Ashland, Oregon: Standing Stone Brewing Company; restaurant review

Standing Stone Brewing Company 

101 Oak St., downtown, (541) 482-2448.  

This bustling brew pub provides well-prepared grilled meats and wood-fired pizzas. Diner John Briggs from Portland, Oregon, says, “This is not your usual dark pub.  Instead, it has a spacious, light-filled interior and an outdoor deck that is especially pleasant in the summer.”  The beer at Standing Stone Brewing Company is excellent, as are the salads (the Greek and the Cobb are good choices), and local sourcing keeps things fresh.  All this, and it’s kid-friendly, too.

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image courtesy of venue 

Introduction to Ashland, Oregon

Famous for its annual Shakespearean festival, Ashland is located in the Rogue River Valley just north of the California border.  It is a small college town with old-fashioned homes lining its green hills, and with dense blackberry thickets lining its rural roads.  Some of the locals are burned out (I witnessed a drunk lady in a parking lot and a space cadet at the theater); some are overly cheery (I found this especially in shops and throughout Oregon); some are smug (about living there); and some are throwbacks to hippie days (they sit in doorways--strumming, fluting, and asking for spare change). 

Located on Highway 5 about halfway between San Francisco and Portland, it makes a good stop on that journey.  It is an all-day drive from the Bay Area, but if you start out early, you can get here by 4 or 5 p.m.--in time to freshen up with a swim and dinner and still attend an 8:30 p.m. performance of the Shakespeare Festival.  Note that the town is devoid of gas stations; look for one I found on the first Ashland exit going north. 



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image depicts Lithia Park, courtesy of Ashland Oregon Chamber of Commerce 

Ashland, Oregon: Louie’s Bar and Grill; restaurant review

Louie’s Bar and Grill 

41 N Main St., (541) 482-9701. $.

This simple, dark-wood-paneled pub features matching high tables and a long bar. TVs run continuously. In good weather, creek-side seating in the back at Louie’s Bar and Grill is hard to beat. Service is provided by young, often inexperienced students, but they do tend to be pleasant. Menu choices include a variety of burgers, a few Mexican items (the salmon tacos are very good), and some pub grub ribs and fish & chips.




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image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Ashland, Oregon: Ashland Creek Inn; hotel review

Ashland Creek Inn  

70 Water St., 2 blks. to plaza, (541) 482-3315. 10 suites. Unsuitable for children under 13. Full breakfast. No smoking.

Luxury and privacy are combined at the Ashland Creek Inn in a converted 125-year-old grain mill overlooking Ashland Creek. You can hear the creek from most rooms, and giant shade trees cool the secluded decks. All rooms are suites with kitchens and decks, and each is furnished uniquely with art and antiques from around the world (travel themes include Marrakech, Matsu, and Canton).


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Ashland, Oregon: Winchester Inn; hotel review

The Winchester Inn, Restaurant and Wine Bar  

39 S. Second St., 2 blks. from festival, (800) 972-4991, 541-488-1113. Afternoon & evening snack; full breakfast.

Featuring excellent service and attention to detail, the Winchester Inn complex consists of the main Victorian house (which was originally a hospital on Main Street and then moved up the hill) and restaurant plus three other buildings. Manicured gardens surround.

The fine-dining restaurant (D daily, SunBr; $$$) uses mostly organic ingredients from local providers—think juniper berry-crusted filet mignon with a red wine reduction, horseradish, and bacon served with mashed potatoes and grilled broccolini, or grilled wild salmon with a blackberry-chipotle sauce, corn-and-blueberry salsa, herb-fried zucchini, and polenta cakes. A six-course Dickens’ Christmas Feast is scheduled annually at Christmas.

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Ashland, Oregon: Shakespeare Festival; things to do

Oregon Shakespeare Festival  

(800) 219-8161, (541) 482-4331. Spring-Fall.

In addition to the expected Shakespeare, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival  presents contemporary and classic plays on its one outdoor stage and two indoor stages. And the show almost always goes on. Even with rain showers in progress, though the actors then perform in street clothes so as not to ruin the delicate silks in their elaborate costumes. My family once saw a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” during such a storm—with the thunder roaring and the lightning flashing in the distance--lending a memorable ambiance to the performance. So do remember to pack ponchos, head covers, and raincoats; tickets are refunded if it is raining and you leave the theater before 75 minutes have passed.

Some Shakespeare plays are better than others for children. Three that have been particularly successful with my children are “The Comedy of Errors,” “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” If in doubt, call the Festival office for advice. This season children might enjoy Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and two non-Shakespearean plays--the great American musical “The Music Man” and a hilarious adaptation of “The Servant of Two Masters.”

●Brass Rubbing Center In less than an hour you can make a very special souvenir rubbing from a selection of more than 180 brass reliefs. Instruction and materials are provided, and you can even have your finished rubbing matted while you wait. The center claims to have "one of the finest collections of Monumental Brass Replicas outside of the British Isles." The shop also sells individual synopses of the current year's program of Shakespearean plays that are worth reading in advance.



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Ashland, Oregon: Ashland Springs Hotel; hotel review

Ashland Springs Hotel  

212 E. Main St., downtown, 888-795-4545, 541-488-1700. Continental breakfast. Adjacent Waterstone Spa. Restaurant. Free parking.

Both charming and conveniently located, the landmark Ashland Springs Hotel built in 1925 offers large, quiet rooms and an outdoor swimming pool. Rooms are poshly appointed, with high beds. A sort of Audubon theme runs throughout the hotel, including a fascinating display of Victorian stuffed birds and an extensive seashell collection displayed in the old-fashioned two-story lobby. The lobby has several seating areas and large windows looking out to the street; a continental breakfast is served on the mezzanine level that wraps around the perimeter, allowing diners a view below.

Larks 

restaurant operates off the lobby. Its cuisine is a celebration of Oregon’s farms, orchards, and vineyards, as well as of its artisan cheese makers and chocolatiers. Dinner includes items such as a classic Caesar salad as well as well as more fussy delights such as a "Maple Balsamic-glazed Double-cut White Marble Farms Pork Chop With Apple Compote & Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes.” Lunch is a relative bargain, and the menu then includes a hamburger and a classic Reuben sandwich.
L-D daily, Sat-SunBr; $$$.

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