Two Ways: Seared with Maple Demi and Torchon Laced with Bing Cherries & Cocoa. This was paired with a glass of 2011 Anam Cara Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Of the two foie gras dishes, my favorite was the tourchon smeared over one of the thin slices of toasted baguette. The bing cherries complimented the foie gras very well as did the Gewurtzraminer, which was my favorite glass of the entire evening and probably the entire weekend in wine country!

Anam Cara Late Harvest Gewurtzraminer at The Painted Lady.

Toasted baguette slices at The Painted Lady.

Foie Gras Served Two Ways at The Painted Lady.

Our fourth course was Oregon Albacore Tuna, Saffron Potato, Kalamata Olives, Marconas, Black Garlic, served with a glass of 2009 Evening Land Pinor Noir. Another strong and delicious dish.

2009 Evening Land Pinot Noir at The Painted Lady.

Oregon Albacore Tuna, Saffron Potato, Kalamata Olives, Marconas, Black Garlic at The Painted Lady.

Our fifth course was Dry Aged New York Steak, Braised Veal Cheeks, Potato Gnocchi, Local Peas served with a glass of 2009 Pamplin Family JRG. Although I always feel guilty and terrible when consuming veal, I will have to admit that this veal was truly amazing and incredibly soft and delicious. I also loved the gnocchi, which I was so happy to see on the menu.

Pamplin Family JRG at The Painted Lady.

Dry Aged New York Steak, Braised Veal Cheeks, Potato Gnocchi at The Painted Lady.

Dry Aged New York Steak at The Painted Lady.

Potato Gnocchi at The Painted Lady.

Braised Veal Cheeks at The Painted Lady.

For our sixth course we were served a Trio of Fruit Sorbets all of which were tasty although I enjoyed the orange one the most.

Trio of Fruit Sorbets at The Painted Lady.

We thought we were done at this point but not quite. Last but not least, we were brought out our seventh course which was a plate of Berries: Blueberry Panna Cotta, Souffle with Boysenberry Creme Anglaise, and Mascarpone Tart with Fresh Berries along with an assortment of little fresh baked goodies and chocolates. I am not at all a fan of blueberries but the panna cotta was to my surprise incredibly delicious; I may have to reconsider my dislike of that fruit after having eaten that dish! The mascarpone tart was fresh and clean tasting but my favorite of the three was hands down the souffle, probably thanks in part to the creme anglaise, which is one of my favorite things in this world.

Blueberry Panna Cotta, Souffle with Boysenberry Creme Anglaise, & Mascarpone Tart with Fresh Berries at The Painted Lady.

Our last tray of little treats at The Painted Lady.

In summary, our meal at The Painted Lady was incredible and something I would repeat again in a heartbeat. The small town of Newberg should consider itself very lucky to have a restaurant of that caliber in its neighborhood.

Bistro Maison:
This lovely little French bistro is located in the town of McMinniville, which was about a 30 minute drive from where we were staying in Newberg. Our visit happened to occur on the same night as a massive rehearsal dinner. The restaurant was crowded and the servers were all a bit stressed, however, we didn't have to wait too long until we were seated.

Bistro Maison in McMinniville.

I decided to spring for one of their Pomegranate Celebration Spritzers (Pomegranate Liquor, Pomegranate Liquor, Champagne, & Macerated Cherries). This was refreshing and delicious.

Pomegranate Celebration Spritzer at Bistro Maison.

For our appetizer, we selected the White Truffle Fondue (Emmenthaler, Gruyere, White Tillamook Cheddar, Oregon White Truffle Oil & Truffle Butter) served with Ham, Apples, Potato and Bread. We had to wait quite awhile for the fondue due to the large party but it was definitely worth the wait. I love fondue and I love white truffle oil so this was truly heavenly for me.

White Truffle Fondue at Bistro Maison in McMinniville.

The accouterments for the White Truffle Fondue at Bistro Maison in McMinniville.

For our entrees, Shyawn selected the Pan Seared Diver Sea Scallops with Lobster Mushroom and Saffron Reduction, Spice Infused Potato Puree & Sautee of Local Vegetables. The scallops were good but I more so enjoyed the potato puree.

Pan Seared Diver Sea Scallops at Bistro Maison

As soon as I saw Coq au Vin (chicken, potatoes, wild mushrooms, onions, & carrots in a rich Pinot Noir sauce) on the menu, that was my immediate choice as it is my all-time favorite French dish. The chicken and accompanying sauce were incredibly delicious but after all of the fondue I had just consumed, I was rather full and didn't have much room left!

Coq au Vin at Bistro Maison.

Although we really didn't have room for dessert, when I saw that they had Profiteroles au Chocolat on the menu, I decided to spring for it as it is my favorite French dessert. This dish was very good and we managed to somehow eat all of it!

Profiteroles au Chocolat at Bistro Maison.

At the very end of the meal, our server brought out a bowl of hazelnuts and a nut cracker, which was a fun touch.

Hazelnuts at Bistro Maison.

The beach at Ocean Shores, Washington.

We spent three days visiting Pacific Beach, which is located south of Olympic National Park and north of Ocean Shores on the Washington State coast. During this weekend getaway we spent a half-day down at Ocean Shores.

I also have two other entries from the trip that discuss our time spent in Pacific Beach and our visit to Lake Quinault.

Ocean Shores was only recently developed in 1960 as a summer-home/retirement community.

While in town, we stopped in and ate lunch at Bennett's Fish Shack. The restaurant appears rather dull and rundown from its exterior but was actually surprisingly nice inside: bright, clean, and decorated in a charming nautical theme. All four of us were completely starved by the time we sat down to eat so we ended up ordering quite a bit of food. I selected the Best of the Best (Cranberry Coast Salad, 1/2 Dungeness Crab and Cheddar Melt Sandwich, & a Cup of Clam Chowder), Shyawn had the Hand Breaded Halibut, Liz ordered the Battered Cod, and Adam requested the Famous Crab Cakes, the Fish Taco, and a bowl of Clam Chowder! We all thought that Shyawn's choice of the Hand Breaded Halibut was definitely the winner of the meal. I also really enjoyed my Dungeness Crab and Cheddar Melt Sandwich. If you are a seafood fan and happen to find yourself in Ocean Shores, Grayland, or Westport, definitely make your way over to Bennett's!

Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

Famous Crab Cakes from Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

Fish Taco from Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

Bowl of Clam Chowder from Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

Battered Cod from Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

Hand Breaded Halibut from Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

The Best of the Best from Bennett's Fish Shack in Ocean Shores.

On our way out of town, after spending some time at the beach, we stopped in at Murphy's Candy and Ice Cream for some ice cream. In addition to serving homemade ice cream, this local joint also sells dozens of flavors of saltwater taffy. The ice cream was good, but definitely not as great as we were hoping for. Additionally, the staff on duty that evening were unfriendly and almost rude, which was disappointing and surprising considering how important tourists are to Ocean Shores.

Murphy's Candy and Ice Cream in Ocean Shores, Washington.

Ocean Shores is most well-known for its beach, which is wide, expansive, and flat. In comparison to the beach at Pacific Beach, I found it to be quite boring due to the lack of terrain. However, the city does allow vehicles to drive upon the beach which is prohibited at most other beaches in Washington State. Adam drove his car onto the beach but we almost got stuck in the sand so we instead parked the car and then walked to the beach where the boys spent quite a bit of time flying Adam's kite again.