bbqboy

Some other options, all of which are worthy dining experiences. Tabu, Thai Pepper, and Il Giardino. Tabu is Latino fusion. Thai pepper is inventive Thai, and Marco does a wonderful job with his native Italian at Il Giardino. If you can be here on a Tuesday, it's the Ashland Grower's Market, all organic and still funky even in the New Armory parking Lot.

What route do you plan to get from LV to Seattle? You'd enjoy Western Oregon. East of the Cascades can be a vast wasteland.

Hi Rosie, this may be late to ask, but are you locked into your route? Salem is not one of our glamorous cities. The Willamette Valley below Portland is mainly agricultural, though west of I-5 are many Grape Growers. Mountains start south of Eugene. Lots of folks head west from Portland to Astoria, an historic and unique city, then head down the coast til OR 126 which heads to Eugene, or all the way down to US199 and the top of the Redwoods, then over past Bridgeview Winery, http://www.bridgeviewwine.com/ http://www.strengthinperspective.com/mpfin...2/mpgal42a.html and to the Rogue Valley and Ashland.Folks then return up I 5 to Eugene and Portland or head up and over to Bend, an attractive city set in the high desert on the east side of the Cascades. They then return to Portland via Hwy 97 to Hood River, then down the Gorge and back to Portland. Bill in Southern Oregon PS: here's the Oregonian's Wine Guide for this season. http://www.oregonlive.com/wine/oregonian/guide/

You should call New Sammy's right now. Once Outdoor Shakespeare starts, it's crowded. Troon's tasting room will be open by that time too. It's on that back road between Jacksonville and Grants Pass. http://www.troonvineyard.com/location.asp http://www.troonvineyard.com/default.asp Gary West-Black Pepper Jerky-he'll love it.

Hi Genny, We live in Talent. Most of our food attractions are still of a working nature, rather than touristy, so approach them as such and you'll be pleased. When we have visitors we usually scope out directions to go per day. Think Prescott, Sedona, Jerome, and Cottonwood and you'll have an idea of how things spread out here. Our Rogue Valley Grower's & Crafters Market happens Tuesdays in Ashland at the NEW Ashland Armory on E. Main, and on Thursdays in Medford at the Medford Armory on South Pacific Highway. This is the market you want to visit; all locally grown organic produce. Also saturday in Jacksonville. Harry & Davids Store is right behind the Armory, and on the corner of Stewart & 99, right nearby, is the SOS factory store, with local fruits and such. White City is a ways from Ashland and the lower valley. Ask your host to point you to Foothill road and N. Phoenix road and you'll pass right through the orchards, and also right by Roxy Ann Winery & Hillcrest Orchard at Hillcrest and Foothill. I agree with Jesse's Paschal idea. They are nice folks and make some nifty wines. http://www.paschalwinery.com Near the Farmer's Market between Talent and Phoenix sits Rising Sun Farms- http://www.risingsunfarms.com and they have a tasting room you'll want to visit. If you're interested in seeing a play at Shakespeare, http://www.osfashland.org/ Hang around before Play times and watch the greens show, and ask at the box office for 1/2 price tickets. They always have a few turnbacks and non picked up tickets. Don't know if you like water but most visitors either spend a day doing Grants Pass and the Jetboats, or doing a real River rafting Day trip on either the Rogue or Klamath. If you don't feel the urge for boating, a nice day's drive is to visit Jacksonville, (Whole town is on the historic register) and see a concert at Britt http://www.brittfest.org/ with wine and picnic, or have dinner at Jacksonville Inn or Caterina's Trattoria; 2nd option: take the back road- Oregon 238 thru the Applegate and up to Grants Pass. Shopping in Ashland: Jesse covered a lot; I would add The Ashland Food Co-op, Shop-n-Kart(not your White city one ), Global Pantry on the Plaza, & Market of Choice for foodstuffs. Dining in Ashland: Best seafood and Steaks are at Omar's, a classy and professional meat den- your relative would feel at home. Thai Pepper-Inventive asian taken a step beyond-I love this place Il Giardino-Italian beyond red sauces- http://www.ilgiardinoashland.com/Menu.html Pilaf-cafe part of Global Pantry Talent-Arbor House, family run, multi course, lovingly prepared. plan on stayin a while. here's another thread on New Sammy's http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=59627&hl= and you really should plan on a meal there. It's an experience worth having. In Medford, Porters was opened by alumni of Omar's and is a very worthy dinner house. Your relative would feel at home here also. Bonsai is an inexpensive Teriyaki/sushi place on 6th behind the MailTribune building, great for lunch. If you choose a trip to the ocean , (you should), get up early head to Grants Pass and pick up a breakfast burrito to go at Muchas Gracias on 7th street at the North Exit off I-5, then head off 199 to the coast. Taylor's Sausages has a stand in Cave Junction-Local delicious links-and then it's on to the top of the Redwoods and Over to Brookings, and gold Beach, where you can spend the day Beachcombing and still make it back to the Rogue Valley that night. I didn't include a Crater Lake synopsis because the rim road won't be open, you'll spend a whole day doing it, and there's nothing food or townwise at all. You've already got mountains in Az, so I took the liberty of putting it last on your list. I'm sure I left something cool out, but it'll have to come to me. Bill

Don't know whether you have heard of or already talked to this lady, but a friend has had her hot dogs and loves them. A neat story. She's not far from the Nebraska border, so within a hop, skip, and jump of your travel route. http://www.herskansas.com/stories/062004/n...overstory.shtml

http://www.weisingers.com/cottage.htm http://www.winesnw.com/RogueLoddnmap.htm http://www.treehouses.com/treehouse/treesort/brochure0.html Merle, if you make a loop through Grants Pass over to the coast and Redwoods, you'll encounter this unique bit of Oregonia. Check out Blue Dragon Books in Ashland, , the Rogue Creamery in Central Point and Rising Sun Farms between Talent and Phoenix, for a few places to start exploring.

"A new, different and exciting restaurant over [insert appropriate decade] years old." In my callow youth, that number was 60. By the time I left for college, it was 70. Now it would be 100. (Aside: Now I'll really date myself with this once well-known Kansas City advertising jingle: "Did your Chevrolet come from Ireland?") Glad to see that some things never change--or change only slowly. ← http://www.chowhound.com/midwest/boards/mi...ages/11736.html You guys might be interested in this thread from a while back. My favorite places on the Plaza were Putch's Coffee House and C. Morris Watkins. I had the unfortunate experience of working for the Muhelbach's delivery Store, on 55th ST. for a short time in the '70's. Yikes! We delivered to all the dowagers in the Plaza high rises. That ended my career in the grocery biz. I'll match that Ireland Chevrolet, and raise you a "You get the feelin' of honest dealin', when you see Bill Neale". You just don't get cars with talking hoods these days.

Merle, come on up to the Rogue Valley. 2 hours beyond Redding, but a whole different world. Lots of bay area ex-pats. Ashland, Jacksonville, on up to Grant's Pass, and tons of food, books, and crafts. http://www.ashlanddirectory.net/ashland/restaurants/ http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/03-05/re...oregon-usa.html

Hi ya Malarkey. It's a little bit further south, as pictured in this article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c.../24/CM73357.DTL The Right Phone #: 541-535-2779 and if any of you aspiring back to the woods chefs need an outlet, the currently vacant Chata is for sale-ready to go restuarant/bar space in a house.

In Kansas City, I grew up with deep fried Tacos. Maybe a unique item to that region, although culturally tied to Texas. Most of our Mexican immigrants came from Jalisco by way of Texas and the Santa Fe RR. Our guys clipped them with clothespins, threw 'em right in the deep fryer, already fully packed. Much like a Chimi, but with corn tortillas. After this dousing, they were sprinkled with cheese, then served sizzling on a platter.You can still find the greasebombs around KC. I think these are variations on a theme. Ideas on this variant?

soul food for a trendy white audience means it's priced accordingly. I concur with all your comments. Low is chef rodrigo, originally from Texas. I'll reserve judgement, expecting good things. Sides, yes! BBQ is not supposed to be gourmet, just good food. Gawd, how I long for some fresh cut fries and pickles. The trinity of white bread ,pickles, and grease seems to be lost on these recreations. oh well! It's not worth moving back to KC, or Memphis. Bill in Southern Oregon

That was an accurate review of Reo's, HB. I've eaten there once, but it's not worth going out of the way to get this food. I don't know what Mississippi style means either, and I'm confused about the confluence of "country style" and BBQ, 'cuz they aren't the same thing to me. Growing up in KC, I've always preferred cafeteria style presentations. Who can stand to wait with the smell of Q wafting through the air? If they started cooking 12 hours before, the meat should already be there, or they've run out. Oh well. Plane tickets are cheap. I've still got to get back up there to try LOW. Does anyone serve Hand cut fries(shoot, just fries) with their Q in the greater Portlandopolis? I always get the faint idea that none of these folks that establish places could exist in their native locales. Am I wrong? MSG, I've read your raves about chef rodrigo and looking foward to trying those lamb ribs, etc.

This may be the funniest thread I've ever read on here. Maybe you could have Mr. Trillin encapsulate it in his next book. Urbane NY folks going off the deep end for what is considered "everyday fare" in the parts of the US where it originates from. Of course, all of you realize you could catch a $99.00 flight to any of these locales and ,(at least in KC), get Wonder bread & fresh cut fries with your meal,+boulevard beer to boot! My ? to all of you who attended is: where did the raw meat these guys and gals smoked come from? Comparing fat content between places is interesting, but did they get the supplies in NYC? Did they bring them from KC or Memphis, Austin or St. Louis? I know for a fact that the relationship between a Q'er and his butcher is a VERY special thing. Throw in some Tri-tip Santa Maria Q for variation next year and you've got the whole country covered. No fresh cut fries? It ain't Q without the sides. hope you had fun, Billy

The emergency poet strike force?

I wasn't attempting to divert the thread, I only felt the Mark Silverstein comment set a tone that colored the whole shebang. Someone else used the word contempt, and maybe that's what made me uneasy. Context is what it's all about, in food, religion and a whole bunch more of life. Obviously, a lot of folks love Charlie Trotter and a more introspective tone about why he didn't might have been more well recieved than the all out rant.

Forgive my thin-skinned eyebrow raising, but who cares if mark silverstein is jewish? Besides the fact he's co-host of "The Best Of...", not food finds. After that opening joke, how can you take what the rest of the post was about seriously? A young snob making a snide remark under the guise of "humor", and then proceeding to slam a noted place for being snobs. Too much! Learn to accept an experience on it's own terms, not mold it to your own expectations. Or maybe there aren't any Jews in Atlanta. Doubt it though. I guess Howard Dean was referring to this type of guy as the southern voter he wanted to capture.