There was a time when a campground with running water and flush toilets represented the lap of luxury to me on a fishing trip. Toss in a stove to heat the beans, and, dare I say, a lukewarm shower, and life seemed downright decadent. As my luck in life improved, I’d even occasionally splurge on a burger and a beer.
I still prefer camping to hotels on extended fly-fishing road trips, but as I’ve aged, a weekend escape where fly fishing is just a part of the experience has become an occasional indulgence, particularly if the trip is with my favorite fishing partner, my wife, Jerri. I know of no better place than Ashland, Oregon, to experience the finer things while enjoying a fly-fishing getaway.
Ashland has it all: fine food and wine, charming lodging, and world-class entertainment. Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the largest repertory theater in the country, with over 780 performances a year. Plays for the 2010 season include Hamlet; Twelfth Night; Henry IV, Part One; The Merchant of Venice, an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. If live music better suits your tastes, the Britt Festival provides an opportunity to enjoy intimate performances from some incredible artists. The Britt is just a short drive over the hill from Ashland, in Jacksonville. Featured artists this season include Steve Martin, Bela Fleck, Pink Martini, Jewel, Taj Mahal, Barenaked Ladies, Styx, Garrison Keillor, and our pick for this year, Jackson Browne with David Lindley.
We often stay in one of the numerous bed and breakfasts in Ashland before or after a show, and of course, we take advantage of the dining available at one of the many fine establishments available just a short walk from the theaters. We’ve also enjoyed elegant lodging at the Plaza Inn and Suites, as well as the historic Ashland Springs Hotel. There are more than 100 dining options in Ashland, a list that is far too extensive to catalog here. I’ll review a few of our favorites, beginning with the least pretentious and concluding with the most urbane.
The Ashland Food Co-op
The Ashland Food Co-op is a supermarket with an incredible deli featuring fabulous baked goods, delicious hot breakfast choices, fresh fruit, deli sandwiches and wraps, and our favorite, the deli hot bar and salad bar. The deli and salad bars are self-serve, and everything is priced at $7.95 per pound, so we just mix and match items for a complete picnic lunch. We grab a bakery item, an espresso drink made to order, and perhaps something chocolate for dessert before we head out for the day to play. Wine and beer are available for off-site consumption.
The Ashland Food Co-op is at 237 North First Street, (541) 482-2237; on the Web at www.ashlandfood.coop. Deli hours run from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M., seven days a week.
Tabu
Tabu is my wife’s favorite restaurant in Ashland because it is so fun and festive. They feature nuevo latino cuisine and a martini bar. Their service is always exceptionally friendly and attentive. We’ve enjoyed almost everything that we’ve sampled on the menu, but my wife insists you try the ceviche and polenta fries, which are different and delightful. Friday evenings feature live local musicians, while Saturday nights are reserved for salsa dancing, with free lessons from 9:45 until 10:30 P.M.
Lunch and late nights, $2.00 tacos to $11.00 entrées. Dinner, tapas $4.00 to $16.00; sopa y ensalada, $6.00 to $8.00; platos, $12.00 to $18.00; desserts, $5.00 to $8.00. Full bar.
Tabu is at 76 North Pioneer, (541) 482-3900; on the Web at www.taburestaurant.com. Hours: Every day, 11:30 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. Salsa dancing Saturday night, starting 9:30 P.M.; live entertainment on Fridays.
Thai Pepper
My wife and I have enjoyed dining at Thai Pepper for nearly twenty years now and have visited it as frequently as most of the other restaurants in Ashland combined. We are particularly fond of the setting — a garden patio with Lithia Creek gurgling past. Our typical order begins with an appetizer and cucumber salad, followed by two or three entrées that we share. Thai Pepper has excellent wine offerings, and we select a sauvignon blanc or, on special occasions, champagne to complement our meal. It is always a challenge to choose dishes, because we have so many favorites on their menu. The appetizers we enjoy most include their light and crispy spring rolls, but the Thai lime beef salad with mango chutney is unbelievable, so sometimes we each order one to enjoy on our own. I usually select a curry (no easy task), while Jerri opts for a fish dish or one of their tiger prawn specialties. Thai Pepper is located just a short walk from the theater, and their impeccable service makes them the perfect choice for a meal prior to a show, with no worries of missing the bell.
Lunch, $6.00 to $10.00; appetizers, soups, and salads, $5.00 to $11.00; curries, $13.00 to $17.00; entrées, $13.00 to $17.00. An extensive wine selection and a full bar.
Thai Pepper is at 84 North Main Street, (541) 482-8058; on the Web at www.thaipepperkobe.com. Hours are: lunch, Wednesday through Saturday, 11:30. A.M. to 2:00 P.M.; dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5:00 to 9:30 P.M. Reservations recommended.
Lela’s Café
For a special occasion or just to splurge, we make reservations at Lela’s. This small, quiet bistro a few blocks from the bustle of downtown provides the perfect setting for dishes that are not only delicious, but tastefully presented. The service is all you might expect and more. On every occasion, recommended wine pairings have both surprised and pleased us. Since the plan is to feast, we start with an appetizer, perhaps the wild Pacific salmon lox bruschettas, followed by the soup du jour and a salad — their lemon Caesar is sensational. Our favorite entrées include the Tuscan eggplant napoleon, duck confit, and braised lamb. Jerri almost always orders a fish special when it is available in season.
Appetizers and salads, $7.00 to $12.00; pizzas, $12.00 to $14.00; entrées, $19.00 to $29.00. Extensive wine selection.
Lela’s Café is located at 258 A Street #3, (541) 482-1702; on the Web at www.lelascafe.com. Open Tuesday through Saturday. Hours: lunch, 11:30 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.; dinner, 5:30 to 8:30 P.M. Reservations recommended.
Larks Restaurant at the Ashland Springs Hotel
On the occasions we have dined at Larks, it has always been as part of a package stay at the historic Ashland Springs Hotel in the center of downtown Ashland. The hotel has been beautifully renovated and is a historical landmark. The packages most often include a $30.00 dinner voucher at Larks, which serves as their in house restaurant. The voucher represents an exceptional value and is ideal for couples on a getaway. Larks offers seasonal specials and features fresh, organic local produce, Oregon wines, and a full bar, including specialty drinks. We most always start with the Dungeness crab fondue appetizer, then I order either the pan-seared Muscovy duck breast or something from the grill, while Jerri opts for grilled fish or, on cold evenings, their home-style meatloaf with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and gravy.
Brunch, $8.00 to $14.00; lunch, $8.00 to $14.00; appetizers and salads, $8.00 to $15.00; entrées, $20.00 to $36.00; desserts, $7.00 to $8.50.
Larks Restaurant at the Ashland Springs Hotel is at 212 East Main Street, (541) 488-5558, and on the Web at www.larksrestaurant.com. Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.; lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.; “supper,” Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 P.M., Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 9:00 P.M.
More Than Food
All of the restaurants reviewed here are located in downtown Ashland, which offers great window shopping, with fun and friendly boutiques and specialty shops. All are also within convenient walking distance of the Shakespeare Theater. Jacksonville, the home of the Britt Festival, also has downtown boutiques, along with some nearby winery tours. There is a small ski resort south of Ashland to round out your visit or as an option if the local winter steelhead fishing isn’t the perfect choice for your entire party.
A “Foraging Angler” piece would not be complete without mention of the fishing. Not only does Ashland have outstanding amenities, but it provides an exceptional base for fine fishing. In this issue of California Fly Fisher, there is an article on spring fly fishing on the Klamath River, just 20 minutes south of Ashland. The Klamath also offers perhaps the best steelhead fishing in the state, with California’s strongest remaining runs of fall and winter steelhead. (See “Seasons on the Klamath: Winter,” in the January/February 2010 issue of California Fly Fisher.)
Just minutes north and east of Ashland is its signature river, the Rogue, rightfully famous for its fall and winter steelhead fishing, along with the Applegate, a tributary to the Rogue offering phenomenal winter walk-and-wade steelhead opportunities nearby in Jacksonville. The best access on the Rogue is by boat, but there are some wading options during average and lower flows, as well. Check with the friendly owner of the downtown Ashland Fly Shop, Will Johnson, for details. Tell him we sent you. He’ll probably even be able to direct you to a nearby campground, should you so desire!
New Dining Option in Lewiston
Herb and Pat Burton of the Trinity Fly Shop dropped us a note recently to rave about Trinity Dam Good Pizza: “These guys have put Lewiston back on the map…great grub, atmosphere, people (Miles and Kathy, the owners). Hands down ‘da place!’ ” It’s open seven days a week, from 11 A.M. to 8 P.M., at 242 Lewiston Road in Lewiston. Phone (530) 778-0440.
Richard Anderson
